First 7 Teams Relegated From the Premiership: Where Are They Now? - Ruck

First 7 Teams Relegated From the Premiership: Where Are They Now?

From Coventry to Sale, RUCK takes a look at the first 7 teams to be relegated from the top league of English rugby and where those teams are now.

1987

Coventry

This would prove to be Coventry’s only ever season in the top flight, spending the next 30 years stuck between the second third tier of rugby, although they almost returned to the Premiership in 1997 but were edged out by a well-funded Newcastle Falcons. Most recently, they return to the Championship for the first time in eight years for the 2018/19 season after winning promotion from National League One.


Sale 

In 1994, the team was promoted to the back to the top flight, however, despite the promotion the club struggled financially toward the end of the decade when a series of defeats led to a drop in crowd numbers resulting in a loss of backing from a number of major club funders. After narrowly missing relegation, local businessman Brian Kennedy stepped in and secured the club’s finances in time for the team to enter the professional era. The name Sharks was adopted in 1999. They’ve since became stalwarts of the division and were champions in 2006.

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