Stuck in the dark ages. That was the damning verdict of Joe Marler, the England prop.

Commercial commitments ensure it is usually a rare occurrence for any professional rugby player to make a controversial remark on their social media account.

But in doing so Marler, the Harlequins forward, who had himself benefited from loans spells at Esher and Worthing, captured the anger and frustration of a large section of the rugby community in England at the decision by the professional game board to reject the Premiership promotion applications by Ealing Trailfinders and Doncaster Knights.

“Apparently they would rather not grow the game…” added Marler, whose tweet sparked a long list of comments from supporters critical of the decision as well as from many players in the Championship.

It is an issue that is close to the heart of many Telegraph Sport readers.

What is the point of the Championship if it is denuded of a pathway to the Premiership?

An independent audit concluded both clubs had failed to meet the minimum standards criteria, which includes a stadium that must hold a minimum of 10,001 fans. The capacity at both clubs is currently around 5,000 and this year neither had proposed groundshare arrangements in their applications.

On the face of it, the decision was straightforward. The MSC has been in place for 20 years and was reviewed again last year.

Clubs like Exeter Chiefs had to endure the pain and financial commitment required on their promotion to the Premiership in 2010 to upgrade Sandy Park. London Welsh in 2012 had to scramble arrangements to groundshare with Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium when they shocked everyone by winning the play-off against Cornish Pirates, despite finishing 14 points behind Bristol at the top of the table.

Yet these are far from normal times.

It was only in June last year that the RFU council passed a Covid recovery plan, in which it made the historic decision to introduce a moratorium on relegation from the Premiership on the grounds that it would improve “the financial stability and sustainability of professional rugby” for the next three seasons.

The temporary end to relegation was tempered by the commitment that the door would still be kept open for promotion from the Championship, to allow an expansion to 14 clubs for the start of next season.

The result has been one of the most spell-binding Championship campaigns in years; a thrilling battle at the top of the table with three potential champions in Doncaster, Ealing and Cornish Pirates.

Yet, in an instant, the announcement of the PGB decision, which has been ratified by the RFU board, has rendered it a meaningless competition and we are only just into March.

It is stunning body blow to a competition that less than a week ago was bracing itself for a proposal to introduce Premiership A sides into the league, even though clubs are in the process of reducing the size of their squads because of financial constraints and many players who have experienced both expound the development benefits of playing for a Championship club.

Both league leaders Doncaster and third-placed Ealing have the right to appeal, and they should do so. London Welsh fell foul of the minimum standards criteria decision in 2012 and had it overturned with their groundshare deal in Oxford.

Both Ealing and Doncaster were confident that their plans to increase capacities and improve facilities would have been enough for the audit and questions arise as to why they should have to be in a position to make such a draining financial commitment so soon in the season?  

Championship insiders say the position has not been helped that if the promoted club wants to buy a ‘P share,’ its valuation could be potentially prohibitive, with some estimating the value at £20 million. Premiership Rugby insists no valuation has been put on it yet. 

The irony is that just as the Premiership wants expansion to erase the anomaly of a 13-club league and bring in extra revenue from home games, the PGB has made the financial gulf too large for clubs from the Championship to close at a time when the impact of the Covid pandemic has left all clubs with mounting debts.

There is frustration amongst Championship clubs, too, at the perception of double-standards that clubs already in the Premiership are not subject to the same rules, such as Bath, whose temporary stand at the Rec is without a roof, something that sources say has led to an annual fine.

“If Bath were relegated, would they be allowed to be promoted again on minimum standards criteria? It is a question that has never been answered,” says one Championship insider.

A Premiership spokesman said that as each club is independently audited each year, Bath would be promoted under MSC.