THE All Ireland League and the structure of next season will both undergo major alteration as a result of decisions taken by the IRFU committee at a meeting yesterday.
And the good news for clubs who feared a relegation battle when the league resumes later this month, is that there will be no relegation from the first division this season as the division will be increased from 11 to 14 clubs. In addition, the top three clubs in division two will be promoted, while the top six clubs in division three will be promoted to division two which will also be increased from 11 to 14 clubs.
The decisions taken yesterday are very similar in many respects to the structure proposed by the Leinster clubs and outlined in this newspaper a few weeks ago.
The changes in divisions one and two will mean that only six clubs will be left in division three. There will be 11 clubs in division four as well as the four winners this season from the provincial junior leagues. Consequently, the IRFU will consult with the clubs concerned as to the preferred structures of the new divisions three and four. This could lead to a division three north and south.
The opening two weeks of the season will be allocated to provincial team warm up matches and the following three weeks September 21st, 28th and October 5th to the Interprovincial Championship. The four weeks from October 5th to November 2nd are allocated to the European Cup and the three weeks from November 13th to the 30th for the six match tour of Ireland by Australia.
The Insurance Corporation AllIreland league will start on December 7th and continue on December 14th and 21st. League matches will be played during the International Championship on the Saturdays when the national team is not playing, from January 4th to March 1st. After the international series, there will league matches on the following six weekends.
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