Following an RFU decision to settle standings for 2019/20 on a ‘points per game’ basis, the Islanders end the season outside the top six for the first time in five years, having picked up six wins and 32 league points from their 14 games. It comes after the governing body cancelled all non-Premiership rugby for the remainder of the season due to Covid-19.
Using the RFU’s calculations, which allocated separate home and away average points tallies to outstanding fixtures, Jersey finished below the likes of newboys Ampthill on an adjusted total of 49.04 points. Harvey Biljon’s side had three home games remaining [at an average of 2.63 PPG] and five away [at 1.83].
The Reds last finished in the bottom half in 2014/15, with a 48-point haul from 22 games [2.18 PPG] being good enough for seventh place.
However, Morgan is far from downhearted.
‘I still see this as an exceptional season for us,’ he said.
‘There’s no surprise with this result – I don’t see how else they could have done it – but I don’t think the table gives a true reflection. The run-in we had coming up … we were one of the few clubs to have already played Ealing and Newcastle twice and we felt we would have ended higher up if we had played our remaining eight games. But there are no sour grapes, it is what it is.’
Morgan also revealed that Championship clubs are in talks to decide how prize money will be split this term, given its unprecedented conclusion. Historically, funding is allocated on a sliding scale from positions one to 12 (at approximate reductions of £5,000 per place).
Newcastle [104.50] have sealed promotion to the Premiership and Yorkshire Carnegie [2.75] have had their long-awaited relegation confirmed. The only shift to the existing table affects tenth and 11th, with Doncaster Knights leapfrogging Hartpury despite finishing the season with one league point fewer. The Knights were handed a five-point deduction for fielding an unregistered player earlier in the season.
More in Friday’s JEP.
