Premiership promotion: Exeter boss Rob Baxter 'very disappointed' no side will go up

Rob Baxter led Exeter to promotion from the Championship in 2010

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter has described the decision to deny Ealing or Doncaster promotion to the Premiership as "very disappointing".

The two Championship clubs have been told their grounds do not meet Premiership standards so will not go up if either win the second tier.

"I want there to be promotion and relegation," Baxter said.

"I want the door to be open because morally I think that's the right thing to do," he told BBC Sport.

Baxter led Exeter to the Championship title in 2010 and has gone on to establish the club as one of the best in England - winning Premiership titles in 2017 and 2020 and making every Premiership final since 2016.

The Rugby Football Union say neither Ealing nor Doncaster have grounds that have a minimum capacity of 10,000, although Doncaster say they will appeal against the decision.

No side will be relegated from the top flight this season as part of Premiership Rugby's plans to help clubs combat the financial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"At the same time though I also know how hard it was to meet some of the minimum standards," added Baxter.

"I also think there needs to be some reality on making sure that that minimum standard coming up is at the correct level as well, to make sure that it is genuinely attainable.

"Anyone who was watching us in the season we got promoted, we were building a terrace at the bottom end of the pitch and we started building it well before we knew whether we were going to get promoted or not.

"That's probably the difficulty isn't it - that so much of it has to be in place before you know whether you're getting promoted or not, and it's a big financial burden.

"I'd be a hypocrite if i said that because Exeter are here now it should stop. Of course it shouldn't. It should be there, it should be active and it should be available to any team that can aspire to do it."