IT has been confirmed only the National One champions will be promoted at the end of the season after Championship title hopefuls Doncaster Knights and Ealing Trailfinders were told their potential applications to join the Premiership have been rejected.

Both sides are battling it out with Cornish Pirates and Jersey Reds to win the second tier and had expressed an interest in joining the top flight, but neither met the minimum standards criteria on the basis on not having a ground capacity of 10,001.

The decision was recommended by the Professional Game Board and ratified by the RFU yesterday.

The knock-on effect means only the National One winners will move up to the Championship, creating a 12-team league for the 2022/23 season.

There was previously the possibility of the top two both being promoted, but that will not now happen.

At the other end of the table, it was also confirmed the teams in14th and 15th will be relegated, with Old Elthamians withdrawing from the league before the start of the season.

The champions of National Two North and South will both come up to make a 14-team National One for next season, with a restructure also seeing three 14-side leagues at Level Four.

Both Doncaster and Ealing are entitled to appeal the decision through an independent arbitration process.