Bedford and Worcester set for Championship play-off final
· Yahoo Sports
Sunday marks the conclusion of rugby's Championship season as Bedford Blues and Worcester Warriors meet in the play-off final at Goldington Road (15:00 BST).
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In previous years this showpiece would have opened the door to the prospect of Premiership rugby for the victorious side.
The RFU's announcement earlier this year, however - that promotion and relegation is being scrapped in favour of an application process, during which clubs must meet a host of criteria - means that automatically rising to the top tier is not on offer this year.
The Blues and the Warriors will clash in Bedfordshire this weekend with the aim of claiming the silverware on offer nevertheless.
The hosts are, on paper, the favourites. They enjoy the luxury of home advantage having finished second in the Championship while the Warriors, in their first season back in the league, ended the regular campaign in fourth.
The Blues also completed the double over their opponents over the course of the campaign - they were 35-19 winners before Christmas and then emerged victorious 28-14 at Sixways in the reverse fixture in April.
The semi-final stories
Bedford eased past Coventry 58-24 last Friday, thanks to a flurry of six second-half tries and 28 points contributed by Will Maisey.
Visitors Coventry had claimed a first-half advantage and headed into the interval 12-10 in front, but in a try-laden second 40 - including half a dozen for the hosts, all of which were converted - the Blues proved far too strong and advanced to the final.
Maisey, Ryan Hutler, Alex Day, Archie Benson, Toby Thame and Dean Adamson all dotted down in the second half alone, a steady flow of points to which Coventry had no answer.
Worcester, meanwhile, dramatically beat table-topping Ealing Trailfinders with the final play of the match on Saturday to secure a 34-29 victory.
Jake Garside went over after 80 minutes were up, just minutes after Ealing had thought themselves victorious when Dan Jones broke through.
Ealing, who remarkably won all 26 Championship matches prior to the semi-final to finish top of the standings, trailed Warriors by 19 points in the first half after the visitors landed three tries.
The hosts roared back to nudge themselves in front at the death - only for Warriors to provide one final moment of drama, courtesy of Garside, and clinch a place in the final, against the odds.
'It's not just another game'
One of the key standards which sides aspiring to play Prem rugby will have to adhere to in the future is on the financial front - and Bedford director of rugby Mike Rayer believes there are few better opportunities in rugby union for potential investors to get involved in.
"Bedfordshire is a growing county and I'm sure the board would welcome significant investment and try to develop this place and push it forward," Rayer told BBC Look East.
"We're probably more ripe than any other club in England because we actually break even or make a small profit every year so why wouldn't you want to invest in a company that doesn't lose money?
"It makes so much sense for someone to come in here and do that but obviously it has to be the right person and the right sort of investment."
Worcester's head coach Matt Everard, meanwhile, has assured supporters that his team, though underdogs, will give it their all in the pursuit of glory.
"We are really excited," Everard told BBC Hereford and Worcester. "Knock-out rugby is hugely exciting in the last two weeks of the season and this day will be the most exciting of the lot.
"I have no disbelief that Bedford are out-and-out favourites, they have beaten twice already this season and it's at their place. They have just put the best part of 60 points past a very good Coventry team.
"We know we are underdogs going into it but we will give it absolutely everything.
"It is not just another game. That's a load of rubbish. Everyone sat in the room knows it isn't, so the psychology behind it doesn't work."