LONDON Welsh have vowed to fight on in their plan to bring Premiership rugby to the Kassam Stadium, despite being told they were ineligible for promotion yesterday.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU)’s board of directors ratified an audit by the Professional Game Board, which found the application did not meet the minimum standards criteria for top flight rugby.

But the Exiles believe the decision exposed a contradiction in Premiership rugby’s rules, which gives them hope of overturning the move – if they can win promotion next week.

The news came as a huge blow to the club, just hours before the first leg of their Championship play-off against Cornish Pirates last night.

Welsh won 37-21 to boost their title hopes ahead of the second leg at the Kassam Stadium on Wednesday.

Key to the audit’s results was if London Welsh won promotion, they would not have control over the scheduling of games in a ground-share with Oxford United, whose fixtures would take precedence.

The RFU’s statement read: “The independent auditors identified various failures, including not having primacy of tenure at their nominated ground.

“This states that a club must demonstrate that they can host home fixtures at the time stipulated by Premiership Rugby and/or the host broadcaster.”

The Exiles expressed “grave disappointment” at the conclusions, particularly given the timing so close to their play-off game.

The club have two weeks to appeal, but have already sought clarification from the RFU about the primacy of tenure issue.

Central to their argument is the fact existing Premiership clubs such as London Irish and Saracens, who share at Reading and Watford respectively, are in the same situation, but are not in danger of losing their top-flight status.

London Welsh chairman Bleddyn Phillips (pictured left) argued that the RFU had made exceptions for other Premiership clubs and urged officials to think again.

Phillips said: “To the RFU one might ask why not increase those exceptions?

“Why should that preclude other clubs from taking their place at the top table?”

The Exiles’ statement read: “The club notes that if promoted it would share its ground with a club from the FA, in common with other Premiership clubs.

“It is not clear why an exception made in the case of at least four top-flight clubs (a third of the total) might not now be extended to a fifth.”

It added: “The club is especially disappointed in this regard as a firm binding agreement, subject only to promotion to the Premiership, has already been concluded with Kassam Stadium – a ground with facilities the club believes to be at least the equal of many other grounds already hosting Premiership rugby and which itself hosted a rugby union European Challenge Cup final only a few years ago.”

Last week Phillips told the Oxford Mail the club could address any matters identified in the audit “without much difficulty.”

London Welsh’s home ground at Old Deer Park, Richmond, falls below the 10,000 minimum capacity required in the Premiership.

The Kassam, which has been linked with several unsuccessful ground-share moves in the past, quickly emerged as the leading candidate.

It has experience of high-profile rugby union games after hosting the European Challenge Cup finals in 2002 and 2005.