London Welsh have released a firm statement implying they are ready to fight the Rugby Football Union's ruling that they are ineligible for promotion.
An RFU announcement on Wednesday revealed that Newcastle will remain in the top flight after the governing body ruled that London Welsh's ground did not meet Aviva Premiership requirements.
In response to this, the promotion-chasers said: "London Welsh RFC would like to express its grave disappointment on learning of this decision.
"The club firmly believes that it has met the minimum standards criteria for promotion to the Premiership, particularly as regards the issue of primacy of tenure, and reaffirmed its belief in this respect in a detailed communication to the RFU as recently as Monday 21 May highlighting its case for having satisfied the MSC.
"The club has already sought clarification on this point, the detailed reasoning behind why primacy of tenure was not satisfied (among other things) having not yet been given by the RFU.
"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."
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