University B will not play premier one rugby next year regardless of whether it beats Zingari-Richmond tomorrow.
The Otago Rugby Football Union ruled yesterday clubs could have only one team in the premier grade.
The union had carried out an amateur rugby review and all but one club - University - had agreed that only one team per club would be allowed in the top grade.
The board of the ORFU endorsed that ruling at a meeting on August 2 but the union did not officially tell any clubs until this week.
Not surprisingly, the University club was not happy about the ruling.
Acting chairman Chris Burke said the club was "decidedly disappointed".
"We feel let down by the union and the way it has been handled. I expect anyone else who was in our position would feel frustrated and disappointed."
Burke said the club had played the season under the rules set out by the metropolitan committee.
Those rules said the University club was the only club in Dunedin which would be able to field two premier one teams.
That ruling was made by the Otago union's board in October 2001.
"We looked at the rules and regulations of the competition we were playing in and that is the way we approached the season."
Burke said that meant there had been an expectation of promotion being possible at the end of the season, and the communication from the union about its decision had been poor.
University B beat Southern 27-24 last week in the premier two final, and was due to face Zingari-Richmond in a promotion-relegation match, but that match will now have nothing riding on it.
University B dropped out of the top grade in 2008 when it was beaten by Taieri, and was keen to get back up.
Burke confirmed the University club would still field a team in the match tomorrow, but did not know if the club would take the issue further.
ORFU chief executive Richard Reid said the amateur rugby review - part of which was the ruling on clubs having only one team in the premier one grade - had been endorsed by the board.
As this had been just a ruling and non-constitutional, the board's endorsement meant it was now part of the regulations.
Other constitutional parts of the review would be subject of a special meeting later this year.
Reid said the union did not tell clubs straight away as there were still two or three weeks left in the premier two season.
"In hindsight, maybe it should have been done differently. You can make a judgement call on that but if Southern had won the game then there would have been no problem," Reid said.
He said the clear message from clubs was to have one team per club, and the board had followed what its constituents had wanted.
Zingari-Richmond club captain Ken Ball said the club would still play the game tomorrow, and there was still plenty to play for.
The side had to go out and play University and prove it deserved to stay in the top division, he said.
He felt the board had made a good decision in allowing one team per club.
