THURROCK Ladies Rugby club stormed to another emphatic victory on Saturday – but still the Rugby Football Union refuses to promote them to the Premier Division.

Before crushing Bath Ladies 94-0 – bringing their points total up to 817 and making it 13 wins out of 13 in the Championship South One League – the club hosted a lunch which included guests Bob Reeves, the RFU president and Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price.

But the RFU will not promote the T-Birds to the Premier League because of the Rugby World Cup.

Ms Doyle-Price, right, said: “I am very proud that we have such a talented team. “Three of the ladies are in our national side and they are really doing Thurrock proud. “It simply isn't right that they cannot take their rightful place in the premier league. I can’t see what difference the World Cup makes and it all feels a bit discriminatory and very unfair. “I have made this point to the President of the RFU and will continue to do so until fairness prevails.”

Thurrock Rugby Club’s director of rugby admitted he was furious at the RFC decision to stop the T-Birds claiming promotion. Dean White said: “It goes against natural justice really. “It’s true to say that we are really disappointed and there is a mood of frustration at the club.

“We cannot really see why no teams are being promoted this season.

“They say that its because of the Rugby World Cup, but it looks to us like the sport’s top flight failing to look after its grass roots.

“We have asked the RFU to explain why we’re not being allowed to be promoted and so far they have not come back with any real sensible answers as far as we can see.

“We have just not got a good response from the RFU. “It’s not good for the T-Birds to stay in this league when we’ve won it by a clear 20 points and are racking up big big wins against other teams. “We’d rather be in the top flight, even if this means losing by a few points.

“There have been rumblings about not wanting to dilute the top flight.

“But to us this seems like the top clubs picking on the smaller clubs. If we’d been at the bottom of this league we would have been relegated, where’s the sense in that?”

For the full story see Thursday's THURROCK FAZETTE