CLARK Laidlaw believes expanding the Aviva Premiership to 14 teams and ring-fencing it would boost the England national team, writes Richard Ashton.

The London Irish assistant coach spoke after watching his side record an eighth straight Greene King IPA Championship victory with a 41-17 trouncing of nearest rivals Yorkshire Carnegie on Saturday.

It was a 10th win in all competitions this season for Exiles, who have been in red-hot form since their relegation from the top flight.

The first half in particular was of Premiership standard at Madejski Stadium, and Laidlaw believes removing relegation and including Irish and Carnegie in an expanded competition would help player development.

He told the Chronicle: “I certainly think the two teams have the infrastructure, we’ve both got good academies that have produced a lot of good young players.

“I’m not sure if the RFU will go down that route but I’ve been in competitions where there is no relegation and it certainly breeds the opportunity to develop your players with a bigger picture to your national team.”

He continued: “When you’re at the bottom of a table you’re always trying to find ways to win (to avoid relegation), rather than trying to develop your players.

“It would certainly allow young English players to be developed as you wouldn’t always be looking for the quick fix of an international player from New Zealand, Australia or South Africa to come in and win games all the time. I think there would be some real benefits for English rugby moving forward.”