WORCESTER Rugby Club chairman Cecil Duckworth has threatened legal action against Premiership One clubs after they back-tracked on a promotion and relegation agreement.

English First Division Rugby are expected to approve plans whereby the only promotion place open to Premiership Two clubs would be via a play-off for the champions with the bottom club in Premiership One.

But Duckworth, who has bankrolled the Sixways club in a bid to get them into the top flight, has branded the plans "outrageous" and is now taking legal advice.

Duckworth, who is also chairman of the Premiership Two clubs, is due to meet with Glou-cester backer Tom Walkinshaw, chairman of English First Division Rugby, today in a bid to sort out their differences.

Second Division clubs had been pressing for the First Division to honour an agreement for one automatic promotion place and a play-off.

But the top-flight clubs have two votes as opposed to the Division Two clubs' one, and are expected to use their voting power to agree the play-off only.

The matter will be discussed at a meeting in Northampton on August 10.

The top clubs had originally called for a moratorium on promotion and relegation for a number of years.

Duckworth said today: "The game does not support ring-fencing. This is not quite the ring-fencing that they first proposed, but this plan is, in our view, not satisfactory and not constitutional and is an abuse of their power.

"It is outrageous. They are trying to deny a fundamental right.

"We have to get three First Division clubs on our side to vote with us, and that is what we are hopeful of doing."

At the recent annual meeting of the RFU, clubs voted overwhelmingly in favour of a two-up two-down system between all divisions in the rugby pyramid.