Rotherham have had their bid for promotion to rugby union's Zurich Premiership competition rejected - despite winning the first division by a record margin.

England Rugby Limited (ERL) confirmed that the Yorkshire club had failed to meet the minimum-entry criteria and must now play another season in the national league.

The move was announced by Rugby Football Union chief executive Francis Baron at Twickenham. Critics feel the decision was made to preserve the status of clubs such as Bath and Saracens, who, along with Leeds, would have gone into this Sunday's final round of fixtures with the threat of relegation hanging over them.

Instead, an independent audit of Rotherham has concluded that the club does not meet the stringent criteria laid down for entry into the top flight - even they played there last season, finishing bottom.

The decision had been widely expected, even though Rotherham has agreed to a ground-sharing deal with its footballing neighbours at Millmoor, a move which was initially seen as a passport into the Premiership. Instead, Rotherham will face a battle with big-spending Worcester and Exeter for the right to promotion next season.

"We now have to brace ourselves for the battle to win promotion yet again, only this time we will be better than ever and it will not be possible to keep us out again," said chief executive Jim Kilfoyle.

"The failure to gain promotion to the Premiership is a blow to all of this as well as to the aspirations of all well-run and ambitious clubs in the country. It goes against the general principles of most sports in this country.

"We have done everything that any club could do to gain promotion, but it has been decided that in the first embryonic stages of the concept of criteria and audits that our efforts have been unsuccessful."

It is the second time Rotherham has found its path to the top flight blocked. On the previous occasion, chairman Mike Yarlett took the RFU to court after the league was trimmed from 14 clubs to 12, forcing Rotherham into a play-off battle when it thought automatic promotion was assured. Yarlett lost the case, and £250,000 costs in the process, and this time will not contest the outcome.