London Welsh are destined for relegation © Getty Images

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London Welsh are now 20 points adrift at the foot of the Aviva Premiership. What their continued inability to get within striking distance of anyone else in the Aviva Premiership proves is there is no flawless model for recruitment for those promoted to the top tier.

For London Welsh, when they gained promotion to the Premiership, they went in completely the opposite direction. Some of those who played key roles in their heroic play-off win over Bristol were shunned to the shadows in favour of new recruits who came with a rugby grandeur but have failed to deliver. A total of 26 players were brought in and as they have proven, you cannot remotely hope to compete in the Premiership with that level of turnover and lack of time as a group. They claim there were few other options and blame the current structure, including the distribution of central funding which they deem to be controlled by a 'cabal' of clubs, as one that constrains the newcomers.

For those who are seeking promotion to the Premiership's top table there are cautionary tales. The London Welsh example is a textbook case of rushed recruitment. The Championship is likely to come down to a two-horse race between Bristol and Worcester Warriors, two teams who will be keeping one eye on next year but with a difference in recruitment preference.

Last Wednesday, Bristol confirmed the signing of Wasps winger Tom Varndell. He is an individual who knows the Premiership inside out. His tally of four England caps belies his try-scoring record and he will leave Wasps with at least 70 tries to his name. He will no doubt add more in the rest of the current campaign. He has joined alongside Tommaso Benvenuti and arrives at a squad who already boast British & Irish Lions Ryan Jones and Dwayne Peel alongside established internationals Anthony Perenise and Nicky Robinson. Gavin Henson may yet join the burgeoning Welsh contingent with more international signings expected in the next fortnight.

For Worcester, they are avoiding the expensive recruits who are the wrong side of 25. They have been there before. The signing of Chris Latham for the 2008-09 season - who joined Rico Gear and Greg Rawlinson there - did not bring them the success Cecil Duckworth desired and expected. Under Dean Ryan they have a different approach. Having seen academy products Tom Wood, Dylan Hartley, Matt Kvesic, Graham Kitchener and Matt Mullan leave in the last decade, he wants them to safeguard their talent and use them as the crux of the club. This is not to say Bristol are not searching for the same goal, but do not expect to see World Cup superstars arriving at Sixways in the near future. Instead they have been linked with players like Bath's David Sisi.

Tom Varndell will be at Bristol next term © Getty Images

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"If I looked at the Bristol model I'd want to ask 'where is it in four or five years?'" Ryan told the Independent on Sunday. "It won't involve the likes of Dwayne Peel. They are buying here-and-now experience but I think Bristol will end up in the Premiership with a small squad of overpaid players and that won't work."

It is one perspective against another. Neither carry a guarantee of success but the differences are intriguing.

Two points separate Bristol and Worcester at the top of the Championship and with London Scottish 15 behind in third it is a two-horse race. The goal is to be an Exeter. They have just passed 100 games in the Premiership after entering the league in 2010-11 with relegation already a perceived guarantee. Instead they surprised the other 11 teams, with Leeds falling through the trapdoor, and they are now an established side with a remarkable crop of young academy prospects making the right noise. Only now are they looking to add that drop of international talent with Geoff Parling strongly rumoured to be joining the Sandy Park side next year. They are perhaps the ideal blueprint of how to tackle promotion and the Premiership.

London Welsh will inevitably fall through the relegation trapdoor at the end of the season. A programme on BBC at the weekend asked whether they would be better to remain true to their old successful amateur roots at Old Deer Park and play merely for the love of the game rather than seeking promotion on a bi-annual basis. Alongside those thoughts are questions over the current promotion format and how difficult it is for those who prevail through the play-offs in June to build a team who can be competitive against those who have years of planning behind them. As John Taylor said, there is no point signing free agents in June as by and large, they are without a club for a reason.

For those two clubs who look set to replace them - Bristol and Worcester - they will be mindful of Welsh's plight this season. The end goal is to be an Exeter and they will aim replicate to those high standards hoping their slightly differing methods of recruitment and strategy will be just as effective.