Rotherham will not be promoted from National League Division 1 into the Zurich Premiership next season according to reports.

According to the Daily Mail, the Yorkshire club who were runaway winners of their league this year have been told that they will not be granted promotion and the RFU will announce the decision officially within the next 24 hours.

But Rotherham chief executive Jim Kilfoyle insists the club are still waiting to hear the final verdict.

"We have heard nothing, so we are just ploughing on with our plans as we have been recently," he said.

"It would be nice to know but we have been given no deadline for an announcement."

If the reports are true, it means that the four clubs who could finish bottom of the Premiership - Leeds, Bath, Saracens and Harlequins - are all safe for another season.

The decsion on whether Rotherham would be promoted has already been postponed twice as England Rugby Ltd, the joint RFU-clubs organisation, questioned whether the club met the entry criteria on stadiums and resources as agreed last year by the clubs. But it appears they have found fault with Rotherham's proposed plan to share their football neighbour's Millmoor fround.

The newspaper also reports that the 'golden parachute' of £750,000 which would have been paid to the relegated club will go to Rotherham instead.

Four years ago the club took the RFU to the High Court over being denied promotion, lost their case and ended up with a legal bill for £250,000.

Mike Yarlett, Rotherham's 47-year-old owner, is reported in the newspaper as saying, "We have done everything we can to get to the Premiership but it looks like we will have to battle on for another year. We have to abide by the criteria and redouble our efforts next season."

"I cannot afford to fight them in the court and pay for a team which will compete with Worcester, Exeter and Orrell next season."