Debt-ridden rugby club London Welsh has formally entered liquidation, and have been automatically deducted 20 league points.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) announced it had granted a new company a temporary licence so the team can play its next two fixtures.
But the points deduction has meant the Richmond-based club has dropped from fifth in the second-tier Championship to second-bottom.
It formally entered liquidation on Friday, December 23.
London Welsh now has until January 16 to supply all the necessary information to the RFU board to decide on whether the new company can continue to operate in its current division.
This will not affect London Welsh Amateurs RFC, which plays in the Herts-Middlesex 1 league, because it is a separately-constituted club.
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