Leeds Carnegie's squad is set for crunch talks on Tuesday as the club prepares for life outside the Aviva Premiership.
Carnegie to meet with squad in the aftermath of relegation
Leeds Carnegie's squad is set for crunch talks on Tuesday as the club prepares for life outside the Aviva Premiership.
Although Leeds showed their fighting spirit and picked up a bonus point in the 31-24 defeat to Heineken Cup finalists Northampton, it wasn't enough to prevent the side finishing bottom of the standings.
There is still a chance the club could avoid the drop should the Cornish Pirates win their two-legged Championship play-off against Worcester.
However having already announced that they are planning for life in the second tier of English rugby, Leeds are set to meet with the players on Tuesday afternoon to unveil their intentions.
With a £2million loan to repay and a reduction in budget - despite a parachute payment from the Premiership - Carnegie are now likely to make cuts across the board.
That means the "dozen players out of contract" could find themselves looking for new deals at other clubs.
Interest
Kearnan Myall and Luther Burrell have already announced they will be joining Sale, while Ceiron Thomas off to the Pirates.
England hooker Steve Thompson has been released from the final two years of his contract to join Wasps, while Scott Mathie, another target for the Sharks, and Juan Gomez are also believed to have releases clauses in their deals that could now be activated.
England flanker Hendre Fourie, who has been linked to London Irish, and inspirational skipper Marco Wentzel remain under contract, but are likely to attract interest from Premiership outfits.
Coach Neil Back has also opted to step down, with Leeds announcing the former England flanker had resigned on Tuesday.
Carnegie, though, have already got 20 players signed on for next season with rising stars Tom Denton, Phil Swainston and Gareth Denman having recently agreed new deals.
And it is likely to be the club's production line of academy talent which is likely to form the basis of their bid to bounce straight back.
