The Otago women’s rugby team have been denied promotion following a restructure of the Farah Palmer Cup.

Otago Spirit players and fans celebrated joyously after the 37-12 win over the Northland Kauri in the Championship final at Tahuna Park in September.

That would usually have meant instant promotion to the top-tier Premiership for the first time since 2021.

Instead, a review into the FPC structure following the removal of the struggling Taranaki Whio spells bad news for Otago.

New Zealand Rugby today announced the competition would have two divisions of six teams each in 2026.

Hawke’s Bay are relegated from the Premiership, but the Spirit will stay in the Championship to ensure both divisions have six teams.

NZR said the divisions had been determined ‘‘through structural changes and minimum standards, rather than playoff results’’.

The news might not go down well with the Spirit faithful but Otago Rugby Football Union chief executive Richard Kinley is hoping to look at the bigger picture.

“This was a thorough process and, while we are naturally disappointed with the immediate outcome, we remain optimistic,’’ Kinley said.

‘‘The changes being introduced will help to grow the women’s game, and we look forward to supporting our Otago Spirit team next season.’’

NZR head of women’s high performance Hannah Porter — a former Otago player — said changes had been introduced to strengthen the Farah Palmer Cup and ensure its long-term sustainability.

‘‘These changes align with NZR’s focus on strengthening development pathways in the women’s game,’’ Porter said.

‘‘While this will be disappointing for the Otago Spirit, it is not a reflection of their commitment or performance.

‘‘Otago remains a proud contributor to women’s rugby, inspiring players and supporters, and their role will be vital as we move forward.’’

A similar situation occurred in 2017-18, when Auckland stayed in the same pool despite where they placed in the previous season, due to structural changes that were made the following year.

In the same way, the current adjustments reflected ‘‘the unique circumstances of the competition’s evolution rather than the efforts of any individual team’’, NZR said.

Standard promotion-relegation will return from the 2026 season, some consolation for the Spirit as they seek to do it all again.