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RFU Championship

{{Short description|Second level of English rugby union}}

{{use British English|date=May 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}

{{Infobox sports league

| title = Championship Rugby

| current_season = 2024–25 RFU Championship

| logo = RFUChampionshipLogo.png

| pixels =

| last_season = 2021–22 RFU Championship

| upcoming_season =

| sport = Rugby union

| founded = {{Start date and age|1987}}

| inaugural =

| administrator = RFU

| teams = 12

| countries = {{ENG}}

| champion =

| champions = Ealing Trailfinders (3rd title)

| champ_season = 2024–25

| most_champs =

| most successful club = Bristol Bears (4 titles)

| tv =

| levels = Level 2

| promotion = Premiership

| relegation = National League 1

| domestic_cup = Premiership Rugby Cup

| league_cup =

| confed_cup =

| website = {{URL|https://www.championshiprugby.co.uk/home|championshiprugby.co.uk}}

}}

The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men's English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38650116|title=What next for rugby's Championship?|work=BBC Sport}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/sport/03042020-rfu-cuts-turn-london-scottish-semi-pro-but-championship-could-become-development-league/|title=RFU cuts turn London Scottish semi-pro but Championship could become development league | SWLondoner|date=2 April 2020}} The competition has existed since 1987, when English clubs were first organised into leagues.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13606719.2012.674388|doi = 10.1080/13606719.2012.674388|title = Any given Saturday: Competitive balance in elite English rugby union|year = 2012|last1 = Williams|first1 = Peter|journal = Managing Leisure|volume = 17|issue = 2–3|pages = 88–105|s2cid = 154035466|url-access = subscription}}

{{TOC limit|3}}

Organisation and format

The Championship is governed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU).{{cite web |url=https://www.englandrugby.com/dxdam/78/78c488a3-c7bf-46f7-93fb-d26c11771275/Regulation%2013.pdf |title=Regulation 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424153347/https://www.englandrugby.com/dxdam/78/78c488a3-c7bf-46f7-93fb-d26c11771275/Regulation%2013.pdf |archive-date=24 April 2020 |url-status=live }} The current competition format is a double round-robin tournament, where teams play each other home and away. The 2023–24 season had no playoff phase, and no team was promoted to the Premiership as Ealing Trailfinders did not meet the minimum standards criteria.{{Cite web|url=https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/rfu-council-vote-in-favour-of-covid-recovery-plan|title = RFU}}

Current league table

{{excerpt|2024–25 RFU Championship|Table}}

Current teams

{{trim|{{#section-h:2024–25 RFU Championship|Teams}}}}

History

= Precursor competitions (1987–2009) =

The governing body for rugby union in England, the RFU, first allowed league hierarchies in 1987. This came nearly a century after leagues were first established in football and cricket, England's other two principal team sports.{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=P. J. |title=Professionalism and Change in English Rugby Union: An Inside View - ProQuest |date=2000 |publisher=University of Manchester |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/dc0964707bcd2615ac41717523bf4ddd/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2026366&diss=y |access-date=22 November 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |url=http://stats.acscricket.com/Cricket/1889/index.html#523/z |title=Annual Meeting of County Secretaries – the programme for 1890 |work=Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game |publisher=ACS |year=1889 |pages=478–479 |access-date=3 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908020352/http://stats.acscricket.com/Cricket/1889/index.html#523/z |archive-date=8 September 2017 |url-status=dead }}

The RFU's reluctance to allow leagues was based on a perceived threat to the sport's amateurism regulations: competitive leagues were seen as making clubs more likely to use incentives to attract and retain the best players.{{cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=P. |title=Battle Lines on Three Fronts: The RFU and the Lost War Against Professionalism |journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport |date=December 2002 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=114–136 |doi=10.1080/714001793 |s2cid=145705183 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/714001793?journalCode=fhsp20 |access-date=22 November 2021|url-access=subscription }}

When formalised leagues were finally permitted in the 1987–88 season, the second level was known as 'Courage League National Division Two'. The league has since had several different names before becoming the RFU Championship in the 2009–10 season.

class="wikitable"
Name of second-level competition

! First season

! Last season

Courage League National Division Two

| 1987–88

| 1996–97

Allied Dunbar Premiership Two

| 1997–98

| 1999–2000

National Division One

| 2000–01

| 2008–09

= Origins (2008) =

In November 2008, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) published a plan for a new professional tier below the Premiership. The 12-team Championship replaced the 16-team National Division One.

class="wikitable"
Level of men's rugby

! Name of competition in 2008–09

! Name of competition in 2009–10

! Number of teams in 2008–09

! Number of teams in 2009–10

Level 1

| Guinness Premiership

| Guinness Premiership

| 12

| 12

Level 2

| National Division One

| RFU Championship

| 16

| 12

Level 3

| National Division 2

| National League 1

| 14

| 16

To enable Level 2 to transition from 16 teams to 12, the RFU proposal called for five teams to be relegated at the end of the 2008–09 season. The relegated teams would play in the third level of rugby, known as 'National Division 2' in 2008–09 and to be known as 'National League 1' in 2009–10.

Additionally, one team would be relegated from the Premiership (Level 1 to Level 2), one team would be promoted to the Premiership (Level 2 to Level 1), and one team would be promoted from National Division 2 (Level 3 to Level 2).

The RFU Council voted overwhelmingly in favour of the new proposal, and the first Championship season started the following year, in 2009.

= RFU Championship (2009–present) =

== Promotion to the Premiership ==

Automatic promotion to the Premiership has not been a consistent feature of the RFU Championship. A playoff tournament was used to decide promotion between the 2009–10 and 2016–17 seasons, as well as in the 2020–21 season.

In seasons without a promotion playoff (2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20), the team at the top of the league was automatically promoted to the Premiership.{{cite press release|url=http://www.premiershiprugby.com/news/play-off-system-removed-from-greene-king-ipa-championship-from-next-season/ |title=Play-off system removed from Greene King IPA Championship from next season |publisher=Premiership Rugby Limited |date=3 March 2017 |access-date=4 March 2017}}

class="wikitable"
Season

! Number of playoff teams

2009–10

| rowspan="3" | 8

2010–11
2011–12
2012–13

| rowspan="5" | 4

2013–14
2014–15
2015–16
2016–17
2017–18

| rowspan="3" | No play-offs

2018–19
2019–20
2020–21

| 2

2021–22

| rowspan="3" | No play-offs

2022–23
2023–24
2024–25

| 2

The RFU plans to reintroduce possible promotion at the end of the 2023–24 season, by means of a play-off between the top placed team in the Championship and the bottom placed side in the Premiership.{{Cite web|title=RFU Council Vote in Favour of Covid Recovery Plan and Temporary Pause on Relegation|url=https://www.premiershiprugby.com/news/rfu-council-vote-in-favour-of-covid-recovery-plan-and-temporary-pause-on-relegation|access-date=2021-06-29|website=Premiership Rugby|language=en-US}}

== COVID-19 ==

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2019–20 season to be prematurely ended. Final standings were based on a "best playing record formula" and promotion and relegation remained for the 1st and 12th placed clubs respectively.{{Cite web|title=RFU|url=https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/league-positions-for-professional-and-community-game-confirmed|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.englandrugby.com}}

The 2020–21 season was impacted by the aforementioned pandemic and as a consequence, a shorter season kicked off in spring 2021. The reduced season saw each team play each other once only with the top two teams entering a two-legged promotion playoff. There was no relegation due to cancellation of National League 1.{{Cite web|title=Greene King IPA Championship Fixtures Confirmed|url=https://www.championshiprugby.co.uk/news/article/greene-king-ipa-championship-fixtures-confirmed-for-upcoming-season|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.championshiprugby.co.uk}}

In February 2021, a moratorium on relegation from the Premiership into the Championship was approved and it was confirmed that the RFU were working on a review of the minimum standards criteria for promotion and the league structure from 2021–22.{{Cite web|title=RFU Council Votes in Favour of No Relegation|url=https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/rfu-council-votes-in-favour-of-no-premiership-relegation|access-date=2021-02-16|website=www.englandrugby.com}} The moratorium was extended for a further two years in June 2021 and also could include promotion from the Championship at the end of the 2022–23 season if there was promotion in the previous season. There was also no relegation from the Championship in 2021–22.

== Competition funding ==

The RFU Championship clubs were in dispute with the RFU over funding for the competition and claimed that each club was owed £77,000 for the past three seasons, and will be owed a further £120,000 over the next four seasons. The clubs believed they should have received £295,000 in 2009–10, rising to £400,000 by 2015–16 and further believe there was a breach of contract on the part of the RFU. The RFU stated that the original funding was an estimate and by 2015–16 the figure will be £359,400.{{cite news|last=Straughan|first=Dick|title=Falcons relegated as Welsh win RFU promotion appleal|newspaper=The Cornishman|date=5 July 2012|page=80}} When the RFU announced the hiatus of promotion play-offs, it also announced funding increases from both itself and the Premiership, including a new system which ties some of the new funding to each Championship side's performance in the league season. The extra funding provided prior to 2016–17 was removed prior to the 2020–21 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/rfu-funding-statement-on-the-greene-king-ipa-championship|title=Update on RFU Funding of Greene King IPA Championship|publisher=Rugby Football Union|access-date=2020-02-11}}{{cite web|url=https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/update-on-rfu-funding-of-greene-king-ipa-championship|title=Update on RFU Funding of Greene King IPA Championship|publisher=Rugby Football Union|access-date=2020-02-23}}

== Sponsorship ==

For sponsorship reasons, the competition was officially known as the Greene King IPA Championship between the 2013–14 and 2020–21 seasons.{{cite press release |url=http://www.rfu.com/news/2013/june/news-articles/260613_greene_king_championship |title=Greene King IPA to sponsor RFU Championship |publisher=Rugby Football Union |date=26 June 2013 |access-date=27 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701022502/http://www.rfu.com/news/2013/june/news-articles/260613_greene_king_championship |archive-date=1 July 2013 |df=dmy-all }}

Historic results

= Courage League National Division Two (1987–1997) =

class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"

! style="background:#efefef; width:70px;"|Season

! style="background:#efefef; width:30px;"|Matches

! style="background:#efefef; width:170px;"|Champions

! style="background:#efefef; width:200px;"|Runners–up

! style="background:#efefef; width:480px;"|Relegated teams

align=left

| style="text-align: center;"|1987–88

style="text-align: center;"| 11style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Rosslyn Parkstyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| Liverpool St HelensNo relegation
style="text-align: center;"|1988–89style="text-align: center;"| 11style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Saracensstyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| BedfordLondon Scottish and London Welsh
style="text-align: center;"|1989–90style="text-align: center;"| 11style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Northampton Saintsstyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| Liverpool St HelensNo relegation{{#tag:ref|Due to the expansion of the Courage National Leagues for the following season there was no relegation from the 1989–90 Courage League National Division Two.{{cite book|title=Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91|year=1990|publisher=Burlington Publishing Co Ltd|location=Windsor|editor=Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell}}|group=a}}
style="text-align: center;"|1990–91style="text-align: center;"| 12style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Rugbystyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| London IrishRichmond and Headingley
style="text-align: center;"|1991–92style="text-align: center;"| 12style="background:#d8ffeb;"| London Scottishstyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| West HartlepoolPlymouth Albion, Liverpool St Helens
style="text-align: center;"|1992–93style="text-align: center;"| 12style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Newcastle GosforthWaterlooBedford, Rosslyn Park, Richmond, Blackheath, Coventry, Fylde, Morley
style="text-align: center;"|1993–94style="text-align: center;"| 18style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Salestyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| West HartlepoolRugby, Otley
style="text-align: center;"|1994–95style="text-align: center;"| 18style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Saracensstyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| WakefieldFylde, Coventry
style="text-align: center;"|1995–96style="text-align: center;"| 18style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Northampton Saintsstyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| London IrishNo relegation{{#tag:ref|Due to the expansion of the division from 10 to 12 teams for the following season there was no relegation from the 1995-96 Courage League National Division Two.{{cite book|title=Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1996–97|year=1996|publisher=Headline Book Publishing|location=London|isbn=978-0-7472-7771-2|editor=Mick Cleary and John Griffiths}}|group=a}}
style="text-align: center;"|1996–97style="text-align: center;"| 22style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Richmondstyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| NewcastleRugby, Nottingham
colspan="15" style="border:0; font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"| Green background are promotion places.

= Allied Dunbar Premiership Two (1997–2000) =

class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"

! style="background:#efefef; width:70px;"|Season

! style="background:#efefef; width:30px;"|Matches

! style="background:#efefef; width:170px;"|Champions

! style="background:#efefef; width:200px;"|Runners–up

! style="background:#efefef; width:480px;"|Relegated teams

align=left

| style="text-align: center;"|1997–98

style="text-align: center;"| 22style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Bedfordstyle="background:#d8ffeb;"| West Hartlepool{{#tag:ref|3rd place London Scottish were also promoted.|group=a}}No relegation{{#tag:ref|Due to the expansion of the top two divisions for the following season there was no relegation from the 1997-98 Dunbar Premiership Two.{{cite web|title=Leagues 1997/98|url=http://www.moseleyrugby.co.uk/report_display12.php?menitem=104|publisher=Moseley Rugby Club|access-date=9 August 2012|archive-date=28 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728224740/http://www.moseleyrugby.co.uk/report_display12.php?menitem=104|url-status=dead}}|group=a}}
style="text-align: center;"|1998–99style="text-align: center;"| 26style="background:#d8ffeb;"| BristolRotherhamBlackheath and Fylde
style="text-align: center;"|1999–00style="text-align: center;"| 26style="background:#d8ffeb;"| RotherhamLeeds TykesRugby and West Hartlepool
colspan="15" style="border:0; font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"| Green background are promotion places.

= National Division One (2000–2009) =

class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"

! style="background:#efefef; width:70px;"|Season

! style="background:#efefef; width:30px;"|Matches

! style="background:#efefef; width:170px;"|Champions

! style="background:#efefef; width:200px;"|Runners–up

! style="background:#efefef; width:480px;"|Relegated teams

align=left

| style="text-align: center;"|2000–01

style="text-align: center;"| 26style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Leeds TykesWorcesterOrrell and Waterloo
style="text-align: center;"|2001–02style="text-align: center;"| 26RotherhamWorcesterHenley and Bracknell
style="text-align: center;"|2002–03style="text-align: center;"| 26style="background:#d8ffeb;"| RotherhamWorcesterMoseley, Rugby Lions
style="text-align: center;"|2003–04style="text-align: center;"| 26style="background:#d8ffeb;"| WorcesterOrrellWakefield, Manchester
style="text-align: center;"|2004–05style="text-align: center;"| 26style="background:#d8ffeb;"| BristolExeterOrrell, Henley
style="text-align: center;"|2005–06style="text-align: center;"| 26style="background:#d8ffeb;"| HarlequinsBedford BluesNo relegation{{#tag:ref|Due to the RFU expanding the league from 14 to 16 teams for the following season there was no relegation from the 2005-06 National Division One.{{cite web|url=http://en.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/story/63053.html |title=RFU council approves expansion of National League One |publisher=ESPN |date=17 March 2006 }}|group=a}}
style="text-align: center;"|2006–07style="text-align: center;"| 30style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Leeds TykesEarth TitansOtley, Waterloo
style="text-align: center;"|2007–08style="text-align: center;"| 30style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Northampton SaintsExeter ChiefsPertemp Bees, Launceston
style="text-align: center;"|2008–09style="text-align: center;"| 30style="background:#d8ffeb;"| Leeds TykesExeter ChiefsEsher, Sedgley Park, Newbury, Otley, Manchester
colspan="15" style="border:0; font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"| Green background are promotion places.

= RFU Championship (2009–2025) =

class="wikitable"
style="background:#efefef; width:70px;"|Season

! style="background:#efefef; width:30px;"|Matches

! style="background:#efefef; width:170px;"|Champions

! style="background:#efefef; width:200px;"|Runners–up

! style="background:#efefef; width:480px;"|Relegated teams

style="text-align: center;"|2009–10

| 22

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | Exeter Chiefs

| Bristol

| Coventry

style="text-align: center;"|2010–11

| 22

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | Worcester Warriors

| Bedford Blues

| Doncaster Knights

style="text-align: center;"|2011–12

| 22

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | London Welsh

| Bristol

| Ealing Trailfinders

style="text-align: center;"|2012–13

| 22

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | Newcastle Falcons

| Bristol

| Plymouth Albion

style="text-align: center;"|2013–14

| 23

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | London Welsh

| Doncaster Knights

| Moseley

style="text-align: center;"|2014–15

| 22

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | Worcester Warriors

| Yorkshire Carnegie

| No relegation

style="text-align: center;"|2015–16

| 22

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | Bristol

| Ealing Trailfinders

| Rotherham Titans

style="text-align: center;"|2016–17

| 22

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | London Irish

| Ealing Trailfinders

| Richmond

style="text-align: center;"|2017–18

| 22

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | Bristol

| Ealing Trailfinders

| Yorkshire Carnegie

style="text-align: center;"|2018–19

| 22

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | London Irish

| Ealing Trailfinders

| No relegation

style="text-align: center;"|2019–20

| 15*

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | Newcastle Falcons

| Ealing Trailfinders

| No relegation

style="text-align: center;"|2020–21

| 10**

| style="background:#d8ffeb;" | Saracens

| Ealing Trailfinders

| No relegation

style="text-align: center;"|2021–22

| 20

| Ealing Trailfinders

| Doncaster Knights

| No relegation

style="text-align: center;"|2022–23

| 22

| Jersey Reds

| Ealing Trailfinders

| Richmond

style="text-align: center;"|2023–24

| 20

| Ealing Trailfinders

| Cornish Pirates

| No relegation

style="text-align: center;"|2024–25

|22

|Ealing Trailfinders

|

|No relegation

style="text-align: center;"|2025–26

|26

|

|

|

colspan="15" style="border:0; font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"| Green background are promotion places.
**2020–21 season started late due to the pandemic.

Number of league titles

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

{{div col end}}

See also

Notes

{{Reflist|group=a}}

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Official website}}
  • [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/the-english-championship/table RFU Championship table] at BBC Sport

{{RFU Championship}}

{{RFU Championship Venues}}

{{Rugby union in England}}

{{Top-level rugby union club competitions}}

2

Rugby Union

Category:Sports leagues established in 1987

Category:1987 establishments in England

England

Category:Professional sports leagues in the United Kingdom