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Wikipedia - Champ Rugby
Champ Rugby (formerly the RFU Championship) is an English rugby union competition among fourteen clubs. It is the second level of men's English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when English clubs were first organised into leagues.
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.
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.
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.
| 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.
| 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 (2009–2025)
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.
| Season | Number of playoff teams |
|---|---|
| 2009–10 | 8 |
| 2010–11 | |
| 2011–12 | |
| 2012–13 | 4 |
| 2013–14 | |
| 2014–15 | |
| 2015–16 | |
| 2016–17 | |
| 2017–18 | No play-offs |
| 2018–19 | |
| 2019–20 | |
| 2020–21 | 2 |
| 2021–22 | 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
Champ Rugby (2025–)
On 15 May 2025, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) announced a new format and structure for the competiton under the brand of Champ Rugby. The new format and structure will see a return of relegation to National League 1 and potential promotion to the Premiership, which Tier 2 board chair Simon Gillham said will create "aspiration and jeopardy". The competiton was expanded to 14 teams from the 2025–26 season onwards. The new structure will see the top six sides, after the regular season, enter into a play-off phase to determine the league champions. Teams placed 12th and 13th in the table will face each other in single-leg play-off, the loser playing the runner-up in 2025–26 National League 1. The eventual winner will be in Champ Rugby for the 2026–27 season. The bottom placed side will be automatically relegated to National League 1 for the 2026–27 season. They will be replaced by the National League 1 champions.
The tournament typically runs from late summer through to the spring, with each team playing a series of home and away matches. The format includes a regular season followed by a playoff system, where the top teams compete for promotion to the Premiership. The Championship is known for its intense rivalries, passionate fan bases, and a commitment to developing homegrown talent, making it a vital part of the rugby union landscape in England.
In addition to the on-field action, the RFU Championship showcases the spirit of rugby, emphasizing sportsmanship, community engagement, and the development of the game at all levels. With a reputation for thrilling matches and unpredictable outcomes, the Championship is a must-watch for rugby enthusiasts and a crucial stepping stone for clubs aiming to make their mark in the elite tier of English rugby.