Elior 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. Historically the competition provided automatic promotion to the top-flight PREM Rugby, but following a vote by the RFU Council on 27 February 2026, automatic promotion and relegation between the two tiers was abolished from the 2026–27 season. Elior Champ Rugby remains a required pathway to the PREM under the new criteria-based expansion model, under which any club seeking admission to the PREM must first have played at least one season in the Champ.

Format

The fourteen teams each play one another twice (once at home and once away), the results of the matches contribute points to the league table with points awarded as follows: 4 for a win, 2 for a draw, and 0 for a loss, although a team can earn 1 bonus point for losing by 7 points or fewer and another for scoring 4 or more tries in a match. The top six teams enter the play-offs to determine the league champion, with 1st and 2nd earning home semi-finals and 3rd to 6th contesting quarter-finals; the winner, if eligible for promotion, then faces the bottom team in the 2025–26 Premiership for a chance at promotion. The teams finishing 12th and 13th play a one-leg match, with the loser then facing the National League 1 runner-up to decide who remains in the Championship. The 14th-placed team is automatically relegated to National League 1 and replaced by that league's champion.

Current league table

Current 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.

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.

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.

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 was not 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.

On 27 February 2026, the RFU Council voted overwhelmingly to abolish automatic promotion and relegation between Elior Champ Rugby and the PREM with effect from the 2026–27 season. Entry to an expanded PREM will instead be determined by a criteria-based process overseen by a newly established Expansion Review Group, assessing clubs on on-field standards, financial sustainability, commercial strength, stadium infrastructure and geographical reach. Any club seeking admission must first have played at least one season in Champ Rugby, meaning the competition retains its role as the essential gateway to the top flight.

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.

Elior Champ Rugby (2025–)

On 15 May 2025, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) announced a new format and structure for the competition under the brand of Champ Rugby. The new format and structure saw a return of relegation to National League 1 and a potential route to the PREM, which Tier 2 board chair Simon Gillham said would create "aspiration and jeopardy". The competition was expanded to 14 teams from the 2025–26 season onwards. The new structure sees 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 face each other in a 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 is automatically relegated to National League 1 and replaced by the National League 1 champions.

On 27 February 2026, the RFU Council voted to abolish automatic promotion and relegation between the Champ and the PREM, replacing it with a criteria-based expansion model taking effect from the 2026–27 season. The 2025–26 season will be the last in which the Champ Rugby champions could contest a promotion play-off against the bottom PREM club under the traditional system. Any club seeking admission to the PREM from the 2026–27 season, they must first have played at least one season in the competition.

On 16 March 2026 the league announced a multi-year title partnership deal with Elior being implemented over the last quarter of the season.

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. 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.

Sponsorship

For sponsorship reasons, the competition was officially known as the Greene King IPA Championship between the 2013–14 and 2020–21 seasons.

On 16 March 2026 the league announced a multi-year title partnership deal with Elior. Therefore, the league has become officially known as Elior Champ Rugby for the last quarter of the 2025-26 season and beyond.

Historic results

Courage League National Division Two (1987–1997)

Allied Dunbar Premiership Two (1997–2000)

National Division One (2000–2009)

RFU Championship / Champ Rugby (2009–present)

Number of league titles

• Bristol Bears (4)

• Worcester Warriors (4)

• Ealing Trailfinders (3)

• Leeds Tykes (3)

• Newcastle Red Bulls (3)

• Northampton Saints (3)

• Rotherham Titans (3)

• Saracens (3)

• London Irish (2)

• London Welsh (2)

• Bedford Blues (1)

• Exeter Chiefs (1)

• Harlequins (1)

• Jersey Reds (1)

• London Scottish (1)

• Richmond (1)

• Rosslyn Park (1)

• Rugby Lions (1)

• Sale Sharks (1)

Records

Note that most records are from 1996–97 season onwards (aside from league champions, promotion and relegation data) as this is widely held as the dawn of professionalism across the English club game except in a few areas. It also offers a better comparison between seasons as the division team numbers are roughly equal (for example when league rugby union first started in 1987–88 the Courage League National Division Two had 12 teams playing 11 games each, compared to 12 teams in 1996–97 playing 24 games (home & away), going up to 16 teams in 2009–10 playing 30 games, back to 12 teams playing 24 games with additional playoff games). Attendance records are from 2000 onwards unless otherwise specified.

League records

• Most titles: 4

• Bristol Rugby (1998–99, 2004–05, 2015–16, 2017–18)

• Worcester Warriors (2003–04, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2025–26)

• Most times promoted from division: 4

• Bristol Bears (1998–99, 2004–05, 2015–16, 2017–18)

• London Irish (1990–91, 1995–96, 2016–17, 2018–19)

• Newcastle Red Bulls (1992–93, 1996–97, 2012–13, 2019–20)

• Most times relegated from division: 4

• Rugby Lions (1993–94, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2002–03)

• Most league points in a season: 143

• Northampton Saints (2007–08)

• Least league points in a season: −9

• Birmingham & Solihull (2009–10)

• Most points scored in a season: 1,321

• Northampton Saints (2007–08)

• Least points scored in a season: 216

• West Hartlepool (1999–00)

• Most points conceded in a season: 1,298

• Otley (2008–09)

• Least points conceded in a season: 252

• Newcastle Red Bulls (2012–13)

• Best points difference (For/Against): 978

• Northampton Saints (2007–08)

• Worst points difference (For/Against): –898

• West Hartlepool (1999–00)

• Most games won in a season: 30

• Northampton Saints (2007–08)

• Most games lost in a season: 28

• Manchester (2008–09)

• Most games drawn in a season: 5

• Birmingham & Solihull (2000–01)

• Most (try) bonus points in a season: 24

• Rotherham Titans (2001–02, 2006–07), Northampton Saints (2007–08)

Match records

• Largest home win: 156 – 5

• Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996 (1996–97)

• Largest away win: 104 – 0

• Leeds Carnegie away to Manchester on 8 April 2009 (2008–09)

• Most points scored in a match: 156

• Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996 (1996–97)

• Most tries scored in a match: 24

• Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996 (1996–97)

• Most conversions scored in a match: 18

• Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996 (1996–97)

• Most penalties scored in a match: 9

• Manchester at home to Wakefield on 15 December 2001 (2001–02)

• Coventry at home to Otley on 13 November 2004 (2004–05)

• Most drop kicks scored in a match: 3

• Exeter Chiefs away to Rotherham on 10 November 2001 (2001–02)

• Exeter Chiefs away to Plymouth Albion on 8 September 2007 (2007–08)

• Cornish Pirates at home to Plymouth Albion on 12 April 2009 (2008–09)

• Worcester Warriors away to Bedford Blues on 16 October 2010 (2010–11)

• Leeds Carnegie at home to Rotherham Titans on 25 November 2011 (2011–12)

Attendance records

• Highest attendance: 16,048

• Bristol at home to Doncaster Knights on 25 May 2016 (2015–16)

• Lowest attendance: 150

• Bracknell at home to Exeter Chiefs on 2 March 2002 (2001–02)

• Moseley at home to Rugby Lions on 23 March 2002 (2001–02)

• Highest average attendance (club): 11,494

• Northampton Saints (2007–08)

• Lowest average attendance (club): 322

• Birmingham & Solihull (2000–01)

• Highest average attendance (season): 2,738 (2014–15)

• Lowest average attendance (season): 908 (2000–01)

Player records

Championship top point scorers

(Bold denotes players still playing in the RFU Championship.)

Championship top try scorers

(Bold denotes players still playing in the RFU Championship.)

Other player records

• Most times top points scorer: 2

• Leigh Hinton for Orrell (2004-05, 2006-07)

• Gareth Steenson for Cornish Pirates (2007-08) and Exeter Chiefs (2009-10)

• Most times top try scorer: 2

• Dean Lax for Rotherham (1998-99, 1999-00)

• Most points in a season: 396

• Sateki Tuipulotu for Worcester (2000-01)

• Most tries in a season: 39

• Chris Ashton for Northampton Saints (2007-08)

• Most points in a match: 42

• Jez Harris for Coventry at home to Nottingham on 5 October 1996 (1996-97)

• Most tries in a match: 6

• Chris Ashton for Northampton Saints at home to Launceston on 26 April 2008 (2007-08)

• Most conversions in a match: 18

• Rob Andrew for Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996 (1996-97)

• Most penalties in a match: 9

• Marcus Barrow for Manchester at home to Wakefield on 15 December 2001 (2001-02)

• Matthew Leek for Coventry at home to Otley on 13 November 2004 (2004-05)

• Most drop kicks in a match: 3

• Chris Malone for Exeter Chiefs away to Rotherham on 10 November 2001 (2001-02)

• Danny Gray for Exeter Chiefs away to Plymouth Albion on 8 September 2007 (2007-08)

• Rhys Jones for Cornish Pirates at home to Plymouth Albion on 12 April 2009 (2008-09)

• Andy Goode for Exeter Chiefs away to Bristol on 26 May 2010 (2010-11)

• Joe Ford for Leeds Carnegie at home to Rotherham Titans on 25 November 2011 (2011-12)

See also

• Rugby union in England

• PREM Rugby, the top division of English club rugby, to which Champ Rugby serves as the pathway under the expansion model

• List of English rugby union teams

Notes

References

External links

• RFU Championship table at BBC Sport