The 2019–20 RFU Championship, known as the 2019–20 Greene King IPA Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the eleventh season of the RFU Championship, the professional second tier of rugby union in England. It featured eleven English teams and one from Jersey. The competition was sponsored by Greene King for the seventh successive season.[1]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the Rugby Football Union officially cancelled the season on 20 March 2020, after initially postponing all rugby in England including training from 17 March until 14 April 2020.[2][3] As a result, Newcastle Falcons were declared champions for the season, and promoted to the Premiership on 2 April 2020 on the basis of a best playing record formula, having been undefeated and top of the table when the league was suspended, while Yorkshire Carnegie were relegated to National League 1 at the bottom.[4][5]
Structure
The team that finished first was promoted to Premiership Rugby as their ground met the RFU Minimum Standards Criteria. The team that finished last was relegated to National League 1. Each club received £530,000 in funding from the RFU in the last year of a deal with the RFU.[6]
Plans to expand Premiership Rugby from 12 to 13 teams for the 2019–20 season, which would have reprieved Newcastle Falcons from being relegated to the Championship, were blocked by the RFU.[7] Plans to abolish promotion and relegation were under discussion prior to the season,[7] and drew complaints and threats of legal action from the Cornish Pirates.[8] There were also plans for the RFU Championship to have a delayed start until October due to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[9]
The season began on 20 September 2019 with the Championship Rugby Cup after which the first round of matches started on 11 October 2019 and the final round of matches were scheduled to be played on 9 May 2020.
Richmond were relegated to National League 1 after finishing bottom of the 2018-19 RFU Championship.[10] They are replaced by Ampthill who were promoted from 2018-19 National League 1 in their fifth promotion in twelve years, playing in the Championship for the first time.[11][12]London Irish were promoted back to Premiership Rugby at the first attempt.[6] They are replaced in the RFU Championship by Newcastle Falcons who were relegated after finishing last in 2018-19 Premiership Rugby.[13]
Updated to match(es) played on 14 March 2020. Source: "Greene King IPA Championship". England Rugby. Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
Number of matches won
Difference between points for and against
Total number of points for
Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
On 4 April, the Rugby Football Union confirmed the final table for the season.[14]
Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals. Appearance figures also include coming on as substitutes (unused substitutes not included).
52 – 0 Cornish Pirates at home to Yorkshire Carnegie on 12 January 2020
55 – 3 Coventry at home to Yorkshire Carnegie on 15 February 2020
Largest away win — 53 points
66 – 13 Ealing Trailfinders away to Yorkshire Carnegie on 10 November 2019
Most points scored — 77 points
77 – 26 Ealing Trailfinders at home to Ampthill on 18 January 2020
Most tries in a match — 11 (2)
Ealing Trailfinders at home to Ampthill on 18 January 2020
London Scottish away to Yorkshire Carnegie on 1 March 2020
Most conversions in a match — 10
Ealing Trailfinders at home to Ampthill on 18 January 2020
Most penalties in a match — 5 (2)
Coventry away to Jersey Reds on 12 October 2019
Doncaster Knights at home to Bedford Blues on 2 November 2019
Most drop goals in a match — 0
Attendances
Highest — 6,315
Newcastle Falcons at home to Cornish Pirates on 16 February 2020
Lowest — 300
Yorkshire Carnegie at home to Ampthill on 22 February 2020
Highest average attendance — 4,707
Newcastle Falcons
Lowest average attendance — 776
Yorkshire Carnegie
Player
Most points in a match — 25
Jack Spittle for Nottingham away to Yorkshire Carnegie on 31 January 2020
Most tries in a match — 5
Jack Spittle for Nottingham away to Yorkshire Carnegie on 31 January 2020
Most conversions in a match — 8
Harry Sheppard for London Scottish away to Yorkshire Carnegie on 1 March 2020
Most penalties in a match — 5 (2)
Rory Jennings for Coventry away to Jersey Reds on 12 October 2019 Sam Olver for Doncaster Knights at home to Bedford Blues on 2 November 2019
Most drop goals in a match — 0
Notes
^Yorkshire Carnegie's attendance v Nottingham on 31 January 2020 was incorrectly given as 826 in The Rugby Paper, with the official figure provided by Yorkshire Carnegie instead being 882.
^Ealing Trailfinders attendance v Bedford Blues on 15 February 2020 was incorrectly given as 680 in The Rugby Paper, with the official figure provided by Ealing instead being 780.
