The 2016–17 RFU Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the Greene King IPA Championship, is the eighth season of the professionalised format of the RFU Championship, the second tier of the English rugby union league system run by the Rugby Football Union. It is contested by eleven English clubs and one from Jersey in the Channel Islands. This will be the fourth year of the competition's sponsorship with Greene King Brewery.[1] The twelve teams in the RFU Championship also compete in the British and Irish Cup, along with clubs from Ireland and Wales. Some matches in the RFU Championship are broadcast on Sky Sports.
On 24 January 2017 London Welsh were expelled from the championship after failing to meet the conditions required by the RFU to extend a temporary licence granted after their liquidation. The club's record for the season was expunged. The RFU announced that no team would be relegated from the Championship at the end of the season.[2]
Structure
The Championship's structure has all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis. The play-off structure will remain the same as the previous year.[3] The top four teams at the end of the home-and-away season qualify for the promotion play-offs which follow a 1 v 4, 2 v 3 system. The winners have to meet the RFU's Minimum Standards Criteria in order to be promoted to the English Premiership. There is no promotion if a ground fails to meet the criteria.[4] Unlike previous seasons there will be no relegation from the league this year.
In 2015 the RFU increased annual funding to over £500,000 per club, an agreement which will last until 2020.[5] Despite this, Cornish Pirates stated more money was needed in RFU grants to support a fully professional second tier.[6]
The 2016–17 season was also the last for play-offs in the Championship for three seasons. Starting with the 2017–18 season, the play-offs will be replaced by automatic promotion for the team that finishes first in the home-and-away season, provided said team meets the Minimum Standards Criteria.[7]
After ten seasons in the Championship Birmingham Moseley were relegated following their last place finish in 2016. They are replaced by Richmond, who won the National League 1 and return to the second tier for the first time since 1997.[8] Richmond subsequently entered administration and dropped eight tiers following two seasons in the premiership between 1997 and 1999.[8] As a result, Richmond stated that they would remain semi-professional and not sign any professional players despite the RFU Championship being fully professional.[8]London Irish, an original founder of the professional English Premiership, join the league after relegation from the 2015–16 Aviva Premiership, finishing bottom of the table.[9]
On 7 December 2016 London Welsh RFC went into liquidation. They were deducted 20 points but allowed to continue in the Championship until January when the RFU would decide on their future.[10] On 24 January 2017 London Welsh were expelled from the championship after failing to meet the conditions required by the RFU to extend the temporary licence. The club's record for the season was expunged and there would be no relegation from the Championship at the end of season.[2]
Updated to match(es) played on 15 April 2017. Source: "Greene King IPA Championship". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 19 February 2017. 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 Notes:
^ abHad either Ealing or Doncaster won the play-offs, they would not have accepted promotion, causing no side to be promoted and the bottom Premiership club retaining their place. This did not happen, as London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie (both of which met the Premiership's minimum standards) won the play-off semi-finals.
Fixtures
Fixtures for the season were announced by the RFU on 8 July 2016.
^London Irish's attendance of 11,671 was a RFU Championship regular season record. Note this does not include RFU Championship playoff games or games in the old National Division One prior to the Championship's inception in 2009-10.[35]
The semi-finals follow a 1 v 4, 2 v 3 system – with the games being played over two-legs and the higher placed team choosing which leg they play at home. The matches are due to be played on 28/30 April 2017 and 5/6 May 2017.[3] London Irish and Yorkshire finished 1st and 2nd respectively and both chose to play the second leg at home.[40][41] It was announced on 27 April that both London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie were eligible for promotion while Doncaster Knights and Ealing Trailfinders did not apply for audit for minimum standards criteria and therefore will not be promoted should they win the championship.[42]
^* Due to London Welsh's expulsion Bedford only played 10 home games.
^* Due to London Welsh's expulsion Doncaster only played 10 home games in the league stage. As they reached the promotion playoffs they played 11 homes games overall.
^*Ealing Trailfinders played 12 home games as they reached the promotion playoff semi-finals.
^* Due to London Welsh's expulsion Jersey only played 10 home games.
^* London Irish played 13 home games as they reached the promotion playoff final.
^* London Welsh only played 6 home games as they were expelled from the Championship in January 2017 after going into liquidation.[2]
^* Due to London Welsh's expulsion Nottingham only played 10 home games.
^* Yorkshire Carnegie played 13 home games as they reached the promotion playoff final.
Individual statistics
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). Stats also cover playoff games.
Tommy Bell for London Irish away to London Scottish on 30 October 2016
Most tries in a match — 3 (x9)
Tyson Lewis for Doncaster Knights away to Richmond on 17 September 2016 Patrick Tapley for Bedford Blues at home to Richmond on 1 October 2016 Jason Harries for London Scottish away to Doncaster Knights on 5 November 2016 TJ Harris for Nottingham at home to Yorkshire Carnegie on 26 December 2016 Ben West for Yorkshire Carnegie at home to Richmond on 26 March 2017 Ryan Burrows for Yorkshire Carnegie away to Bedford Blues on 8 April 2017 Alex Lewington for London Irish at home to Rotherham Titans on 8 April 2017 Tom Duncan for Cornish Pirates at home to Bedford Blues on 15 April 2017 James Stephenson for Nottingham away to London Scottish on 15 April 2017
Most conversions in a match — 8 (x2)
Tommy Bell for London Irish away to London Scottish on 30 October 2016 Joe Ford for Yorkshire Carnegie at home to Rotherham Titans on 5 February 2017
Most penalties in a match — 7
Peter Lydon for London Scottish at home to Ealing Trailfinders on 2 December 2016
