2023–24 RFU Championship
The 2023–24 RFU Championship is the fifteen season of the RFU Championship, the professional second tier of rugby union in England. It features eleven English teams, with the 12th team, and reigning champions, Jersey Reds, withdrawing from the competition at the start of the season after going into liquidation.[1]
| 2023–24 RFU Championship | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  England |
| Date | 20 October 2023 — 25 May 2024 |
| Matches played | 5 |
| Attendance | 7,565 (average 1,513 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 2,380 — Bedford Blues v Ealing Trailfinders, 21 October 2023 |
| Lowest attendance | 708 – Ampthill v Cambridge, 21 October 2023 |
| Tries scored | 36 (average 7.2 per match) |
| Top point scorer | 11 – Craig Willis, Ealing Trailfinders |
| Top try scorer | 2 – multiple players |
Structure
The eleven teams will play each of the other teams twice.
The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:
- 4 points are awarded for a win
- 2 points are awarded for a draw
- 0 points are awarded for a loss, however
- 1 losing (bonus) point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
- 1 additional (bonus) point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match.
Promotion and relegation
Subject to meeting the minimum standards criteria the team finishing top of the league will qualify for a promotion playoff against the bottom side in Premiership Rugby. Due to Jersey Reds dropping out of the league, and there being only eleven teams, there will be no relegation to National League 1, although the champions of National League will be promoted to become the twelfth team for the 2024–25 season.
Teams
Ten of the eleven teams played in last season's competition. Cambridge were promoted into the division as the champions of 2022–23 National League 1, replacing bottom placed Richmond who dropped down to the 2023–24 National League 1.[2]
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 Locations of the 2023–24 RFU Championship teams
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Table
| |||||||||||||||||
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Try bonus | Losing bonus | Points | |||||||
| 1 | Ealing Trailfinders | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||
| 2 | Nottingham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 31 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||
| 3 | Ampthill | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||
| 4 | Cornish Pirates | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||||
| 5 | Doncaster Knights | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||||
| 6 | Cambridge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 28 | -2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| 7 | Hartpury | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 20 | -2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| 8 | Caldy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 44 | -13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| 9 | Coventry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 10 | Bedford Blues | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 41 | -20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 11 | London Scottish | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | -21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Green background Champions (qualify for Promotion play-off if eligible). Red background will be relegated (there is no relegation this season). Updated: 21 October 2023 Source: "The Championship". England Rugby. | |||||||||||||||||
Fixtures & results
Fixtures for the season was announced by the RFU on 29 June 2023.[4]
Round 1
| 20 October 2023 19:30 |
| Cornish Pirates | 21 – 0 | London Scottish |
| Mennaye Field Attendance: 1,143 Referee: George Selwood |
| 21 October 2023 14:00 |
| (1 BP) Ampthill | 28 – 26 | Cambridge (2 BP) |
| Dillingham Park Attendance: 708 Referee: Dan Jones |
| 21 October 2023 14:30 |
| Doncaster Knights | 20 – 18 | Hartpury (1 BP) |
| Castle Park Attendance: 2,056 Referee: Hamish Grant |
| 21 October 2023 15:00 |
| Bedford Blues | 21 – 41 | Ealing Trailfinders (1 BP) |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 2,380 Referee: Mike Hudson |
| 21 October 2023 15:00 |
| (1 BP) Caldy | 31 – 41 | Nottingham (1 BP) |
| Paton Field Attendance: 1,278 Referee: Joe James |
| Bye/s: Coventry |
Round 2
| 28 October 2023 14:30 |
| Cornish Pirates | v | Bedford Blues |
| Mennaye Fields |
| 28 October 2023 14:30 |
| Hartpury | v | Ealing Trailfinders |
| ALPAS Arena |
| 28 October 2023 15:00 |
| Cambridge | v | Doncaster Knights |
| Grantchester Road |
| 28 October 2023 15:00 |
| Nottingham | v | Ampthill |
| Lady Bay Sports Ground |
| 28 October 2023 16:00 |
| Coventry | v | Caldy |
| Butts Park Arena |
| Bye/s: London Scottish |
Round 3
| 4 November 2023 14:00 |
| Ampthill | v | Coventry |
| Dillingham Park |
| 4 November 2023 14:00 |
| Caldy | v | London Scottish |
| Paton Field |
| 4 November 2023 14:00 |
| Ealing Trailfinders | v | Cambridge |
| Trailfinders Sports Ground |
| 4 November 2023 14:30 |
| Doncaster Knights | v | Nottingham |
| Castle Park |
| 11 November 2023 15:00 |
| Bedford Blues | v | Hartpury |
| Goldington Road |
| Bye/s: Cornish Pirates |
Round 4
| 17 November 2023 19:45 |
| London Scottish | v | Ampthill |
| Athletic Ground |
| 17 November 2023 19:45 |
| Nottingham | v | Ealing Trailfinders |
| Lady Bay Sports Ground |
| 18 November 2023 14:00 |
| Cambridge | v | Hartpury |
| Grantchester Road |
| 18 November 2023 14:30 |
| Cornish Pirates | v | Caldy |
| Mennaye Fields |
| 18 November 2023 15:00 |
| Coventry | v | Doncaster Knights |
| Butts Park Arena |
| Bye/s: Bedford Blues |
Round 5
| 25 November 2023 14:00 |
| Ampthill | v | Cornish Pirates |
| Dillingham Park |
| 25 November 2023 14:30 |
| Doncaster Knights | v | London Scottish |
| Castle Park |
| 25 November 2023 14:30 |
| Ealing Trailfinders | v | Coventry |
| Trailfinders Sports Ground |
| 25 November 2023 15:00 |
| Bedford Blues | v | Cambridge |
| Goldington Road |
| 25 November 2023 19:45 |
| Hartpury | v | Nottingham |
| ALPAS Arena |
| Bye/s: Caldy |
Attendances
| Club | Home Games |
Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ampthill | 1 | 708 | 708 | 708 | 708 | 24% |
| Bedford Blues | 1 | 2,380 | 2,380 | 2,380 | 2,380 | 48% |
| Caldy | 1 | 1,278 | 1,278 | 1,278 | 1,278 | 32% |
| Cambridge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Cornish Pirates | 1 | 1,143 | 1,143 | 1,143 | 1,143 | 29% |
| Coventry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Doncaster Knights | 1 | 2,056 | 2,056 | 2,056 | 2,056 | 40% |
| Ealing Trailfinders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Hartpury | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| London Scottish | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Nottingham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Leading scorers
Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.
Most points
Source: [5]
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Most tries
Source: [5]
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References
- "Jersey Reds' financial challenges lead to club ceasing trading". Jersey Reds. 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
- "Cambridge Rugby Club celebrate being crowned National League 1 champions and a place in the RFU Championship after Birmingham Moseley victory". Cambridge Independent. 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
- "A right mess entirely of the RFU's making". The RugbyPaper. No. 703. 6 March 2022. p. 11.
- "2023/24 FIXTURES ANNOUNCED". Championship Rugby. 29 June 2023.
- "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 788. 22 October 2023. p. 32-33, 39.
- "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 789. 29 October 2023. p. 30-31, 38.
- "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 790. 5 November 2023. p. 30-31, 38.
- "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 791. 12 November 2023. p. 30-31, 38.
- "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 792. 19 November 2023. p. 30-31, 38.
- "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 793. 26 November 2023. p. 30-31, 38.
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