2016–17 RFU Championship explained

2016–17 RFU Championship
Countries:
Date:3 September 2016 – 24 May 2017
Champions:London Irish (1st title)
Runnersup:Yorkshire Carnegie
Relegated:none
Matches:129
Highest Attendance:11,671
London Irish v Cornish Pirates (18 March 2017)
Lowest Attendance:438
Ealing Trailfinders v Jersey Reds (17 September 2016)
Top Point Scorer: Tommy Bell
(London Irish) 253
Top Try Scorer: Jonah Holmes
(Yorkshire Carnegie) 16
Prevseason:2015–16
Nextseason:2017–18

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]

Teams

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. As a result, Richmond stated that they would remain semi-professional and not sign any professional players despite the RFU Championship being fully professional. 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]

ClubStadiumCapacityAreaCaptainDOR/Head Coach
Bedford BluesGoldington Road6,000Bedford, Bedfordshire Michael Le Bourgeois Mike Rayer
Cornish PiratesMennaye Field4,000 (2,200 Seats)Penzance, Cornwall Chris Morgan Gavin Cattle
Alan Paver
Doncaster KnightsCastle Park5,000Doncaster, South Yorkshire Michael Hills Clive Griffiths
Ealing TrailfindersTrailfinders Sports Ground3,020 (1,020 seats)West Ealing, London Danny Kenny Ben Ward
Jersey RedsSt Peter4,000Saint Peter, Jersey Pierce Philips Harvey Biljon
London IrishMadejski Stadiumalign=left 24,161Reading, Berkshire Luke Narraway Nick Kennedy
London ScottishAthletic Ground, Richmond4,500Richmond, London Rory Bartle Sean Lineen
London WelshOld Deer Park5,850 (1,000 seats)Richmond, London Matt Corker James Buckland
NottinghamLady Bay Sports Ground3,000Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Matt EverardIan Costello
RichmondAthletic Ground, Richmond4,500Richmond, London Will Warden Steve Hill
Rotherham TitansClifton Lane2,500Rotherham, South Yorkshire Tom Holmes Justin Burnell
Yorkshire CarnegieHeadingley Carnegie Stadium21,062Leeds, West Yorkshire Ryan Burrows Ian McGeechan
Notes

Fixtures

Fixtures for the season were announced by the RFU on 8 July 2016.

[3]

Round 1

[11] ----

Round 2

[12] ----

Round 3

[13] ----

Round 4

[14] ----

Round 5

[15] ----

Round 6

[16] ----

Round 7

[17] ----

Round 8

[18] ----

Round 9

[19] ----

Round 10

[20] ----

Round 11

[21] ----

Round 12

[22] ----

Round 13

[23] ----

Round 14

[24] ----

Round 15

[25] ----

Round 16

[26] ----

Round 17

[27] ----

Round 18

[28] ----

Round 19

[29] ----

Round 20

[30] ----

Round 21

[31] ----

Round 22

[32]

Play-offs

Semi-finals

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.[33] [34] 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.[35]

First leg

[36] ----

Second leg

[37] ----

[37]

Final

The final is played over two legs – with the higher placed team deciding which leg they play at home.

Second leg

Attendances

ClubHome
Games		TotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity
Bedford Blues 10 25,152 2,515 4,621 1,901 42%
Cornish Pirates 11 16,132 1,467 2,043 1,056 37%
Doncaster Knights 11 19,110 1,737 2,748 1,079 35%
Ealing Trailfinders 12 10,973 914 2,630 438 30%
Jersey Reds 10 17,687 1,769 3,317 1,235 44%
London Irish 13 57,149 4,396 11,671 1,786 18%
London Scottish 11 14,414 1,310 2,339 951 29%
London Welsh 6 5,827 971 1,683 531 17%
Nottingham 10 11,144 1,114 1,538 924 37%
Richmond 11 12,275 1,116 2,891 624 25%
Rotherham Titans 11 12,408 1,128 1,872 773 45%
Yorkshire Carnegie 13 26,931 2,072 4,126 1,164 10%
[38] [36] [37]
Notes

Individual statistics

Top points scorers

Rank Player Team Appearances Points
1 18 253
2 24 243
3 21 176
4 18 167
5 18 161
6 16 148
7 20 109
8 12 103
9 21 93
10 9 83
8 44
8 41
[32] [39]

Top try scorers

Rank Player Team Appearances Tries
1 23 16
2 23 14
3 18 13
4 17 11
20 11
5 20 10
22 10
6 14 9
13 9
20 9
[32] [40]

Season records

Team

Largest home win — 79 pts82 – 3 London Irish at home to Rotherham Titans on 8 April 2017
  • Largest away win — 50 pts62 – 12 London Irish away to London Scottish on 30 October 2016
  • Most points scored — 82 pts82 – 3 London Irish at home to Rotherham Titans on 8 April 2017
  • Most tries in a match — 12London Irish at home to Rotherham Titans on 8 April 2017
  • Most conversions in a match — 11London Irish at home to Rotherham Titans on 8 April 2017
  • Most penalties in a match — 7London Scottish at home to Ealing Trailfinders on 2 December 2016
  • Most drop goals in a match — 1N/A - multiple teams

    • [41] [42] [43] [44]

    Player

    Most points in a match — 32 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
  • Most drop goals in a match — 1N/A - multiple players

    • [45] [46] [47] [48] [49]

    Attendances

    Highest — 11,671London Irish at home to Cornish Pirates on 18 March 2017
  • Lowest — 438 Ealing Trailfinders at home to Jersey Reds on 17 September 2016
  • Highest Average Attendance — 4,110London Irish
  • Lowest Average Attendance — 914Ealing Trailfinders

    • [38]

    See also

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Greene King IPA to sponsor RFU Championship . . 26 June 2013 . 29 May 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130701022502/http://www.rfu.com/news/2013/june/news-articles/260613_greene_king_championship . 1 July 2013 .
    2. Web site: London Welsh: RFU refuses permission for Exiles to stay in Championship. BBC Sport. 24 January 2017.
    3. Web site: Greene King IPA Championship fixtures confirmed. England Rugby. 9 July 2016.
    4. Web site: Bristol, Yorkshire Carnegie and Doncaster meet Premiership promotion criteria. BBC Sport. 29 April 2016.
    5. Web site: Championship: 'Extra RFU funding is not enough', Plymouth chief . BBC Sport . 13 March 2015 . 2 May 2016.
    6. Web site: Pilnick . Brent . Championship rugby: Cornish Pirates call for RFU to increase funding for second tier . BBC Sport . 2016-04-21 . 2016-05-06.
    7. Play-off system removed from Greene King IPA Championship from next season . Premiership Rugby Limited . 3 March 2017 . 4 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309171650/http://www.premiershiprugby.com/news/play-off-system-removed-from-greene-king-ipa-championship-from-next-season . 9 March 2017 . dead .
    8. Web site: Richmond RFC accept promotion, but without help of professionals . Plymouth Herald . 2016-04-29 . 2016-05-06 .
    9. Web site: Williams . Adam . London Irish: What next for club following Premiership relegation? . BBC Sport . 2016-05-02 . 2016-05-06.
    10. Web site: London Welsh: Championship club to go into liquidation. BBC Sport. 7 December 2016.
    11. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 416. 4 September 2016. 26–27 & 40.
    12. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 417. 11 September 2016. 26–27 & 38.
    13. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 418. 18 September 2016. 26–27 & 38.
    14. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 419. 25 September 2016. 26–27 & 38.
    15. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 420. 2 October 2016. 28–29 & 38.
    16. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 421. 9 October 2016. 26–27 & 38.
    17. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 424. 30 October 2016. 28–29 & 38.
    18. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 425. 6 November 2016. 26–27 & 38.
    19. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 427. 20 November 2016. 28–29 & 38.
    20. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 428. 27 November 2016. 26–27 & 38.
    21. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 429. 4 December 2016. 30–31 & 40.
    22. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 432. 27 December 2016. 24–25 & 28.
    23. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 433. 1 January 2017. 24–26.
    24. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 437. 28 January 2017. 14–15 & 40.
    25. News: Championship. RugbyPaper. 438. 5 February 2017. 28–29 & 38.
    26. News: Greene King IPA Championship. The RugbyPaper. 440. 19 February 2017. 18–19 & 38.
    27. News: Greene King IPA Championship. The RugbyPaper. 441. 26 February 2017. 32–33 & 39.
    28. News: Greene King IPA Championship. The RugbyPaper. 442. 5 March 2017. 26–37 & 38.
    29. News: Greene King IPA Championship. The RugbyPaper. 444. 19 March 2017. 30–31 & 41.
    30. News: Greene King IPA Championship. The RugbyPaper. 445. 26 March 2017. 26–27 & 38.
    31. News: Greene King IPA Championship. The RugbyPaper. 447. 9 April 2017. 28–29 & 38.
    32. News: Greene King IPA Championship. The RugbyPaper. 448. 16 April 2017. 28–29 & 34.
    33. Web site: Irish Guarantee top spot in front of record crowd. London Irish. London Irish Scottish Richmond Limited. 18 March 2017.
    34. Web site: Greene King IPA Championship 2016/17 play-offs confirmed. Doncaster Knights. Dncaster Rugby Football Club. 15 April 2017.
    35. Web site: Championship play-offs: Doncaster Knights and Ealing Trailfinders do not want promotion. BBC Sport. 28 April 2017. 27 April 2017.
    36. News: Greene King IPA Championship. The RugbyPaper. 450. 30 April 2017. 26–27 & 36.
    37. News: Greene King IPA Championship. The RugbyPaper. 450. 30 April 2017. 26–27 & 34.
    38. Web site: Championship 16/17 Home attendances . Rugby Statbunker. 25 May 2017.
    39. Web site: Championship 16/17 Leading top scorers . Rugby Statbunker. 24 May 2017.
    40. Web site: Championship 16/17 Leading try scorers . Rugby Statbunker. 24 May 2017.
    41. Web site: Championship 16/17 Most tries in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 17 May 2017 .
    42. Web site: Championship 16/17 Most conversions in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 17 May 2017 .
    43. Web site: Championship 16/17 Most penalties in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 17 May 2017 .
    44. Web site: Championship 16/17 Most drop goals in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 17 May 2017 .
    45. Web site: Championship 16/17 Most points in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 17 May 2017 .
    46. Web site: Championship 16/17 Most tries in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 17 May 2017 .
    47. Web site: Championship 16/17 Most conversions in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 17 May 2017 .
    48. Web site: Championship 16/17 Most penalties in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 17 May 2017 .
    49. Web site: Championship 16/17 Most drop goals in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 17 May 2017 .

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