| 2021–22 RFU Championship | |
| Countries: | |
| Date: | 17 September 2021 — 2 April 2022 |
| Champions: | Ealing Trailfinders |
| Runnersup: | Doncaster Knights |
| Matches: | 110 |
| Highest Attendance: | 4,153 – Bedford Blues v Jersey Reds, 26 December 2021 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 321 – Ampthill v Richmond, 19 February 2022 |
| Top Point Scorer: | 150 – James Williams (Hartpury) |
| Top Try Scorer: | 17 – Mark Bright (Richmond) Eoghan Clarke (Jersey Reds) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
| Teams: | 11 |
The 2021–22 RFU Championship was the thirteenth season of the RFU Championship, the professional second tier of rugby union in England. It featured ten English teams and one from Jersey. Saracens are the reigning champions and were promoted to the Premiership.
In a return to the structure used prior to 2020–21, the eleven teams played each of the other teams twice. There was no end of season play-off and as no team met the minimum standards criteria, no team was promoted to Premiership Rugby.[1] For the second consecutive year no team was relegated from the league.
For the second year in a row each club will receive approximately £161,500 in funding from the RFU as part of the reduction of funding introduced ahead of the 2016–17 season.[2] [3] [4] Last season, following news of the funding change, several clubs announced a switch to a semi-professional business model.[5] [6]
Ten of the eleven teams played in last season's competition. Saracens having beaten Ealing Trailfinders in the 2020–21 final were promoted into Premiership Rugby with no team relegated.[7] London Scottish returned to the league following a one-year hiatus due to the costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] They intended to leave the Athletic Ground ahead of this season, however it was later confirmed they would remain at the Athletic Ground.[9] [10]
| Club | Stadium | Capacity | Area | Previous season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ampthill | Dillingham Park | 3,000 | Ampthill, Bedfordshire | 7th | |
| Bedford Blues | Goldington Road | 5,000 (1,700 seats) | Bedford, Bedfordshire | 8th | |
| Cornish Pirates | Mennaye Field | 4,000 (2,200 seats) | Penzance, Cornwall | 4th | |
| Coventry | Butts Park Arena | 4,000 (3,000 seats) | Coventry, West Midlands | 5th | |
| Doncaster Knights | Castle Park | 5,183[11] (1,650 seats) | Doncaster, South Yorkshire | 3rd | |
| Ealing Trailfinders | Trailfinders Sports Ground | 4,000 (2,200 seats) | West Ealing, London | 1st (runner up) | |
| Hartpury University | ALPAS Arena | 2,000 | Hartpury, Gloucestershire | 9th | |
| Jersey Reds | Stade Santander International | 4,000 | Saint Peter, Jersey | 6th | |
| London Scottish | Athletic Ground | 4,500 (1,000 seats) | Richmond, London | N/A | |
| Nottingham | Lady Bay Sports Ground | 3,500 | Nottingham, Nottinghamshire | 10th | |
| Richmond | Athletic Ground | 4,500 (1,000 seats) | Richmond, London | 11th |
Fixtures for the season were announced by the RFU on 22 July 2021. The season commenced on 17 September and the final round of matches are due to take place in mid-March.
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| Club | Home Games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ampthill | 10 | 7,63 | 764 | 1,924 | 321 | 25% |
| Bedford Blues | 10 | 25,931 | 2,593 | 4,153 | 1,083 | 52% |
| Cornish Pirates | 10 | 16,963 | 1,696 | 2,042 | 1,263 | 42% |
| Coventry | 10 | 20,979 | 2,098 | 2,534 | 1,453 | 52% |
| Doncaster Knights | 10 | 9,836 | 984 | 1,285 | 703 | 19% |
| Ealing Trailfinders | 10 | 10,056 | 1,006 | 1,741 | 800 | 25% |
| Hartpury | 10 | 9,902 | 990 | 1,503 | 381 | 50% |
| Jersey Reds | 10 | 12,676 | 1,268 | 1,803 | 941 | 32% |
| London Scottish | 10 | 7,166 | 717 | 1,532 | 475 | 16% |
| Nottingham | 10 | 10,774 | 1,077 | 1,288 | 838 | 31% |
| Richmond | 10 | 9,685 | 969 | 1,740 | 530 | 22% |
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.
Source: [35]
| Rank | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Williams | Hartpury | 150 |
| 2 | Ealing Trailfinders | 143 | |
| 3 | Sam Olver | Doncaster Knights | 130 |
| 4 | Cornish Pirates | 123 | |
| 5 | William Maisey | Bedford Blues | 117 |
| 6 | James Kane | Richmond | 116 |
| 7 | Russell Bennett | Ampthill | 108 |
| 8 | Ealing Trailfinders | 94 | |
| 9 |  Tony Fenner | Coventry | 92 |
Source: [35]
| Rank | Player | Club | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | 17 | |
| Eoghan Clarke | Jersey Reds | ||
| 2 | Dean Adamson | Bedford Blues | 16 |
| 3 | Thomas Channon | Cornish Pirates | 15 |
| Simon Uzokwe | Ealing Trailfinders | ||
| David Williams | Nottingham | ||
| 4 | Ealing Trailfinders | 14 | |
| 5 | Ealing Trailfinders | 10 | |
| 6 | Thomas Duncan | Cornish Pirates | 9 |