Note that there is very little attendance data prior to the 2000-01 season so it is possible that previous seasons had lower average attendances. If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Difference between points for and against, 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, This page was last edited on 20 October 2020, at 22:18. Due to the expansion of the Courage National Leagues for the following season there was no relegation from the 1989–90 Courage League National Division Two. In both phases, all teams began equal, regardless of their performance during the home-and-away season. The decision to defer the start of the 2020-21 second-tier Championship until the turn of the year means that there is no competition clash for Saracens, who are also through to the knockout stages of the Champions Cup. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. By default, as a result of Covid-19 disruption, the game will replicate what might happen in future years as and when there is agreement on a new global season which would see professional rugby in the northern hemisphere being played in the summer months. The RFU Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Greene King IPA Championship between 2013–14 and 2019–20[1]) is the second tier of the English rugby union league system and was founded in September 1987. The format is the same as the 2011 and 2012 knockout stages, with two-legged semi-finals followed by a two-legged final. The club finishing atop the regular-season table will be automatically promoted to the Premiership, provided said club meets minimum entry criteria. “It is great news that we are aiming to get back but there are still a huge amount of challenges facing us all, primarily the safety of all our staff initially as well of our supporters,” said Leicester Tigers’ chairman, Peter Tom. The RFU have clarified that they will not consider promoting lower-placed sides in the play-offs even if they finished top of the league phase (league table). We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. The proposal was criticised by the then National League One chairman Geoff Irvine, representing the clubs, who described it as "financial suicide", although six League One clubs subsequently supported the proposal. The formats of both the promotion and relegation play-offs were criticised after that first season. This system is identical to that of the Premiership, except that it uses two-legged matches instead of the Premiership's one-off matches. It is still hoped that the European finals will go ahead in Marseille on October 17, even though one of the other mooted scenarios envisages the completion of the 2019 Six Nations during those slots. Originally the league required an end-of-season round of two-legged play-offs in which the top eight, from 2012-13 until 2016-17 revised to top four, clubs at the end of the main phase of the season played each other.
Attendance records are from 2000 onwards unless otherwise specified. The fifth- and sixth-place clubs started on 1 point. The 2020-2021 campaign is set to be a forerunner. Silversmiths Thomas Lyte created a new trophy for the launch.[6]. The knock-on effect in the short-term means that the 2021 Premiership final is unlikely to take place before July with a concomitant impact on the Lions tour to South Africa. Due to the expansion of the top two divisions for the following season there was no relegation from the 1997-98 Dunbar Premiership Two. Funding previously provided for travel expenses within RFU competitions will form part of this fund, but there will not be a specific ring-fenced travel funding payment for the 2020/21 season. Goldington Road's capacity down from 6,000 to 5,000.
Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. RFU have outlined three possible windows for how the National League season may look in 2020/21, British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa 2021, European Champions Cup fixtures & results, European Rugby Challenge Cup fixtures & results, European Rugby Challenge Cup points tables, National League 2 North fixtures & results, National League 2 South fixtures & results, Talks remain ongoing around the restart of the National Leagues, Will Hurrell Exclusive: Bristol are going to have to be really on it, âEveryone is now in a difficult situationâ - Rotherham Titans Commercial Director John Whaling, CBILS may well be worth a look at before applications close on 30 November 2020, 2020/21 National League season delayed until January, RFU's Steve Grainger provides update on National Leagues, Worcester's Billy Searle on the impact of the National Leagues.
Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs and Wasps begin next week while Saracens are looking to reintegrate their players through individual programmes. Moseley, who had been in serious relegation danger after a poor start to the play-offs, were particularly angry about the format because they started the relegation phase equal to the other three teams involved; despite having won ten matches during the season to Birmingham's none. What is an emergency template for the calendar could become the norm. The first, fourth, fifth and eighth placed clubs entered Group A; the second, third, sixth and seventh placed clubs entered Group B. [7] As a result, the following changes were made to the promotion and relegation phases:[7], The play-off format had been developed to increase club revenues, as each club had been assured of at least two home fixtures after the home-and-away season. Due to the expansion of the division from 10 to 12 teams for the following season there was no relegation from the 1995-96 Courage League National Division Two. Discussions are ongoing as to whether that eight-match trip might yet be pushed back to the autumn international window of October/November. The Championship was moth-balled once the country was in lockdown with Newcastle Falcons promoted and Saracens relegated by dint of their swingeing points’ deduction for salary cap breaches.