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2017–18 RFU Championship

Ninth season of second division english rugby union league

2017–18 Green King IPA Championship
Countries	England  Jersey
Date	2 September 2017 – 28 April 2018
Champions	Bristol (4th title)
Runners-up	Ealing Trailfinders
Relegated	Rotherham Titans
Matches played	132
Attendance	251,953 (average 1,909 per match)
Highest attendance	13,100 Bristol v Doncaster Knights 13 April 2018
Lowest attendance	426 Hartpury College v Nottingham 10 February 2018
Tries scored	907 (average 6.9 per match)
Top point scorer	Ian Madigan (Bristol) 232 points
Top try scorer	Luke Morahan (Bristol) 17 tries
← 2016–17 2018–19 →

The 2017–18 RFU Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the Greene King IPA Championship, was the ninth 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 was contested by eleven English clubs and one from Jersey in the Channel Islands. The competition was sponsored by Greene King for a fifth successive season.^[1] The twelve teams in the RFU Championship also competed in the British and Irish Cup, along with clubs from Ireland and Wales.

On 24 March 2018 Rotherham Titans were relegated with 3 games to go, after losing away to Jersey Reds. Despite seeing some improvements in the second half of the season, the Yorkshire club were easily the weakest side in the division, dropping to 2018–19 National League 1, the lowest level the club have played at for 14 seasons.^[2]

On 7 April 2018 Bristol were crowned champions with 2 games to go following title rivals Ealing Trailfinders defeat that day to Doncaster Knights. They met the minimum criteria and therefore were promoted into Premiership Rugby.^[3] In winning the championship Bristol also became the most decorated tier 2 side in English league history with 4 league titles to-date.

Structure[edit]

The Championship's structure has all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis. The play-offs for promotion have been abolished and replaced by the first ranked team being promoted; providing that club's ground fulfills the Rugby Football Union's Minimum Standards Criteria.^[4] Under the play-off system some clubs qualified for the play-offs but did not meet the RFU's Minimum Standards Criteria which meant they could not be promoted.^[4] The change was made to allow the promoted team additional time to prepare for playing in the English Premiership. As part of an agreement with the RFU, each club will receive £530,000 funding.^[5][6]

Teams[edit]

Bedford

In January 2017, London Welsh was expelled from the RFU Championship and then liquidated due to debt.^[7][8] As a result, Rotherham Titans, who finished bottom of the league, were not relegated; a decision which former Championship club Plymouth Albion contested.^[9][10] Promoted in place of London Welsh were the winners of 2016–17 National League 1, Hartpury College, who have moved from Gloucester 3 North, at the bottom of the English rugby pyramid, to the second tier within thirteen years of their founding.^[11][12] London Irish was promoted as champions and play-off winners of the 2016–17 RFU Championship and were replaced by Bristol following their last place in the 2016–17 English Premiership.^[13][14]

Ealing

Table[edit]

Fixtures[edit]

Fixtures for the season were announced by the RFU on 9 June 2017.^[15]

Round 1[edit]

^[16]

Round 2[edit]

^[17]

Round 3[edit]

^[18]

Round 4[edit]

^[19]

Round 5[edit]

^[20]

Round 6[edit]

^[21]

Round 7[edit]

^[22]

Round 8[edit]

^[23]

Round 9[edit]

^[24]

Round 10[edit]

^[25]

Round 11[edit]

^[26]

Round 12[edit]

^[27]

Round 13[edit]

^[28]

Round 14[edit]

^[29]

Round 15[edit]

• Postponed due to waterlogged pitch caused by heavy rain. Game rescheduled to 25 February 2018.^[30]

^[31]

Round 16[edit]

^[32]

Round 15 (rescheduled game)[edit]

• Game rescheduled from 11 February 2018.

Round 17[edit]

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 10 March 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 10 March 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 30 March 2018.

^[33]

Round 17 (rescheduled games)[edit]

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

^[34]

Round 18[edit]

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 24 April 2018.^[35]

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 17 April 2018.^[36]

^[37]

Round 19[edit]

• Rotherham Titans are relegated.^[2]

^[38]

Round 17 (rescheduled game)[edit]

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

^[39]

Round 20[edit]

• Bristol are champions following Ealing's defeat to Doncaster on the following day.^[3]

^[40]

Round 21[edit]

^[42]

Round 18 (rescheduled games)[edit]

• Game rescheduled from 18 March 2018.

• Game rescheduled from 18 March 2018.

Round 22[edit]

^[44]

Attendances[edit]

^[45]

Individual statistics[edit]

• 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).

Top points scorers[edit] Rank Player Team Appearances Points 1 Ian Madigan Bristol 20 232 2 Tiff Eden Nottingham 20 184 3 Robert Kirby Richmond 20 178 4 Brendan Cope Jersey Reds 21 174 5 Peter Lydon Ealing Trailfinders 19 156 6 Jake Sharp London Scottish 19 139 7 Laurence May Cornish Pirates 19 137 8 Simon Humberstone Doncaster Knights 20 123 9 Luke Daniels Ealing Trailfinders 11 113 10 Will Cargill Cornish Pirates 18 112 [44][46]

Top try scorers[edit] Rank Player Team Appearances Tries 1 Luke Morahan Bristol 19 17 2 Dean Adamson Bedford Blues 19 16 3 Alun Walker Ealing Trailfinders 21 15 4 Jordan Williams Bristol 19 14 5 Richard Lane Bedford Blues 19 12 Rhodri Williams Bristol 21 12 Kyle Moyle Cornish Pirates 22 12 6 Alex O'Meara Cornish Pirates 19 11 Tom Pincus Jersey Reds 21 11 Jordan Burns Bedford Blues 22 11 [44][47]