Bedford Blues will be one of 14 teams to compete in a revamped Championship for the 2025/26 season, renamed ‘Champ Rugby’ by the RFU, who yesterday (15 May) announced an overhaul of the league’s rules.
Along with the rebrand, Champ Rugby will include relegation and a relegation play-off for the new season, as well as seeing the top six sides advance to the promotion play-offs, where the overall winner will face the Premiership’s bottom club for a chance to gain promotion.
Promotion to the Premiership for Championship clubs is still subject to the RFU’s Minimum Standards Criteria (MSC).
In April, the RFU announced the Championship was to increase to a 14-team competition, including the winners of National League One, Richmond and the controversial inclusion of Worcester Warriors, who fell into administration in 2022.
Read: Bedford Blues to face Worcester Warriors as Championship increases to 14 teams
There will be 26 rounds of Championship fixtures, where each team will play each other home and away, before the division is split, allowing the top six to enter into a play-off competition.
The teams who finish in the top two places will automatically go through to the play-off semi-finals, where they will face the winners of the quarter-finals, made up of the sides who finish third to sixth.
The overall winners of the play-off will then face the bottom side in the Premiership over two legs in a promotion/relegation play-off, subject to the MSC which states – among other stipulations – that a club’s ground should have a capacity of “at least 10,001”.
At the other end of the table, the team finishing 14th of 14 teams will face automatic relegation to National League One, with the champions of the third tier winning promotion, subject to reaching their own minimum standards criteria.
The teams that finish 12th and 13th in Champ Rugby will play a one-off tie, with the loser taking part in an ‘Access Final’ against the National League 1 play-off winner.
“A focus on English players”
The RFU’s Executive Director of Performance Rugby, Conor O’Shea has been quoted as saying there will be “a real focus on English players” on the new Champ Rugby as we “try to push players of national interest through the league.”
The Championship has been a key proving ground for many players who have gone on to forge successful top-tier careers, as well as some who have reached the international stage.
As a result, new rules in this revamped league mean squads will have to include 18 English-qualified players, while clubs will be limited to playing six dual-registered Premiership players per matchday.
Former Blues captain Rich Lane, who signed a new contract for Bristol Bears yesterday, is one of many to come up through the Championship and is now part of a side who are currently third in the Premiership, fighting to hold on to a play-off spot.
And who can forget Henry Pollock.
The larger than life Northampton Saints flanker spent some of last season on loan at Goldington Road before spending much of the last twelve months making headlines at home and abroad, culminating in a call up to this Summer’s British & Irish Lions squad.
“Building up English rugby’s second tier competition is critical to the transformation of the elite game in this country, and we are at the start of that journey”, said the Chair of the Tier 2 Board, Simon Gillham.
“Delivering high quality event day experiences, gripping on-field drama at the conclusion of the season and more compelling digital and visual content will support our transformation aims for the league.”
Bedford Blues have been approached for comment on the new format and rules.
Blues double header
There are still three weekends remaining of the current Championship season for Bedford Blues, beginning with a trip to face the division’s current bottom side, Cambridge – although they do not face relegation this season.
It is part of a Blues-Cambridge double header, as the Women face their counterparts before the Men step out on to the field, with Mike Rayer hoping they can confirm an excellent second place finish in English rugby’s second tier this season.
The action at Ellgia Fields begins at 12pm as the Women are in action, before the Men take to the field at 3pm. Tickets for the day can be purchased here but seats on the Bedford Rugby Followers Association coach are sold out.
Bedford Blues Starting XV vs Cambridge:
15. Louis James, 14. Matt Worley, 13. Lucas Titherington, 12. Joel Matavesi, 11. Dean Adamson, 10. Will Maisey, 9. Alex Day (C); 1. Jamie Jack, 2. Tommy Herman, 3. Oisin Heffernan, 4. Rory Ward, 5. Alex Woolford, 6. Luke Frost, 7. Archie Benson, 8. Fred Tuilagi
Bedford Blues Replacements:
16. James Fish, 17. Joey Conway, 18. Beltus Nonleh, 19. Shay Kerry, 20. Fyn Brown, 21. Joe Howard, 22. James Lennon, 23. Michael Le Bourgeois
