RFU Championship

THE inaugural RFU Championship season is building to a thrilling climax and the ultimate prize - promotion to the Guinness Premiership.

The top eight will head into the promotion play offs while the bottom four will battle it out to avoid relegation to National League One.

In the title race Bristol Rugby, Bedford Blues, and Cornish Pirates are assured of a place in Pool A while Exeter Chiefs, London Welsh and Nottingham Rugby will compete in Pool B.

Doncaster Knights, Plymouth Albion, Rotherham Titans and Moseley are still in the running for the two remaining top eight spots with two of those four destined to join Coventry and Birmingham & Solihull in the battle to beat the drop.

Terry Burwell, RFU Tournament and Competitions Director, said: "The RFU Championship clubs requested that we set the stage two fixtures after 21 rounds because we had to push back the league programme due to the bad weather. That decision is due to be ratified by the RFU Council tomorrow (Friday). If we had waited until after Round 22 (March 13) before working out the fixtures it would have given the clubs just one week to market those play off games.

"The Championship clubs decided that they wanted to know who they would be playing sooner rather than later and this gives them an extra fortnight to prepare and sell those games. We now have another 40 matches - each of a cup-tie nature so there is plenty for the teams and their supporters to look forward to.

"This first RFU Championship season has seen some great rugby with the average club attendance up 39 per cent on last season and the fact that the battle for places in the top eight is going right to the wire shows just how competitive this league is.

"You also have to look at the players such as Billy Twelvetrees and Timmy Taylor who have now gone on to play in the Guinness Premiership to see that the Championship is preparing quality English players at the elite end of the game."

The Championship Stage 2

• top 8 teams progress to promotion play-offs

• teams 9-12 progress to relegation play-offs

Promotion play-offs

• 2 pools of 4 teams playing 6 matches (3 home & 3 away)

• teams ranked 1, 4, 5 & 8 play in Pool A

• teams ranked 2, 3, 6 & 7 play in Pool B

• after 6 pool matches, top 2 teams from Pools A & B progress to semi finals

* semi finals weekend of May 8

• semi final draw - 1st Pool A v 2nd Pool B & 1st Pool B v 2nd Pool A

• final May 19 & 26 - the team with the best playing record in Stage 2 will have the choice of whether to be at home for the first leg or the second leg of the Championship final

• winner of Championship final promoted to Guinness Premiership subject to fulfilling entry criteria

Pool A

(1) Bristol Rugby
(4) Bedford Blues
(5) Cornish Pirates
(8) Plymouth Albion/Moseley/Doncaster Knights/Rotherham Titans

Pool B

(2) Exeter Chiefs
(3) London Welsh
(6) Nottingham Rugby
(7) Doncaster Knights/Plymouth Albion/Moseley

Fixtures

Pool A

Round 1 - March 19-21
Plymouth Albion/ Moseley/Doncaster Knights/Rotherham Titans v Bedford Blues
Bristol Rugby v Cornish Pirates

Round 2 - March 26-28
Bedford Blues v Bristol Rugby
Cornish Pirates v Plymouth Albion/ Moseley/Doncaster Knights/Rotherham Titans

Round 3 - April 2-4
Bristol Rugby v Plymouth Albion/Moseley/Doncaster Knights/Rotherham Titans
Cornish Pirates v Bedford Blues

Round 4 - April 9-11
Bedford Blues v Cornish Pirates
Plymouth Albion/ Moseley/Doncaster Knights/Rotherham Titans v Bristol Rugby

Round 5 - April 17
Bristol Rugby v Bedford Blues
Plymouth Albion/ Moseley/Doncaster Knights/Rotherham Titans v Cornish Pirates

Round 6 - May 1 (3pm)
Bedford Blues v Plymouth Albion/ Moseley/Doncaster Knights/Rotherham
Cornish Pirates v Bristol Rugby
 
Pool B

Round 1 - March 19-21
Nottingham Rugby v Exeter Chiefs
London Welsh v Doncaster Knights/Plymouth Albion/Moseley

Round 2 - March 26-28
Exeter Chiefs v London Welsh
Doncaster Knights/Plymouth Albion/Moseley v Nottingham Rugby

Round 3 - April 2-4
London Welsh v Nottingham Rugby
Doncaster Knights/Plymouth Albion/Moseley v Exeter Chiefs

Round 4 - April 9-11
Exeter Chiefs v Doncaster Knights/Plymouth Albion/Moseley
Nottingham Rugby v London Welsh

Round 5 - April 16-18
London Welsh v Exeter Chiefs
Nottingham Rugby v Doncaster Knights/Plymouth Albion/Moseley

Round 6 - May 1 (3pm)
Exeter Chiefs v Nottingham Rugby
Doncaster Knights/Plymouth Albion/Moseley v London Welsh

Relegation play offs

• 1 pool of 4 teams playing 6 matches (3 home & 3 away)

• after 6 pool matches played, lowest ranked team is relegated to National Division One (level three)

Pool

(9) Moseley/ Rotherham Titans/Plymouth Albion/Doncaster Knights
(10) Rotherham Titans/Moseley/Plymouth Albion
(11) Coventry
(12) Birmingham Solihull

Fixtures

Round 1 - March 19-21
Birmingham Solihull v Moseley/ Rotherham Titans/Plymouth Albion/Doncaster Knights
Rotherham Titans/ Moseley/Plymouth Albion v Coventry

Round 2 - March 26-28
Moseley/ Rotherham Titans/Plymouth Albion/Doncaster Knights v Rotherham Titans/Moseley/Plymouth Albion
Coventry v Birmingham Solihull

Round 3 - April 2-4
Rotherham Titans/Moseley/Plymouth Albion v Birmingham Solihull
Coventry v Moseley/ Rotherham Titans/Plymouth Albion/Doncaster Knights

Round 4 - April 9-11
Moseley/ Rotherham Titans/Plymouth Albion/Doncaster Knights v Coventry
Birmingham Solihull v Moseley/ Rotherham Titans/Plymouth Albion/Doncaster Knights

Round 5 - April 17 (3pm)
Rotherham Titans/Moseley/Plymouth Albion v Moseley/ Rotherham Titans/Plymouth Albion/Doncaster Knights
Birmingham Solihull v Coventry

Round 6 - May 1 (3pm)
Moseley/ Rotherham Titans/Plymouth Albion/Doncaster Knights v Birmingham Solihull
Coventry v Rotherham Titans/Moseley/Plymouth Albion