Everything you need to know about Champ Rugby
The Gallagher PREM gets plenty of attention when it comes to rugby. And rightly so, of course. But if you’re looking for even more of a union fix, Elior Champ Rugby is a must.
It’s the second tier of English men’s rugby union, sitting right below the PREM. And there’s so much action, excitement and passion in the 180+ games.
To celebrate BLAZE bringing Champ Rugby to free TV for the first time ever, let’s run through everything you need to know about the competition, including a brief history, how the competition works and why it’s worth your time.
The origins of Elior Champ Rugby
Champ Rugby didn’t appear overnight. To understand how it’s come about, it’s worth looking at a few landmark moments for the second tier:
- 1987: League rugby is introduced in England, with the second tier launched as the Courage League National Division Two.
- 1988–2008: The size of the division fluctuated several times over the first two decades, ranging between 10 and 16 teams.
- 2009: The 12-team RFU Championship replaces National Division One with a view to the league being fully professional. Promotion is now decided by a play-off rather than automatically.
- 2017–20: Automatic promotion returns for the league's outright winner, replacing the play-off.
- 2020 onward: Covid disruption brings back a play-off system, and a moratorium on relegation from the Premiership is introduced from 2021/22.
Champ Rugby takes centre stage
That brings us to 2025, when the league was rebranded as Champ Rugby, which expanded to 14 teams (with Richmond and Worcester joining) with a new play-off structure:
- The top six teams go into the playoffs
- First and second get home semi-finals
- Third to sixth battle it out in the quarter-finals
The eventual winner was originally meant to face 14th place from the Premiership over two legs for a shot at promotion. But by February 2026, the RFU Council voted to scrap automatic promotion and relegation.
From 2026/27, moving up (or down) is no longer just about where you finish, but whether you meet the RFU's criteria for life in the Premiership.
So, how does Champ Rugby work now?
Like the PREM, Champ Rugby is a league competition. 14 teams play each other home and away, so every club plays 26 regular-season games. There’s been a change to how teams score points this season, adopting the SANZAAR bonus-point system:
- Win: 4 competition points
- Draw: 2 points
- Loss: 0 points
- Losing bonus: +1 point if you lose by 7 points or fewer
- Try bonus: +1 point if you score at least 3 more tries than your opponent.
So, for example:
- Win 30–20, tries 4–2 → 4 points
- Win 30–20, tries 5–2 → 5 points (3-try advantage)
- Lose 25–22, tries 3–2 → 1 point (within 7)
The key distinction is that you don't get a bonus simply for scoring four tries. You need to score three more tries than the opposition.
At the end of the season, the four teams finishing third to sixth meet in the quarter-finals. The two teams in first and second await them in the semis. Then the two semi-final winners play in the Champ Rugby final to decide the champions.
At the other end of the table, 14th place is automatically relegated, while 12th and 13th play off against each other. The loser of that match faces the runner-up from the league below (National One) for the final spot next season.
Who plays in Champ Rugby?
For the 2026/27 season, the clubs range from big ex-Premiership names to smaller clubs punching above their weight:
- Ampthill
- Bedford Blues
- Blackheath
- Caldy
- Chinnor
- Cornish Pirates
- Coventry
- Doncaster Knights
- Ealing Trailfinders
- Hartpury
- Nottingham
- Richmond
- Rotherham Titans
- Worcester Warriors
Why should I watch Champ Rugby?
Champ Rugby gives you something a little different to the Premiership. You only have to look at the list of teams above to see why. There are clubs with deep roots in top-level rugby alongside ambitious sides that want to establish themselves in the higher leagues.
The second tier is also the perfect place to spot emerging players making their mark on the game. While promotion might be criteria-based for clubs, Champ Rugby is still a great pathway for players who want to ply their trade in the top division.
Above all, there’s plenty of room for drama to unfold across those 26 rounds, not to mention the playoffs. Champ Rugby serves up 187 tantalising fixtures between September and May, from historic rivalries like the Yorkshire Derby to David-and-Goliath clashes and fierce relegation battles.
Where can I watch it?
If you’re looking for more union to get stuck into, Champ Rugby is well worth getting to know.
And the best bit? You won’t have to smash through a wall of defenders to get within kicking distance.
We'll be showing nine live Champ Rugby games right here on BLAZE, starting from 20th September, with the rest available through the Clubber TV streaming service.
Click here to find the full fixture list and get ready for kick-off.