English Championship

This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s English Championship news, interviews, reports, opinion and other content.

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Ampthill

Bedford Blues

Caldy

Cornish Pirates

Coventry

Doncaster Knights

Ealing Trailfinders

Hartpury University

Jersey Reds

London Scottish

Nottingham

Richmond

Championship consider a return to play-off system

1 December 2020 0 comments

Neale Harvey has the latest on the RFU finalising plans for the new Championship season to kick off in January

Championship consider return to playoff system

29 November 2020 2 comments

NOTTINGHAM chairman Alistair Bow says he would welcome plans for a shorter, conference-based Championship season with the title decided by play-offs. A full 22-match programme […]

All levels must support the new National cup, says Albion’s Chris Bentley

27 November 2020 0 comments

Plymouth Albion director Bentley expresses the situation facing National League clubs and below

Saracens young stars are chomping at the bit for a start date

26 November 2020 0 comments

Forwards coach Alex Sanderson says the London club are ready to unleash their youngsters on the Championship

Championship clubs want Saracens to ‘sod off’ says Will Greenwood

13 November 2020 0 comments

Will Greenwood says the summary execution of Saracens will be of no benefit to Championship clubs under the current circumstances, nor its England stars

Uncertainty around Championship season could see Saracens return to Premiership

3 November 2020 0 comments

Ealing Trailfinders could buy their way in to the Premiership as part of potential expansions for the league, according to reports

Josh Beaumont volunteers to help keep Fylde afloat

13 October 2020 0 comments

Sale lock Beaumont is going back to where it all began to develop a commercial plan outside of his playing commitments

Ealing Trailfinders sign Worcester back row target

13 October 2020 0 comments

Ambitious Championship club Ealing sign bulked back row formerly of Southern Kings

RFU plans big shake-up to get National Leagues clubs back in action

6 October 2020 0 comments

The three divisions that make up the National Leagues could be set to go regionalised in a truncated 2020-21 season

Ealing Trailfinders could mix it with Premiership clubs, says Reid

1 October 2020 0 comments

Ex-Trailfinders flanker Jordy Reid, now at Gloucester, believes the club could fill in if financial ruin hit the top flight

Lucock: Newcastle were the best team I’ve seen come down to the Championship

25 September 2020 0 comments

Jon Newcombe catches up with the new Newcastle Falcons signing who missed much of last season with a knee injury

Players will go from feast to famine, says Alan Solomons

22 September 2020 0 comments

The Worcester Warriors director of rugby is envisaging development players to bear the impact of unprecedented times in rugby

Government hits pause button on return of fans to stadiums

22 September 2020 0 comments

Fears for RFU, Premiership and Championship finances as government orders matches to be played behind closed doors

Will Hurrell takes first step into coaching after retirement

15 September 2020 0 comments

Former Bristol Bears centre Will Hurrell to embark on coaching career at the age of 30

Unpaid Championship players may have contracts cancelled

8 September 2020 0 comments

Leicester Tigers loan signing David Williams, whose parent club is Nottingham, says Championship players are being left in limbo

Ex-AFL ace Kurt Heatherley hopes to lift Jersey Reds

4 September 2020 0 comments

6’4″ Heatherley played at Hawthorn in the AFL, but was brought up in New Zraland loving rugby

Saracens sign prop Robin Hislop on loan from Doncaster Knights

4 September 2020 0 comments

Hislop joins as injury cover at loosehead for the rest of Saracens’ Prmeiership campaign

Yorkshire Carnegie renamed and pledge to get ‘back to roots’

3 September 2020 0 comments

Carnegie will become Leeds Tykes once again, says new chairman

Frustrated Blackheath director of rugby James Shanahan calls for 2020-21 start

2 September 2020 0 comments

Shanahan wants the governing bodies involved in sport’s return to take the brakes off rugby

Bill Sweeney urged to take the axe to untouched RFU-Premiership fund

1 September 2020 0 comments

Is the RFU chief executive keeping Premiership clubs happy so they release England players this autumn?

Canterbury want no part in shortened National League season

19 August 2020 0 comments

The RFU plans to have National League rugby back in November but with much fewer than 30 games to be played

John Inverdale and RFU director comment on plans to further regionalise grassroots

18 August 2020 0 comments

A vote will be held on October 2 to determine whether clubs reduce schedule demand in National League One and below

Levi Davis is London-bound after leaving Bath

10 August 2020 0 comments

Ealing Trailfinders continue to build their squad for the new Championship season

Nottingham sign fly-half following exit of Shane O’Leary to Rouen

10 August 2020 0 comments

Former Birmingham Moseley fly-half Sam Hollingsworth has joined the Green and Whites from Rotherham

Plans for conference-style system in the Championship leads to talks at RFU

28 July 2020 0 comments

Ed Griffiths is leading reform to the structure of the second tier with a 76-page document on how to revolutionise the Championship

Plymouth Albion left stunned by RFU points deduction and £20K fine for administrative error

28 July 2020 0 comments

TRP has been given access to the letter written by Plymouth Albion owner Dave Venables to the RFU

How did Ealing academy starlet Harrison Obatoyinbo come to be signed by Toulon?

23 July 2020 0 comments

Obatoyinbo, 19, signed for Toulon last week after being approached by the Top 14 club

Yorkshire Carnegie academy product Alex Rieder livid at programme’s collapse

22 July 2020 0 comments

Former Wasps flanker Alex Rieder labels the disbandedment of Yorkshire Carnegie’s academy ‘a joke’

Exclusive: Championship clubs plan massive shake-up following review by ex-Saracens CEO Ed Griffiths

21 July 2020 0 comments

Is the Championship heading towards a collective bargaining agreement and upheaval of its structure?

Preston Grasshoppers head of rugby Gareth Dyer proposes blanket salary cap for National Leagues

17 July 2020 0 comments

Gareth Dyer lays out the options available to National League clubs and why an even salary cap is suitable all round

Judge me by my skill not my ethnicity, says Ashley Johnson

17 July 2020 0 comments

Johnson is now pursuing his coaching ambitions at Moseley and wants no prejudice in rugby

Exclusive: Yorkshire Carnegie disband academy as RFU pull funding support

14 July 2020 0 comments

The likes of Stuart Hooper, Danny Care and Jordan Crane came through the academy at Leeds

Delon Armitage closing in on surprise move in England

14 July 2020 0 comments

The ex-England full-back has spent the past eight years in France with Toulon and Lyon

Carl Kirwan on his Nottingham move and news of one more Green & Whites signing

3 July 2020 0 comments

Flanker Kirwan says he is looking forward to the competition in the back row at Championship level

London Scottish’s Mark Bright in no hurry to hang up boots at 41

1 July 2020 0 comments

The ex-England 7s forward may have his touring days behind him, but his desire to play rugby still burns

Charlie Walker explains why he chose Ealing over Premiership offers

29 June 2020 0 comments

The former Harlequins winger also had a year left at Zebre but was impressed by a chat with Ben Ward at Ealing

Saracens sign fly-half Will Hooley after leaving Bedford Blues

23 June 2020 0 comments

15-cap USA international says it was an ‘easy decision’ to join Saracens

Tuilagi brothers agree Championship moves to London Scottish

17 June 2020 0 comments

The Tuilagi family’s influence to English rugby grows further as Brian and Fred agree deals with Exiles

Ealing Trailfinders confirm signing of Leicester’s Guy Thompson

11 June 2020 0 comments

Thompson’s move to Ealing was exclusively revealed by TRP on April 26

New regime at Old Redcliffians as Kevin Coster leaves

11 June 2020 0 comments

Old Redcliffians were relegated from National Two South along with Sutton & Epsom and Bournemouth

Premiership and Championship clubs cleared to return to training

2 June 2020 0 comments

Cleaning controls, PPE and temperature checks to be administered as rugby squads cleared to return

Remembering Exeter Chiefs’ promotion to the Premiership ten years on

26 May 2020 0 comments

Rob Baxter and Tommy Hayes look back on the success of their Championship-winning season 2009-10

RFU looking for new sponsor for Premier 15s as Tyrrells end deal

26 May 2020 0 comments

RFU begins search for new partnership as Premier 15s at risk starting new cycle without title sponsor

Damian Welch takes the reins at Plymouth Albion and wants Championship chase

19 May 2020 0 comments

The former Exeter Chiefs lock has been named head coach at
National One club Plymouth Albion

Grassroots specialists share skeptical view over RFU £7m aid package

15 May 2020 0 comments

The RFU has been warned by grassroot specialists that its £7m financial aid package will be quickly be swallowed up as clubs descend into a […]

TRP’s National League One Team of the Season

15 May 2020 0 comments

The season didn’t end naturally, but there’s still plenty of strong performances to judge in our Nat One XV

Ampthill fired up for second ride in the Championship

11 May 2020 0 comments

Amps chairman Alex Radley reflects on the team’s debut season in the GK IPA Championship

I knew this would be my last season at Newcastle and there’s comfort in that, says Italy-bound John Wells

8 May 2020 0 comments

The Falcons defence coach shares the conversation he had with Dean Richards

After steering Taunton to National One, kicking guru Tony Yapp wants 50:22 law

1 May 2020 0 comments

A believer in the proposed 50:22 law trialled by World Rugby

Obscurity of National 1 clubs sees null and voiding of contracts proposed

30 April 2020 0 comments

A bid to curtail expenditure has hit strong opposition in the third tier of English rugby