2016–17 RFU Championship
| 2016–17 RFU Championship | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  England Jersey |
| Date | 3 September 2016 – 24 May 2017 |
| Champions | London Irish (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Yorkshire Carnegie |
| Relegated | none |
| Matches played | 129 |
| Attendance | 229,202 (average 1,777 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 11,671 London Irish v Cornish Pirates (18 March 2017) |
| Lowest attendance | 438 Ealing Trailfinders v Jersey Reds (17 September 2016) |
| Tries scored | 742 (average 5.8 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Tommy Bell (London Irish) 253 |
| Top try scorer | Jonah Holmes (Yorkshire Carnegie) 16 |
← 2015–16 2017–18 → | |
The 2016–17 RFU Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the Greene King IPA Championship, is the eighth 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 is contested by eleven English clubs and one from Jersey in the Channel Islands. This will be the fourth year of the competition's sponsorship with Greene King Brewery.[1] The twelve teams in the RFU Championship also compete in the British and Irish Cup, along with clubs from Ireland and Wales. Some matches in the RFU Championship are broadcast on Sky Sports.
On 24 January 2017 London Welsh were expelled from the championship after failing to meet the conditions required by the RFU to extend a temporary licence granted after their liquidation. The club's record for the season was expunged. The RFU announced that no team would be relegated from the Championship at the end of the season.[2]
Structure
The Championship's structure has all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis. The play-off structure will remain the same as the previous year.[3] The top four teams at the end of the home-and-away season qualify for the promotion play-offs which follow a 1 v 4, 2 v 3 system. The winners have to meet the RFU's Minimum Standards Criteria in order to be promoted to the English Premiership. There is no promotion if a ground fails to meet the criteria.[4] Unlike previous seasons there will be no relegation from the league this year.
In 2015 the RFU increased annual funding to over £500,000 per club, an agreement which will last until 2020.[5] Despite this, Cornish Pirates stated more money was needed in RFU grants to support a fully professional second tier.[6]
The 2016–17 season was also the last for play-offs in the Championship for three seasons. Starting with the 2017–18 season, the play-offs will be replaced by automatic promotion for the team that finishes first in the home-and-away season, provided said team meets the Minimum Standards Criteria.[7]
