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2022–23 RFU Championship
Countries	England  Jersey
Date	9 September 2022 — 29 April 2023
Champions	Jersey Reds
Runners-up	Ealing Trailfinders
Relegated	Richmond
Matches played	132
Attendance	176,335 (average 1,336 per match)
Highest attendance	5,000 – Bedford Blues v Ampthill, 26 December 2022
Lowest attendance	407 – Ampthill v Doncaster Knights, 18 March 2023
Tries scored	1029 (average 7.8 per match)
Top point scorer	174 – William Maisey (Bedford Blues)
Top try scorer	15 – Sean French (Bedford Blues) Carlo Trizzano (Ealing Trailfinders)
← 2021–222023–24 →

The 2022–23 RFU Championship is the fourteenth season of the RFU Championship, the professional second tier of rugby union in England. It features eleven English teams and one from Jersey. Jersey Reds won the league with one match remaining.

Structure

The twelve teams will play each of the other teams twice.

The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:

• 4 points are awarded for a win
• 2 points are awarded for a draw
• 0 points are awarded for a loss, however
• 1 losing (bonus) point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
• 1 additional (bonus) point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match.

Promotion and relegation

Subject to meeting the minimum standards criteria the team finishing top of the league will be promoted to Premiership Rugby, which means there will be no relegation to National League 1. If the champions do not meet the criteria, and therefore not promoted, one team will be relegated. With both Wasps and Worcester Warriors entering administration and deemed unable to compete in the Championship the competition will include 12 teams in 2023–24.

On 13 February 2023, the RFU confirmed that only Doncaster Knights were eligible for promotion.

RFU funding

For the third year in a row, each club will receive approximately £161,500 in funding from the RFU, as part of the reduction of funding introduced ahead of the 2016–17 season. Following news of the funding change, several clubs announced a switch to a semi-professional business model ahead of the 2020–21 season.

Teams

Eleven of the twelve teams played in last season's competition. Having won the 2021–22 National League 1, Caldy were promoted to the Championship. Owing to there being only eleven teams in the Championship last season there was no relegation.

Table

1. Number of matches won
2. Difference between points for and against
3. Total number of points for
4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
   Notes:

1. There is no promotion this season

Fixtures & results

Fixtures for the season was announced by the RFU on 24 June 2022.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Rescheduled matches (Round 10)

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Rescheduled matches (Round 10)

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Rescheduled matches

Round 20

Round 21

Round 22

Attendances

Leading scorers

Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.

Most points As of 29 April 2023 Source: Rank Player Club Points 1 William Maisey Bedford Blues 174 2 Craig Willis Ealing Trailfinders 146 3 Russell Bennett Jersey Reds 143 4 Patrick Pellegrini Coventry 122 5 Alex Dolly Doncaster Knights 110

Most tries As of 29 April 2023 Source: Rank Player Club Tries 1 Sean French Bedford Blues 15 Carlo Tizzano Ealing Trailfinders 2 Will Brown Jersey Reds 14 3 Eoghan Clarke Jersey Reds 13 4 Tomi Lewis Jersey Reds 12

See also

• 2022–23 Premiership Rugby
• 2022–23 RFU Championship Cup

References

1. ^ "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 763. 30 April 2023. p. 30.
2. "RFU Statement: Competition Update". Championship Rugby. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
3. World, Rugby (2023-02-13). "No Ealing Trailfinders promotion, RFU rule". Rugby World. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
4. "Update on RFU Funding of Greene King IPA Championship". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
5. "Update on RFU Funding of Greene King IPA Championship". Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
6. "RFU Council Vote in Favour of COVID Recovery Plan". www.englandrugby.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
7. "RFU funding cut update". London Scottish Rugby. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
8. "PLANNING FOR NEXT SEASON". Nottingham Rugby. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
9. "RFU Council votes in favour of no Premiership relegation". England Rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
10. "RUGBY:Caldy RFC win National League One to secure promotion to The Championship". Wirral Globe. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
11. "A right mess entirely of the RFU's making". The RugbyPaper. No. 703. 6 March 2022. p. 11.
12. "The RFU has confirmed the Championship League and Cup fixtures for the 2022/23 season". Championship Rugby. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
13. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 729. 4 September 2022. p. 38.
14. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 731. 18 September 2022. p. 38.
15. "Nottingham 19 23 Cornish Pirates". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
16. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 732. 25 September 2022. p. 38.
17. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 733. 2 October 2022. p. 38.
18. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 734. 9 October 2022. p. 32.
19. Westren, Phil. "Cornish Pirates 15 Ampthill 13". Cornish Pirates An Voladron Gernewek. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
20. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 736. 23 October 2022. pp. 27 & 38.
21. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 737. 30 October 2022. pp. 27 & 38.
22. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 742. 4 December 2022. pp. 22, 23 & 38.
23. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 743. 11 December 2022. p. 34.
24. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 744. 18 December 2022. p. 32.
25. "Hartpury RFC22-16Cornish Pirates". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
26. "Ealing Trailfinders43-22Jersey Reds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
27. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 746. 31 December 2022. p. 25.
28. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 747. 8 January 2023. p. 38.
29. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 748. 15 January 2023. pp. 23 & 38.
30. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 749. 22 January 2023. p. 36.
31. "Battling Blues suffer defeat in Caldy". Bedford Blues. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
32. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 750. 29 January 2023. p. 38.
33. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 754. 26 February 2023. pp. 28, 38.
34. "Match Report: 1st XV 22 v 61 Cornish Pirates, 04/03/23". Ampthill RUFC. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
35. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 755. 5 March 2023. p. 38.
36. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 756. 12 March 2023. p. 38.
37. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 757. 19 March 2023. p. 32.
38. ^ "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 759. 2 April 2023. p. 41.
39. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 758. 26 March 2023. p. 38.
40. Westren, Phil. "Cornish Pirates 28 Caldy 21". Cornish Pirates. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
41. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 760. 9 April 2023. p. 26.
42. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 761. 16 April 2023. p. 36.
43. "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 762. 23 April 2023. p. 36.

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Related articles	International players Clubs Churchill Cup Calcutta Cup Millennium Trophy Ella-Mobbs Trophy Hillary Shield
Other	English rugby union system Timeline of rugby union on UK television

• 2022–23 RFU Championship
• 2022–23 in English rugby union leagues
• RFU Championship seasons