2017–18 RFU Championship

2017–18 Green King IPA Championship
Countries	England  Jersey
Date	2 September 2017 – 28 April 2018
Champions	Bristol (4th title)
Runners-up	Ealing Trailfinders
Relegated	Rotherham Titans
Matches played	132
Attendance	251,953 (average 1,909 per match)
Highest attendance	13,100 Bristol v Doncaster Knights 13 April 2018
Lowest attendance	426 Hartpury College v Nottingham 10 February 2018
Tries scored	907 (average 6.9 per match)
Top point scorer	Ian Madigan (Bristol) 232 points
Top try scorer	Luke Morahan (Bristol) 17 tries
← 2016–17 2018–19 →

The 2017–18 RFU Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the Greene King IPA Championship, was the ninth 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 was contested by eleven English clubs and one from Jersey in the Channel Islands. The competition was sponsored by Greene King for a fifth successive season.^[1] The twelve teams in the RFU Championship also competed in the British and Irish Cup, along with clubs from Ireland and Wales.

On 24 March 2018 Rotherham Titans were relegated with 3 games to go, after losing away to Jersey Reds. Despite seeing some improvements in the second half of the season, the Yorkshire club were easily the weakest side in the division, dropping to 2018–19 National League 1, the lowest level the club have played at for 14 seasons.^[2]

On 7 April 2018 Bristol were crowned champions with 2 games to go following title rivals Ealing Trailfinders defeat that day to Doncaster Knights. They met the minimum criteria and therefore were promoted into Premiership Rugby.^[3] In winning the championship Bristol also became the most decorated tier 2 side in English league history with 4 league titles to-date.

The Championship's structure has all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis. The play-offs for promotion have been abolished and replaced by the first ranked team being promoted; providing that club's ground fulfills the Rugby Football Union's Minimum Standards Criteria.^[4] Under the play-off system some clubs qualified for the play-offs but did not meet the RFU's Minimum Standards Criteria which meant they could not be promoted.^[4] The change was made to allow the promoted team additional time to prepare for playing in the English Premiership. As part of an agreement with the RFU, each club will receive £530,000 funding.^[5][6]

In January 2017, London Welsh was expelled from the RFU Championship and then liquidated due to debt.^[7][8] As a result, Rotherham Titans, who finished bottom of the league, were not relegated; a decision which former Championship club Plymouth Albion contested.^[9][10] Promoted in place of London Welsh were the winners of 2016–17 National League 1, Hartpury College, who have moved from Gloucester 3 North, at the bottom of the English rugby pyramid, to the second tier within thirteen years of their founding.^[11][12] London Irish was promoted as champions and play-off winners of the 2016–17 RFU Championship and were replaced by Bristol following their last place in the 2016–17 English Premiership.^[13][14]

Club	Stadium	Capacity	Area
Bedford Blues	Goldington Road	6,000	Bedford, Bedfordshire
Bristol	Ashton Gate Stadium	27,000	Bristol
Cornish Pirates	Mennaye Field	4,000 (2,200 Seats)	Penzance, Cornwall
Doncaster Knights	Castle Park	5,000	Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Ealing Trailfinders	Trailfinders Sports Ground	3,020 (1,020 seats)	West Ealing, London
Hartpury College	College Stadium	2,000	Hartpury, Gloucestershire
Jersey Reds	Stade Santander International	4,000	Saint Peter, Jersey
London Scottish	Athletic Ground, Richmond	4,500	Richmond, London
Nottingham	Lady Bay Sports Ground	3,000	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Richmond	Athletic Ground, Richmond	4,500	Richmond, London
Rotherham Titans	Clifton Lane	2,500	Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Yorkshire Carnegie	Headingley Carnegie Stadium	13,000[a]	Leeds, West Yorkshire

2017–18 RFU Championship table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Bristol (C)	22	21	0	1	949	417	+532	18	1	103	Promotion place
2	Ealing Trailfinders	22	16	1	5	766	522	+244	15	2	83
3	Bedford Blues	22	11	2	9	654	576	+78	14	6	68
4	Cornish Pirates	22	12	0	10	681	577	+104	10	9	67
5	Jersey Reds	22	13	1	8	542	480	+62	8	3	65
6	Yorkshire Carnegie	22	12	2	8	518	547	−29	9	2	63
7	Doncaster Knights	22	9	1	12	582	615	−33	13	6	57
8	Nottingham	22	10	1	11	547	619	−72	7	3	52
9	Richmond	22	9	0	13	444	597	−153	6	4	46
10	Hartpury College	22	6	1	15	480	623	−143	9	7	42
11	London Scottish	22	6	1	15	521	707	−186	8	6	40
12	Rotherham Titans (R)	22	2	0	20	376	780	−404	2	4	14	Relegation place

Fixtures for the season were announced by the RFU on 9 June 2017.^[15]

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• Postponed due to waterlogged pitch caused by heavy rain. Game rescheduled to 25 February 2018.^[30]

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• Game rescheduled from 11 February 2018.

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• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 10 March 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 10 March 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 30 March 2018.

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• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

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• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 24 April 2018.^[35]

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 17 April 2018.^[36]

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• Rotherham Titans are relegated.^[2]

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• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

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• Bristol are champions following Ealing's defeat to Doncaster on the following day.^[3]

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• Game rescheduled from 18 March 2018.

• Game rescheduled from 18 March 2018.

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Club	Home Games	Total	Average	Highest	Lowest	% Capacity
Bedford Blues	11	27,833	2,530	3,401	1,743	42%
Bristol	11	93,356	8,487	13,100	6,509	31%
Cornish Pirates	11	16,715	1,520	2,236	1,112	38%
Doncaster Knights	11	14,318	1,302	2,002	887	26%
Ealing Trailfinders	11	8,955	814	1,589	574	27%
Hartpury College	11	10,095	918	2,400	426	44%
Jersey Reds	11	16,328	1,484	2,174	1,103	37%
London Scottish	11	13,376	1,216	1,863	800	27%
Nottingham	11	12,496	1,136	1,575	463	38%
Richmond	11	10,276	934	1,798	468	21%
Rotherham Titans	11	9,028	821	1,607	609	33%
Yorkshire Carnegie	11	19,177	1,743	2,478	1,274	13%

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• Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals. Appearance figures also include coming on as substitutes (unused substitutes not included).