Champ Rugby: second-tier revamps with French-style play-offs
The Championship will be relaunched next season with a new name, a new format and a vision to build English rugby's second tier into a 'credible league' that can ultimately join forces with the Gallagher Premiership in being run by one body.
The 14-team league will be known as Champ Rugby, with each season ending in a six-team play-off competition at the top end of the table. The winners will be crowned champions and advance to a play-off against the bottom team in the Premiership to decide whether they win promotion to the top flight.
The bottom team in Champ Rugby would go straight down to National League 1, the third tier, with the 13th-placed team facing the team who finish second in National 1
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