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A new name, live streaming, more clubs, and the return of the beloved play-offs, England’s second tier has had a refurb under the title CHAMP Rugby, or as the Rugby Football Union (RFU) would have it, Welcome To The Proving Ground.
The catchline makes clear where how the RFU views the CHAMP. With promotion still off the table, pending the RFU Council decision, the emphasis is on watching tomorrow’s stars today, when it begins with Nottingham versus Doncaster Knights on Friday.
The move to 14 clubs from 12 has been welcomed by all. Richmond come up from National 1, and Worcester Warriors are back in business after going into administration and dropping out of the Premiership at the start of the 2022-23 season.
“More home match revenue, more bang for your buck for season ticket holders, and consistent rugby through the year. You won’t have to wait three, four, five, six weeks anymore,” is how Ampthill’s new man at the helm, Dave Ward sums up the benefits of expansion.
Ward is back with the side from a small market town, midway between London and Northampton. He wound up his playing career with them, before spending four years as coach of Bristol Bears Women.
MO MATCHES, MO MONEY
Current employment aside, Ward has always been a fan of the second tier no matter its name. He began his career in England’s far southwest with Cornish Pirates. His dogged performances there earned him a move to Harlequins and Ward played over 100 matches for them.
He is among the CHAMP alumni that include Lions tourist and Northampton Saints flanker Henry Pollock, who turned out for Bedford Blues.
“The matches come thick and fast,” he said. “For the players, the way to get better is to play rugby and for a lot of the Ampthill players the ambition isn’t the Championship, it may be the Premiership or internationally and we’ve seen what a proving ground the Championship is for rugby.
“They’re going to play a lot of rugby against quality opposition at some amazing places. We have to embrace it.”
Worcester Warriors’ return straight into the CHAMP may have caused some disquiet, but it does meant that there is a ready-made PREM set up if promotion is opened up for the first time since Saracen’s return in 2021.
At the other end London Scottish and Richmond could point to how they had to work their way up from the bottom rung. Richmond have cut their cloth accordingly since going to the wall in the early days of professionalism and as this isn’t their first visit to the second tier, they know where they stand.
They benefit from a close relationship with Harlequins, and as a London-based team stand well placed to capitalise on the jobs and sponsorship opportunities in the capital.
KEEPING IT SUSTAINABLE
“While its financially feasible, we’ll stay at this level and if we can stay up, compete and contribute to Champ then that will do us,” Richmond head coach Rob Powell said.
“Richmond is a sustainable club that pays within its means. We’ve come out of National One where we paid our squad nowhere near our competitors. That’s fine. Good players win games, but culture and the desire to be there are factors too. We’ll do it in our way and get people with the Richmond ethos to help us win games.”
It isn’t just the players who use their work in the CHAMP to move further up the food chain. Newly-appointed England attack coach Lee Blackett made his name by keeping Rotherham Titans in the league before the call came from Wasps.
Nick Easter is the highest profile coach in the CHAMP. England’s first-choice number 8 on their march to the 2007 World Cup final, Easter has been Chinnor’s director of rugby since December 2022 and kept them up after winning promotion in 2024. He also brings international experience from his time as USA’s forward’s and defence coach.
LADDER UP? LADDER DOWN?
“We had a very good first year in the Champ and people know what we’re about now,” he said. “It is important to build and bring in quality and strength in depth, and I think the players who we have brought in and the players who have stepped up have done this.
“We are self-sustainable. Last year we broke even as a rugby club which is pretty phenomenal for any English rugby club. We aren’t professional, there are some guys who have been professional and there is a lot of talent at the club. It about making it healthy and sustainable, and having an identity and local people there.”
While the spectre of the promotion ladder being pulled up again hangs over the CHAMP’s start, there is a widespread feeling that the PREM will do what the PREM wants, so there’s no point worrying about it too much. The CHAMPS clubs just have to ensure their house is in order.
“All you can do is make sure that that 13 versus 14th playoff, or sixth playing third is ‘wow what a game’. They are going to be exciting games,” Ward said. “All these games that could come up at the end of the season are giving clubs that excitement and that opportunity at the end of the season, as long as we get it right, then hopefully the PREM will surprise us.”