The 2009–10 RFU Championship was the 1st season (of the professionalised format) of the second division of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between August 2009 and May 2010. The league had been restructured from the 16 teams of the previous season down to just 12. New teams included Bristol who had been relegated from the Guinness Premiership 2008–09 and Birmingham and Solihull who had been promoted from National Division Two 2008–09. As well as a decrease in teams, the league would now consist of three parts - a standard league section, promotion/relegation pools and then playoffs to determine who would go up as champions.

During this season, Exeter Chiefs won promotion to the Aviva Premiership 2010–11 by beating Bristol in the playoff final. This marked Exeter's first ever promotion to the Premiership, which they would later win in 2017.

Despite finishing 11th of 12 after the first stage Coventry were relegated to the 2010–11 National League 1 as they finished bottom of the relegation pool.

Participating teams

Team Stadium CapacityCity/Area Bedford BluesGoldington Road5,000 (1,700 seats)Bedford, BedfordshireBirmingham & SolihullSharmans Cross3,500 (1,000 seats)Solihull, West MidlandsBristolMemorial Stadium12,100BristolCornish PiratesRecreation Ground9,000Camborne, CornwallCoventryButts Park Arena4,000Coventry, West MidlandsDoncaster KnightsCastle Park3,075Doncaster, South YorkshireExeter ChiefsSandy Park10,000Exeter, DevonLondon WelshOld Deer Park5,850 (1,000 seats)Richmond, LondonMoseleyBillesley Common3,000+ Birmingham, West MidlandsNottinghamMeadow Lane19,588Nottingham, NottinghamshirePlymouth AlbionThe Brickfields6,500Plymouth, DevonRotherham TitansClifton Lane2,500Rotherham, South Yorkshire Notes

Stage 1 League Table

Results

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 February 2010.

Round 15

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 20 January 2010.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 20 January 2010.

Round 16

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 10 February 2010.

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 11 February 2010.

Round 17

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 24 February 2010.

Round 15 (Rescheduled Games)

Game rescheduled from 28 December 2009.

Game rescheduled from 28 December 2009.

Round 18

Round 19

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 February 2010.

Round 14 (Rescheduled Game)

Game rescheduled to 19 December 2009.

Round 20

Round 16 & 19 (Rescheduled Games)

Game rescheduled from 2 January 2010.

Game rescheduled from 2 January 2010.

Game rescheduled from 30 January 2010.

Round 21

Round 17 (Rescheduled Game)

Game rescheduled from 15 January 2010.

Round 22

Stage 2: Playoffs

Promotion Winner of Pool A to play Runner-Up of Pool B, and Winner of Pool B to play Runner-Up of Pool A.

Group A: Pos Team P W D L F A BP PTS 1 Bristol 6 5 0 1 189 86 4 24 2 Bedford 6 4 0 2 154 125 4 20 3 Cornish Pirates 6 2 0 4 98 158 2 10 4 Plymouth Albion 6 1 0 5 57 129 1 5

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Group B:

Pos Team P W D L F A BP PTS 1 Exeter 6 4 0 2 181 86 4 20 2 London Welsh 6 4 0 2 108 110 2 18 3 Nottingham 6 2 0 4 98 141 2 10 4 Doncaster 6 2 0 4 108 158 1 9

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Relegation Bottom club in Group C relegated to National League 1

Group C:

Pos Team P W D L F A BP PTS 1 Rotherham 6 5 0 1 188 116 7 27 2 Moseley 6 2 0 4 153 132 7 15 3 Birmingham & Solihull 6 3 0 3 158 169 3 13* 4 Coventry (R) 6 2 0 4 82 164 2 10

Birmingham & Solihull deducted 2 points for fielding an unregistered player

Coventry are relegated to National League 1.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Postponed. Game rescheduled to 24 April 2010.

Round 5

Round 4 (Rescheduled Game)

Round 6

Stage 3

Semi-finals

The semifinals were one-off single ties held between the winner of Group A and the runner-up of Group B, and the winner of Group B and the runner-up of Group A. The matches took place at the home ground of the group winners.

Final

The two-legged final took place at the home grounds of the two clubs involved, rather than at Twickenham.

Exeter Chiefs win the Championship and earn promotion to the 2010–11 Premiership.

Total Season Attendances Figures include playoff semi finals and final

ClubHomeGamesTotalAverageHighestLowest% CapacityBedford Blues 14 39,364 2,812 4,067 1,642 56% Birmingham & Solihull 12 7,984 665 1,407 200 19% Bristol 16 94,752 5,922 11,550 4,305 49% Cornish Pirates 14 42,157 3,011 5,654 1,560 33% Coventry 14 17,473 1,248 2,003 618 29% Doncaster Knights 14 20,243 1,446 2,174 1,011 47% Exeter Chiefs 16 77,670 4,854 10,021 3,477 49% London Welsh 14 18,604 1,329 2,240 520 23% Moseley 14 13,652 975 1,564 749 33% Nottingham 14 16,978 1,213 1,796 790 6% Plymouth Albion 14 37,448 2,675 4,430 1,384 41% Rotherham Titans 14 15,884 1,135 1,610 521 45%

Individual statistics

Player stats include playoff games as well as regular season games. Also note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.

Top points scorers Rank Player Team Appearances Points 1 Gareth Steenson Exeter Chiefs 26 280 2 Adrian Jarvis Bristol 31 274 3 Tristan Roberts Moseley 26 267 4 Aled Thomas London Welsh 29 226 5 James Pritchard Bedford Blues 22 209 6 Rob Cook Cornish Pirates 24 196 7 Simon Hunt Birmingham & Solihull 21 166 8 Jonathan West Rotherham Titans 24 159 9 Greig Tonks Nottingham 25 135 Keiran Hallett Plymouth Albion 26 135

Top try scorers Rank Player Team Appearances Tries 1 Blair Cowan Cornish Pirates 21 14 Errie Claassens London Welsh 26 14 Matthew Jess Exeter Chiefs 28 14 2 David Norton Bristol 19 13 3 Lee Robinson Bristol 24 12 Tim Streather Nottingham 28 12 Mark Foster Exeter Chiefs 29 12 4 Simon Hunt Birmingham & Solihull 21 11 Tom Arscott Bristol 27 11 James Phillips Bristol 29 11

Season records

Team Largest home win — 52 pts 62 - 10 Cornish Pirates at home to Birmingham & Solihull on 25 October 2009 Largest away win — 45 pts 60 - 15 Bristol away to Cornish Pirates on 1 May 2010 Most points scored — 62 pts (x2) 62 - 10 Cornish Pirates at home to Birmingham & Solihull on 25 October 2009 62 - 12 Exeter Chiefs at home to Birmingham & Solihull on 13 March 2010 Most tries in a match — 10 Bristol away to Cornish Pirates on 1 May 2010 Most conversions in a match — 7 Cornish Pirates at home to Birmingham & Solihull on 25 October 2009 Most penalties in a match — 6 (x4) Exeter Chiefs at home to Doncaster Knights on 12 September 2009 Rotherham Titans at home to Cornish Pirates on 31 October 2009 Moseley at home to Bristol on 13 March 2010 Exeter Chiefs away to Bristol on 26 May 2010 Most drop goals in a match — 2 (x3) Doncaster Knights at home to Bristol on 24 October 2009 Rotherham Titans at home to Cornish Pirates on 31 October 2009 Exeter Chiefs away to Bristol on 26 May 2010

Player Most points in a match — 24 (x2) James Pritchard for Bedford Blues at home to Nottingham on 16 January 2010 Gareth Steenson for Exeter Chiefs away to Bristol on 26 May 2010 Most tries in a match — 4 (x2) Ian Davey for Bedford Blues at home to Birmingham & Solihull on 10 October 2009 Callum MacBurnie for Moseley at home to Birmingham & Solihull on 1 May 2010 Most conversions in a match — 7 James Moore for Cornish Pirates at home to Birmingham & Solihull on 25 October 2009 Most penalties in a match — 6 (x4) Gareth Steenson for Exeter Chiefs at home to Doncaster Knights on 12 September 2009 Jonathan West for Rotherham Titans at home to Cornish Pirates on 31 October 2009 Tristan Roberts for Moseley at home to Bristol on 13 March 2010 Gareth Steenson for Exeter Chiefs away to Bristol on 26 May 2010 Most drop goals in a match — 2 Gareth Steenson for Exeter Chiefs away to Bristol on 26 May 2010

Attendances Highest — 11,550 Bristol at home to Exeter Chiefs on 26 May 2010 Lowest — 200 Birmingham & Solihull at home to Doncaster Knights on 17 February 2010 Highest Average Attendance — 5,922 Bristol Lowest Average Attendance — 665 Birmingham & Solihull

References