The RFU Championship is the second tier of the English rugby union league Todays Game is Bedford Blues vs Newcastle Falcons system and was founded in September 1987. The league was previously known as National Division One and in 2009 changed from a league consisting of semi–professional clubs to one that is now fully professional. The current champions are London Welsh, who won a two–legged play–off against the Cornish Pirates and a legal battle against the RFU, after an announcement that there would be no promotion to the Aviva Premiership the following season. After a successful appeal by the club on 29 June 2012 it was ruled “....that the criteria were in breach of EU and UK competition laws”

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The play–off format had been developed to increase club revenues, as each club had been assured of at least two home fixtures after the home–and–away season. However, criticism remained, especially from the best performing clubs, as they had to navigate ten additional fixtures in order to earn promotion. Bristol had particular reason to feel aggrieved—in two seasons under the revamped format, they finished atop the table, but lost in the 2010 play–off final to Exeter and in the 2012 semi–finals to Cornish Pirates (in 2011, the final was contested between Worcester Warriors who won the league and Cornish Pirates).[7]

As a result, the RFU eliminated pool play for both promotion and relegation. Starting with the 2012–13 season, the top four clubs at the end of the regular season will enter promotion play–offs. The format will be the same as the 2011 and 2012 knockout stages, with two–legged semi–finals followed by a two–legged final. This system is identical to that of the Premiership, except that it uses two–legged matches instead of the Premiership's one–off matches. Relegation play–offs will be eliminated—the bottom side will now be automatically relegated (also mirroring the Premiership). Bristol's chairman Chris Booy welcomed the changes, telling the BBC,[7]

    "We had a mad 10 minutes in Penzance and our whole (2011–12) season fell apart. We've got the system changed and I was one of the main lobbyists for that. I think it will prepare us better because we can manage our squad to be in peak condition for the semis and the final. A number of teams will be fighting to get into the top four where as before they were resting to get in to the top eight."