English rugby union’s second tier will be rebranded as Champ Rugby from next season in a move designed to raise standards and add greater aspiration and jeopardy for clubs. Beneath the glitzy launch, however, many questions still remain.
Simon Gillham, the Tier 2 chair, said that the new-look expanded league of 14 clubs would bring a “gripping conclusion to the season” – with the top six entering a playoff tournament for the right to face the bottom-placed Premiership club for a promotion place.
