2012–13 RFU Championship
Countries England
 Jersey
Date31 August 2012 – 29 May 2013
ChampionsNewcastle Falcons
Runners-upBedford Blues
RelegatedDoncaster Knights
Matches played138
Attendance308,320
(average 2,234 per match)
Highest attendance7,651 Newcastle Falcons at home to Bedford Blues on 29 May 2013
Lowest attendance653 London Scottish at home to Moseley on 24 November 2012
Tries scored691
(average 5 per match)
Top point scorerNew ZealandJimmy Gopperth
(Newcastle Falcons) 298 points[1][2][3]
Top try scorerCanadaMatt Evans
(Cornish Pirates) 14 tries[4][5][6]

The 2012–13 RFU Championship is the fourth season of the professionalised format of the RFU Championship,[7] the second tier of English domestic rugby union competitions, played between August 2012 and May 2013.

After an appeal, last seasons champions, London Welsh were promoted to the Aviva Premiership and subsequently Newcastle Falcons relegated, due to finishing bottom of the Aviva Premiership during the 2011–12 season.[8][9] On 8 May 2012 it was announced that only Bristol and London Welsh (subject to further developments) were eligible for promotion under the RFU's minimum standards criteria;[10] London Welsh advanced to the Championship final,[11] whilst Bristol were defeated in their semi-final by the Cornish Pirates, a club that could not meet the standards criteria.[12] However, on 23 May, the day of the first leg of the final, the RFU announced that London Welsh would not be eligible for promotion due to "various failures". London Welsh's appeal was heard by an Independent Panel on 29 June which ruled ″... that the Exiles should be promoted on the basis that they play their home games at Oxford's Kassam Stadium and that the club meet the minimum entry criteria to the league as imposed by the Professional Game Board.″ Chief Executive Officer of the RFU, Ian Richie, subsequently announced that there would be a full review of the Minimum Standard Criteria.[13] Esher dropped out of the Championship after being relegated to the 2013–14 National League 1 and they will be replaced by a club from the Channel Islands, Jersey who won National League 1 last season and will compete in the Championship for the first time after three consecutive promotions.[14][15][16]

The twelve clubs in the 2012–13 Championship will also participate in the 2012–13 edition of the British and Irish Cup along with clubs from Wales, Scotland and Ireland.[17]

On 30 August the RFU announced that, for the first time, a team coached by Mike Rayer of Bedford Blues and consisting of English Qualified Players from RFU Championship teams will play a touring team. The match took place on 17 November at Castle Park, Doncaster against the Māori All Blacks with the New Zealand team winning 52 – 21.

Structure

The Championship's structure has all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis. The play–off structure has been changed dramatically for the 2012–13 season. Previously, the top eight teams entered into a complex mixture of pool and knockout play to determine promotion to the Premiership, whilst the bottom four entered into a pool whose last–placed team was relegated to National League 1.[18] The play–off pools have been abolished beginning with this season. On the promotion side, the knockout stage, involving two–legged semi–finals followed by a two–legged final, will remain in place. Now, the top four teams at the end of the home–and–away season qualify for the promotion play–offs which follow a 1 v 4, 2 v 3 system. There will be no relegation play–offs; the bottom team will now be automatically relegated.[18]

Competition funding

The RFU Championship clubs were in dispute with the RFU over funding for the competition and claimed that each club was owed £77,000 for the past three seasons and will be owed a further £120,000 over the next four seasons. The clubs also believed they should have received £295,000 in 2009–10, rising to £400,000 by 2015–16 and further believed there was a breach of contract on the part of the RFU. The RFU stated that the original funding was an estimate and by 2015–16 the figure will be £359,400.[13] On 21 August the RFU unveiled the Championship funding structure for the next four seasons to 2015–16. The funding is based on the continuation of the "English Qualified Players scheme", where clubs are required to field fifteen English qualified players in the 22-man squad on each matchday. (In previous seasons teams were required to field fourteen.) Although the amount is not given in the press release, the RFU also stated they will "increase its financial underwritings in relation to a title sponsorship while efforts continue to secure a partner".

Participating teams

Team Stadium Capacity City/Area
Bedford Blues Goldington Road 6,000 Bedford, Bedfordshire
Bristol Memorial Stadium 12,100 Bristol
Cornish Pirates Mennaye Field 4,000 (2,200 Seats) Penzance, Cornwall
Doncaster Knights Castle Park 3,075 Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Jersey St. Peter 5,000 Saint Peter, Jersey
Leeds Carnegie Headingley Rugby Stadium 20,250 Leeds, West Yorkshire[n 1]
London Scottish Athletic Ground, Richmond 4,500 Richmond, London
Moseley Billesley Common 3,000+ Birmingham, West Midlands
Newcastle Falcons Kingston Park 10,200 Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Nottingham Meadow Lane 19,588 Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Plymouth Albion The Brickfields 8,500 Plymouth, Devon
Rotherham Titans Clifton Lane 2,500 Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Notes
  1. Leeds will play a number of their matches away from Headingley Stadium as part of a "strategy to grow our business by developing a closer partnership with all clubs in Yorkshire".[19] Following problems with the newly re-laid pitch at Headingley, Leeds decided to play some more games "on the road"[20]
    • the replayed match against Plymouth Albion (Sunday 3 February) at West Park Leeds R.U.F.C.
    • the match against Newcastle Falcons (Sunday 10 February) at Otley R.U.F.C.
    • the match against Cornish Pirates (Sunday 3 March) at Otley R.U.F.C.

League table

2012–13 RFU Championship table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Newcastle Falcons (CH) 22 21 0 1 677 252 +425 13 1 98 Promotion place
2 Nottingham (SF) 22 15 0 7 624 409 +215 10 4 74
3 Bedford Blues (RU) 22 14 1 7 664 485 +179 11 2 71
4 Leeds Carnegie (SF) 22 13 0 9 585 480 +105 9 6 67
5 Bristol 22 14 0 8 524 481 +43 6 3 65
6 Cornish Pirates 22 10 2 10 435 480 45 5 3 52
7 Rotherham Titans 22 10 1 11 503 569 66 6 3 51
8 London Scottish 22 10 0 12 456 610 154 4 4 45[lower-alpha 1]
9 Plymouth Albion 22 7 0 15 419 518 99 4 8 40
10 Moseley 22 6 1 15 377 542 165 1 6 33
11 Jersey 22 6 0 16 385 595 210 2 5 31
12 Doncaster Knights (R) 22 3 1 18 364 592 228 2 7 23 Relegation place
Updated to match(es) played on 21 April 2013. Source: itsrugby.co.uk
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
    Notes:
  1. London Scottish were deducted 3 competition points for fielding an ineligible player.[21]

Regular season

The 2012–13 RFU Championship kicked off on 31 August with Nottingham defeating Leeds Carnegie and will finish on 20 April 2013. Each team will play the other twice on a home and away basis with the top four qualifying for the promotion phase.[22]

Round 1

31 August 2012
19:45
Nottingham (BP)34 – 29Leeds Carnegie (BP)
Report
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 1,536
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint Roberts
1 September 2012
15:00
Bedford Blues (BP)50 – 6Moseley
Report
Goldington Road
Attendance: 2,104
Referee: John Meredith
1 September 2012
15:00
Jersey6 – 20Cornish Pirates
Report
St Peter
Attendance: 2,470
Referee: Steve Lee
1 September 2012
15:00
Plymouth Albion27 – 22Doncaster Knights (BP)
Report
Brickfields
Attendance: 1,364
Referee: David Rose
2 September 2012
14:00
London Scottish26 – 20Rotherham Titans (BP)
Report
Athletic Ground, Richmond
Attendance: 894
Referee: Darren Gamage
2 September 2012
15:00
Bristol (BP)20 – 37Newcastle Falcons (BP)
Report
Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 4,851
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth

Round 2

7 September 2012
19:45
Doncaster Knights9 – 18Bristol
Report
Castle Park
Attendance: 1,013
Referee: Darren Gamage
7 September 2012
20:00
Leeds Carnegie (BP)32 – 19Jersey
Report
Headingley Rugby Stadium
Attendance: 2,066
Referee: Ian Tempest
8 September 2012
15:00
London Scottish (BP)32 – 49Newcastle Falcons (BP)
Report
Athletic Ground, Richmond
Attendance: 1,380
Referee: Ross Campbell
8 September 2012
15:00
Moseley17 – 28Nottingham
Report
Billesley Common
Attendance: 938
Referee: Sean Davey
9 September 2012
15:00
Rotherham Titans (BP)38 – 38Bedford Blues (BP)
Report
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,198
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint Roberts
9 September 2012
15:00
Cornish Pirates19 – 17Plymouth Albion (BP)
Report
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 2,260
Referee: Matthew Carley

Round 3

14 September 2012
20:00
Newcastle Falcons (BP)37 – 3Doncaster Knights
Report
Kingston Park
Attendance: 4,317
Referee: Ian Tempest
15 September 2012
15:00
Bedford Blues (BP)55 – 20London Scottish
Report
Goldington Road
Attendance: 2,227
Referee: Matthew Carley
15 September 2012
15:00
Jersey12 – 31Moseley
Report
St Peter
Attendance: 1,973
Referee: David Rose
15 September 2012
15:00
Plymouth Albion (BP)32 – 31Leeds Carnegie (2 BP)
Report
Brickfields
Attendance: 1,862
Referee: Ross Campbell
16 September 2012
15:00
Nottingham16 – 27Rotherham Titans
Report
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 2,078
Referee: Steve Lee
16 September 2012
15:15
Bristol29 – 17Cornish Pirates
Report
Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 4,613
Referee: Sean Davey

Round 4

22 September 2012
15:00
Bedford Blues27 – 25Nottingham (BP)
Report
Goldington Road
Attendance: 2,298
Referee: Darren Gamage
22 September 2012
15:00
London Scottish (BP)37 – 26Doncaster Knights (BP)
Report
Athletic Ground
Attendance: 1,029
Referee: Steve Lee
22 September 2012
15:00
Moseley (BP)22 – 24Plymouth Albion
Report
Billesley Common
Attendance: 876
Referee: Ian Tempest
22 September 2012
15:00
Rotherham Titans (BP)54 – 31Jersey (BP)
Report
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,131
Referee: Ross Campbell
23 September 2012
15:00
Cornish Pirates3 – 25Newcastle Falcons
Report
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 1,745
Referee: Greg Macdonald
23 September 2012
15:00
Leeds Carnegie (BP)50 – 31Bristol (BP)
Report
Headingley Rugby Stadium
Attendance: 2,854
Referee: Matthew Carley

Round 5

28 September 2012
19:45
Bristol (BP)21 – 22Moseley
Report
Memorial Ground
Attendance: 4,797
Referee: Ross Campbell
28 September 2012
19:45
Doncaster Knights18 – 18Cornish Pirates
Report
Castle Park
Attendance: 1,121
Referee: Darren Gamage
28 September 2012
19:45
Nottingham (BP)54 – 9London Scottish
Report
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 1,187
Referee: Ian Tempest
28 September 2012
19:45
Plymouth Albion15 – 3Rotherham Titans
Report
Brickfields
Attendance: 2,213
Referee: David Rose
28 September 2012
20:00
Newcastle Falcons (BP)53 – 10Leeds Carnegie
Report
Kingston Park
Attendance: 4,608
Referee: Luke Pearce
29 September 2012
15:00
Jersey19 – 29Bedford Blues (BP)
St Peter
Attendance: 2,071
Referee: Martin Fox

Round 6

5 October 2012
20:00
Leeds Carnegie (BP)42 – 7Doncaster Knights
Report
Headingley Rugby Stadium
Attendance: 2,255
Referee: Greg Macdonald
6 October 2012
15:00
Bedford Blues (BP)55 – 17Plymouth Albion
Report
Goldington Road
Attendance: 2,725
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth
6 October 2012
15:00
London Scottish25 – 24Cornish Pirates (BP)
Report
Athletic Ground
Attendance: 1,126
Referee: Ross Campbell
6 October 2012
15:00
Moseley13 – 53Newcastle Falcons (BP)
Report
Billesley Common
Attendance: 1,091
Referee: Steve Lee
6 October 2012
15:00
Rotherham Titans23 – 16Bristol
Report
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,060
Referee: John Meredith
7 October 2012
15:00
Nottingham (BP)48 – 16Jersey
Report
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 1,483
Referee: Matthew Carley

Round 7

26 October 2012
19:45
Doncaster Knights24 – 16Moseley
Doncaster Moseley
Castle Park
Attendance: 872
Referee: Martin Fox
26 October 2012
20:00
Newcastle Falcons (BP)33 – 0Rotherham Titans
Newcastle Rotherham
Kingston Park
Attendance: 3,518
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint Roberts
27 October 2012
14:00
Jersey20 – 17London Scottish (BP)
Jersey Scottish
St. Peter
Attendance: 2,083
Referee: Luke Pearce
27 October 2012
15:00
Plymouth Albion22 – 31Nottingham (BP)
Plymouth
Nottingham
Brickfields
Attendance: 1,589
Referee: Greg Macdonald
28 October 2012
14:30
Bristol23 – 13Bedford Blues
Bristol Bedford
Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 4,609
Referee: Darren Gamage
28 October 2012
14:30
Cornish Pirates21 – 8Leeds Carnegie
Pirates Leeds
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 1,971
Referee: David Rose

Round 8

3 November 2012
14:00
Rotherham Titans (BP)38 – 20Doncaster Knights
Doncaster Rotherham
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,876
Referee: Steve Lee
3 November 2012
15:00
Bedford Blues20 – 29Newcastle Falcons
Bedford Newcastle
Goldington Road
Attendance: 4,067
Referee: Martin Fox
3 November 2012
15:00
Jersey16 – 14Plymouth Albion (BP)
Jersey Plymouth
St Peter
Attendance: 1,894
Referee: Ian Tempest
3 November 2012
15:00
London Scottish14 – 37Leeds Carnegie (BP)
Scottish Leeds
Athletic Ground
Attendance: 1,168
Referee: John Meredith
3 November 2012
15:00
Moseley9 – 9Cornish Pirates
Moseley Pirates
Billesley Common
Attendance: 1,003
Referee: Matthew Carley
4 November 2012
15:00
Nottingham (BP)63 – 7Bristol
Nottingham Bristol
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 2,091
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint Roberts

Round 9

9 November 2012
19:45
Doncaster Knights (BP)21 – 22Bedford Blues
Doncaster Bedford
Castle Park
Attendance: 908
Referee: Greg Macdonald
9 November 2012
19:45
Plymouth Albion24 – 20London Scottish (BP)
Plymouth Albion London Scottish
Brickfields
Attendance: 1,941
Referee: Darren Gamage
9 November 2012
20:00
Newcastle Falcons (BP)29 – 9Nottingham
Newcastle Nottingham
Kingston Park
Attendance: 3,458
Referee: Steve Lee
11 November 2012
14:00
Cornish Pirates (BP)53 – 21Rotherham Titans
Cornish Pirates Rotherham
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 1,763
Referee: John Meredith
11 November 2012
15:00
Bristol (BP)39 – 16Jersey
Bristol Jersey
Memorial Ground
Attendance: 4,620
Referee: Matthew Carley
11 November 2012
15:00
Leeds Carnegie (BP)38 – 12Moseley
Leeds Moseley
Wharfeside Avenue, Threshfield
Attendance: 1,427
Referee: Ross Campbell

Round 10

23 November 2012
19:45
Bedford Blues32 – 6Cornish Pirates
Bedford Pirates
Goldington Road
Attendance: 3,155
Referee: Greg MacDonald
24 November 2012
12:15
London Scottish23 – 18Moseley (BP)
Scottish
Moseley
Athletic Ground, Richmond
Attendance: 653
Referee: Matthew Carley
24 November 2012
14:00
Rotherham Titans13 – 24Leeds Carnegie
Rotherham Leeds
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,489
Referee: Darren Gamage
24 November 2012
15:00
Jersey3 – 24Newcastle Falcons (BP)
Jersey Newcastle
St Peter
Attendance: 2,292
Referee: Steve Lee
24 November 2012
15:00
Plymouth Albion8 – 21Bristol
Plymouth Bristol
Brickfields
Attendance: 1,358
Referee: Ian Tempest
25 November 2012
15:00
Nottingham (BP)52 – 7Doncaster Knights
Nottingham Doncaster
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 2,015
Referee: John Meredith

Round 11

30 November 2012
19:45
Bristol (BP)43 – 16London Scottish
Bristol
Scottish
Memorial Ground
Attendance: 4,682
Referee: Greg MacDonald
30 November 2012
19:45
Doncaster22 – 17Jersey (BP)
Doncaster
Jersey
Castle Park
Attendance: 1,194
Referee: Darren Gamage
30 November 2012
20:00
Newcastle31 – 15Plymouth Albion
Newcastle
Plymouth
Kingston Park
Attendance: 3,331
Referee: John Meredith
1 December 2012
12:45
Moseley (BP)16 – 20Rotherham Titans
Moseley
Rotherham
Billesley Common
Attendance: 722
Referee: Steve Lee
2 December 2012
14:00
Cornish Pirates11 – 10Nottingham (BP)
Pirates
Nottingham
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 1,411
Referee: Ross Campbell
2 December 2012
14:00
Leeds Carnegie25 – 45Bedford Blues (BP)
Leeds
Bedford
Cross Green, Otley R.U.F.C.
Attendance: 1,546
Referee: Ian Tempest

Round 12

22 December 2012
15:00
Jersey20 – 17Leeds Carnegie (BP)
Jersey
Leeds
St Peter
Attendance: 1,923
Referee: Ross Campbell
23 December 2012
15:00
Bristol26 – 18Doncaster
Bristol
Doncaster
Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 6,045
Referee: John Meredith
23 December 2012
15:00
Newcastle Falcons12 – 9London Scottish (BP)
Newcastle
Scottish
Kingston Park
Attendance: 3,001
Referee: Matthew Carley
23 December 2012
15:00
Nottingham18 – 9Moseley
Nottingham
Moseley
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 1,658
Referee: Darren Gamage
26 December 2012
15:00
Bedford22 – 16Rotherham (BP)
Bedford
Rotherham
Goldington Road
Attendance: 4,418
Referee: Darren Gamage
26 December 2012
15:00
Plymouth Albion (BP)5 – 9Cornish Pirates
Plymouth
Pirates
Brickfields
Attendance: 3,058
Referee: Greg MacDonald

Round 13

1 January 2013
14:00
(BP) Cornish Pirates32 – 17Bristol
Pirates Bristol
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 2,954
Referee: Steve Lee
1 January 2013
14:30
Doncaster Knights10 – 28Newcastle Falcons (BP)
Doncaster
Newcastle
Castle Park
Attendance: 1,702
Referee: Ian Tempest
5 January 2013
14:00
Rotherham Titans12 – 32Nottingham (BP)
Rotherham
Nottingham
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,498
Referee: Greg MacDonald
5 January 2013
15:00
London Scottish26 – 23Bedford Blues (BP)
Scottish
Bedford
Athletic Ground, Richmond
Attendance: 1,705
Referee: John Meredith
5 January 2013
15:00
Moseley23 – 19Jersey (BP)
Moseley
Jersey
Billesley Common
Attendance: 1,001
Referee: Luke Pearce
6 January 2013
15:00
Leeds CarnegieR – RPlymouth Albion
Headingley Rugby Stadium
Referee: Matthew Carley
  • The original result was 34 – 16 to Leeds. However, the match went to uncontested scrums within 13 minutes on the new pitch at Headingley.[23][24] A meeting of the Organising Committee of the Championship decided that the fixture should be replayed on the next available free weekend, being 1–3 February at a venue of Leeds' choice.[25]

Round 14

25 January 2013
19:45
Bristol12 – 9Leeds Carnegie (BP)
Bristol
Leeds
Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 4,070
Referee: JP Doyle
25 January 2013
20:00
Newcastle FalconsP – PCornish Pirates
Kingston Park
  • Game postponed to 23 February 2013 after a pitch inspection (Kingston Park pitch snow-covered).[26]
26 January 2013
14:30
Jersey13 – 10Rotherham Titans (BP)
Jersey
Rotherham
St Peter
Attendance: 1,808
Referee: Steve Lee
26 January 2013
15:00
(BP) Plymouth Albion6 – 9Moseley
Plymouth
Moseley
Brickfields
Attendance: 1,303
Referee: Ross Campbell
27 January 2013
14:45
Nottingham25 – 17Bedford Blues
Nottingham
Bedford
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 2,136
Referee: Matthew Carley
1 February 2013
19:45
(BP) Doncaster Knights9 – 14London Scottish
Doncaster
Scottish
Castle Park
Attendance: 706
Referee: Steve Lee
  • Game postponed from 25 January due to concerns about the weather.[27]

Round 13 replay

3 February 2013
14:30
(BP) Leeds Carnegie28 – 26Plymouth Albion (BP)
Leeds Plymouth Albion
The Sycamores, West Park Leeds RUFC[20]
Attendance: 1,460
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint Roberts

Round 15

9 February 2013
12:15
London Scottish25 – 13Nottingham
Scottish
Nottingham
Richmond Athletic Ground
Attendance: 1,266
Referee: Ross Campbell
9 February 2013
14:30
Rotherham Titans34 – 31Plymouth Albion (2 BP)
Rotherham
Plymouth
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 935
Referee: John Meredith
9 February 2013
15:00
(BP) Bedford Blues38 – 21Jersey
Bedford
Jersey
Goldington Road
Attendance: 2,242
Referee: Greg Macdonald
9 February 2013
15:00
MoseleyP – PBristol
Billesley Common
Referee: David Rose
  • Game postponed to 15 March 2013 due to a water-logged pitch at Billesley Common.[28]
10 February 2013
12:00
(BP) Leeds Carnegie9 – 13Newcastle Falcons
Leeds
Newcastle
Cross Green, Otley R.U.F.C.[20]
Attendance: 1,461
Referee: Darren Gamage
10 February 2013
14:30
(BP) Cornish Pirates31 – 18Doncaster Knights
Pirates
Doncaster
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 1,309
Referee: Matthew Carley

Round 16

15 February 2013
20:00
(BP) Newcastle Falcons36 – 3Moseley
Newcastle
Moseley
Kingston Park
Attendance: 3,030
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint Roberts
16 February 2013
14:30
Doncaster Knights23 – 17Leeds Carnegie (BP)
Doncaster
Leeds
Castle Park
Attendance: 1,271
Referee: Ross Campbell
16 February 2013
15:00
JerseyP – PNottingham
St Peter
  • Match postponed as the pitch was deemed unplayable.[29]
16 February 2013
15:00
(2 BP) Plymouth Albion27 – 28Bedford Blues (BP)
Plymouth
Bedford
Brickfields
Attendance: 1,548
Referee: Steve Lee
17 February 2013
14:30
(BP) Cornish Pirates17 – 20London Scottish
Pirates
Scottish
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 1,857
Referee: Simon Harding
17 February 2013
15:00
(BP) Bristol30 – 20Rotherham Titans
Bristol
Rotherham
Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 4,504
Referee: Matthew Carley

Round 14 catch up

23 February 2013
19:00
(BP) Newcastle Falcons50 – 3Cornish Pirates
Falcons
Pirates
Kingston Park
Attendance: 2,208
Referee: Steve Lee
  • Game rescheduled from 25 January 2013.[30]

Round 17

2 March 2013
14:00
(BP) London Scottish41 – 33Jersey (BP)
Scottish
Jersey
Richmond Athletic Ground
Attendance: 1,552
Referee: Matthew Carley
2 March 2013
15:00
Bedford Blues6 – 18Bristol
Bedford
Bristol
Goldington Road
Attendance: 2,933
Referee: Ian Tempest
2 March 2013
15:00
Moseley23 – 9Doncaster Knights
Moseley
Doncaster
Billesley Common
Attendance: 1,030
Referee: Darren Gamage
2 March 2013
15:00
Rotherham Titans22 – 34Newcastle Falcons (BP)
Rotherham
Falcons
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,890
Referee: Greg MacDonald
3 March 2013
14:30
Leeds Carnegie37 – 25Cornish Pirates
Leeds
Pirates
Cross Green, Otley R.U.F.C.[20]
Attendance: 1,363
Referee: John Meredith
3 March 2013
15:00
(BP) Nottingham30 – 22Plymouth Albion
Nottingham
Plymouth
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 1,370
Referee: Simon Harding

Round 18

8 March 2013
19:45
(BP) Bristol19 – 23Nottingham
Bristol
Nottingham
Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 5,555
Referee: David Rose
8 March 2013
20:00
Newcastle Falcons17 – 15Bedford Blues (BP)
Falcons
Bedford
Kingston Park
Attendance: 3,967
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint Roberts
9 March 2013
14:30
(BP) Doncaster Knights19 – 25Rotherham Titans
Doncaster
Rotherham
Castle Park
Attendance: 1,517
Referee: Matthew Carley
9 March 2013
15:00
(BP) Plymouth Albion15 – 19Jersey
Plymouth
Jersey
Brickfields
Attendance: 1,544
Referee: Steve Lee
10 March 2013
13:15
Cornish Pirates17 – 14Moseley (BP)
Pirates
Moseley
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 1,223
Referee: Ross Campbell
10 March 2013
15:00
(BP) Leeds Carnegie26 – 3London Scottish
Leeds
Scottish
Brantingham Park, Hull Ionians R.U.F.C.
Attendance: 1,261
Referee: Greg MacDonald

Round 15 and 16 catch up

15 March 2013
19:45
Moseley23 – 14Bristol
Moseley
Bristol
Billesley Common
Attendance: 798
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint Roberts
  • Game rescheduled from 9 February 2013.[31]
16 March 2013
14:15
(BP) Jersey13 – 20Nottingham
Jersey
Nottingham
St Peters
Attendance: 1,410
Referee: Martin Fox
  • Game rescheduled from 16 February 2013.[32]

Round 19

22 March 2013
19:45
(BP) Nottingham12 – 14Newcastle Falcons
Nottingham
Newcastle
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 2,516
Referee: Steve Lee
23 March 2013
15:00
Bedford BluesP – PDoncaster Knights
Goldington Road
  • Postponed due to heavy overnight snowfall in Bedfordshire. Game rescheduled to 17 April.
23 March 2013
15:00
(BP) Jersey23 – 29Bristol
Jersey
Bristol
St Peter
Attendance: 3,074
Referee: Ross Campbell
23 March 2013
15:00
(BP) London Scottish9 – 16Plymouth Albion
Scottish
Plymouth
Richmond Athletic Ground
Attendance: 967
Referee: Thomas Foley
23 March 2013
15:00
MoseleyP – PLeeds Carnegie
Billesley Common
  • Postponed due to heavy snow in Birmingham. Game rescheduled to 5 April.
23 March 2013
15:00
Rotherham TitansP – PCornish Pirates
Clifton Lane
  • Postponed due to snowfall at Rotherham. Game rescheduled to 10 April.

Round 20

29 March 2013
16:45
(BP) Doncaster Knights21 – 27Nottingham
Doncaster
Nottingham
Castle Park
Attendance: 1,319
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint Roberts
29 March 2013
17:00
(BP) Newcastle Falcons34 – 12Jersey
Newcastle
Jersey
Kingston Park
Attendance: 4,066
Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
30 March 2013
15:00
(BP) Moseley20 – 25London Scottish
Moseley
Scottish
Billesley Common
Attendance: 914
Referee: Simon Harding
31 March 2013
15:00
Cornish Pirates18 – 26Bedford Blues
Pirates
Bedford
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 2,032
Referee: Greg MacDonald
31 March 2013
15:00
Leeds Carnegie24 – 7Rotherham Titans
Leeds
Rotherham
Headingley Rugby Stadium
Attendance: 2,007
Referee: Darren Gamage
31 March 2013
16:05
(BP) Bristol34 – 20Plymouth Albion
Bristol
Plymouth
Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 5,064
Referee: Luke Pearce

Round 19 postponed games

5 April 2013
19:45
Moseley20 – 29Leeds Carnegie (BP)
Moseley
Leeds
Billesley Common
Attendance: 850
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts
  • Postponed from 23 March due to heavy snow in Birmingham.
10 April 2013
17:15
(BP) Rotherham Titans41 – 28Cornish Pirates (BP)
Rotherham
Pirates
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,012
Referee: Dean Richards
  • Postponed from 23 March due to snowfall at Rotherham.

Round 21

13 April 2013
15:00
(BP) Bedford Blues24 – 33Leeds Carnegie
Bedford
Leeds
Goldington Road
Attendance: 2,649
Referee: Ian Tempest
13 April 2013
15:00
Jersey13 – 10Doncaster Knights (BP)
Jersey
Doncaster
St Peter
Attendance: 3,154
Referee: Andrew Small
13 April 2013
15:00
London Scottish19 – 38Bristol (BP)
Scottish
Bristol
Richmond Athletic Ground
Attendance: 1,585
Referee: Darren Gamage
13 April 2013
15:00
Plymouth Albion10 – 25Newcastle Falcons
Plymouth
Newcastle
Brickfields
Attendance: 2,211
Referee: Ross Campbell
13 April 2013
15:00
Rotherham Titans26 – 22Moseley (BP)
Rotherham
Moseley
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,037
Referee: John Meredith
14 April 2013
13:15
(BP) Nottingham28 – 26Cornish Pirates (2 BP)
Nottingham
Pirates
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 1,469
Referee: Luke Pearce

Round 19 postponed game

17 April 2013
19:45
(BP) Bedford Blues38 – 26Doncaster Knights (BP)
Beford
Doncaster
Goldington Road
Attendance: 1,552
Referee: David Rose
  • Postponed from 23 March due to heavy overnight snowfall in Bedfordshire.

Round 22

20 April 2013
15:00
Cornish Pirates28 – 24Jersey (BP)
Pirates
Jersey
Mennaye Field
Attendance: 1,955
Referee: Tom Foley
20 April 2013
15:00
(BP) Doncaster Knights22 – 26Plymouth Albion (BP)
Doncaster
Plymouth
Castle Park
Attendance: 1,020
Referee: Simon Harding
20 April 2013
15:00
Leeds Carnegie30 – 26Nottingham (2BP)
Leeds
Nottingham
Headingley Rugby Stadium
Attendance: 2,481
Referee: John Meredith
20 April 2013
15:00
(BP) Moseley29 – 41Bedford Blues (BP)
Moseley
Bedford
Billesley Common
Attendance: 1,455
Referee: Matthew Carley
20 April 2013
15:00
(BP) Newcastle Falcons14 – 19Bristol
Newcastle
Bristol
Kingston Park
Attendance: 4,590
Referee: Ian Tempest
20 April 2013
15:00
(BP) Rotherham Titans33 – 26London Scottish
Rotherham
Scottish
Clifton Lane
Attendance: 1,463
Referee: Llyr ApGeraint-Roberts

Play–offs

Semi–finals

The semi–finals followed a 1 v 4, 2 v 3 system - with the games being played over two legs and the higher placed team deciding who played at home in the first leg.

Newcastle Falcons finished the regular season in first place and played fourth-placed finishers Leeds Carnegie, with both matches being shown on SkySports. The other semi–final was between second placed Nottingham and Bedford who finished third.[33]

Following the findings of an independent audit report, Leeds Carnegie, Newcastle Falcons and Nottingham Rugby met the "Minimum Standards Criteria" (MSC), and were eligible for promotion to the 2013–14 Aviva Premiership should they win the RFU Championship. Bedford Blues failed to meet the MSC but have the right to an appeal.[34]

First leg

4 May 2013
15:00
Bedford Blues26 – 17Nottingham
Bedford
Nottingham
Goldington Road
Attendance: 2,533
Referee: J P Doyle

6 May 2013
15:15
Leeds Carnegie24 – 19Newcastle Falcons
Leeds
Newcastle
Headingley
Attendance: 4,259
Referee: David Rose

Second leg

10 May 2013
20:00
Nottingham21 – 23Bedford Blues
Nottingham
Bedford
Meadow Lane
Attendance: 3,070
Referee: Martin Fox
  • Bedford Blues won 49 – 38 on aggregate.

12 May 2013
13:15
Newcastle Falcons15 – 6Leeds Carnegie
Newcastle
Leeds
Kingston Park
Attendance: 6,003
Referee: Wayne Barnes
  • Newcastle Falcons won 34 – 30 on aggregate.

Final

23 May 2013
19:45
Bedford Blues9 – 18Newcastle Falcons
Bedford
Newcastle
Goldington Road
Attendance: 4,588
Referee: Luke Pearce

29 May 2013
19:45
Newcastle Falcons31 – 24Bedford Blues
Newcastle
Bedford
Kingston Park
Attendance: 7,651
Referee: Greg Garner
  • Newcastle Falcons won 49 – 33 on aggregate and are promoted to the Aviva Premiership.

Total attendances

Club Home Matches Total Average Highest Lowest % Capacity
Bedford Blues1339,6673,0514,5881,55251%
Bristol1153,4104,8556,0454,07040%
Cornish Pirates1120,4801,8622,9541,22347%
Doncaster Knights1113,6391,2401,70287240%
Jersey1124,1522,1963,1541,41044%
Leeds Carnegie1223,6941,9754,2591,26129%
London Scottish1113,3251,2111,70565327%
Moseley1110,6789711,45572232%
Newcastle Falcons1353,7484,1347,6512,20841%
Nottingham1222,6091,8843,0701,18710%
Plymouth Albion1119,9911,8173,0581,30321%
Rotherham Titans1114,5891,3261,89093553%

[35][36]

Top scorers

RFU Championship XV

The RFU Championship fielded a representative team for the first time against the Maori All Blacks, a touring team from New Zealand.[37]

Other tour match

Newcastle Falcons played a match against Tonga on Tuesday 13 November 2012 winning 24 – 13.[38]

Season records

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "RFU Championship Statistics". rugbyroundup.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Championship Semi-Finals Statistics". rugbyroundup.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Championship finals Statistics". rugbyroundup.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 "RFU Championship Statistics". rugbyroundup.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Championship Semi-Finals Statistics". rugbyroundup.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Championship finals Statistics". rugbyroundup.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  7. "Competitions & Tournaments". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  8. "London Welsh win Premiership promotion, Newcastle relegated". BBC Sport. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  9. "Wasps 10–14 Newcastle". BBC Sport. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  10. "Newcastle Falcons half-back Chris Pilgrim extends contract". BBC Sport. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  11. "London Welsh 17-24 Bedford Blues (agg 30-27)". BBC Sport. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  12. "Championship semi-final play-off: Bristol 29-18 Cornish Pirates". BBC Sport. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  13. 1 2 Straughan, Dick (5 July 2012). "Falcons relegated as Welsh win RFU promotion appleal". The Cornishman. p. 80.
  14. "Esher RFC president says club will cope with relegation". BBC Sport. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  15. "Jersey promoted to Championship by beating Coventry". BBC Sport. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  16. Tim Pryor (23 April 2012). "Jersey promoted: The rise and rise of an island side". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  17. "Rugby Football Union to fund travel for Cup games". BBC Sport. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  18. 1 2 "Championship: RFU to abolish play-off pool stages". BBC Sport. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  19. "On The Road". Leeds Carnegie. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Leeds Carnegie announce fixture re-arrangements". Leeds Carnegie. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  21. "RFU Upholds London Scottish Verdict". London Scottish. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  22. "RFU Championship Fixtures & Results". rugby round up. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  23. "Leeds Carnegie 34 Plymouth Albion 16". Leeds Carnegie. 6 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. "6th January 2013 Leeds". Plymouth Albion. 6 January 2013. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  25. "Championship Organising Committee rules on Leeds Carnegie v Plymouth Albion game". Rugby Football Union. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  26. "Cornish Pirates match postponed". newcastlefalcons.co.uk. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  27. "Doncaster Knights v London Scottish postponed to next Friday". Doncaster RFC. 25 January 2013. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  28. "Billesley Common Fixture Postponed". bristolrugby.co.uk. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  29. "POSTPONED: Jersey Vs Nottingham Rugby". nottinghamrugby.co.uk. 16 February 2013. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  30. "Newcastle v Cornish Pirates Game Postponed". cornish-pirates.com. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  31. "Moseley Rearranged Fixture Date Confirmed". bristolrugby.co.uk. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  32. "Re-arranged fixture v Nottingham". jrfc.je. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  33. "Play off update". Leeds Carnegie. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  34. "Minimum Standards Criteria Audit results". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  35. 1 2 "Championship 12/13 Home attendance". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  36. 1 2 "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Home attendance". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
  37. "Cornish Pirates boss Ian Davies to coach Championship XV". BBC. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  38. "FALCONS 24 TONGA 13". The Journal. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  39. "Championship 12/13 Most tries in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  40. "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Most tries in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
  41. "Championship 12/13 Most conversions in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  42. "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Most conversions in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
  43. "Championship 12/13 Most penalties in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  44. "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Most penalties in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
  45. "Championship 12/13 Most drop goals in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  46. "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Most drop goals in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
  47. "Championship 12/13 Most points in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  48. "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Most points in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
  49. "Championship 12/13 Most tries in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  50. "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Most tries in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
  51. "Championship 12/13 Most conversions in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  52. "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Most conversions in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
  53. "Championship 12/13 Most penalties in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  54. "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Most penalties in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
  55. "Championship 12/13 Most drop goals in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 20 April 2013.
  56. "Championship Playoffs 12/13 Most drop goals in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 29 May 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.