2021 RFL Championship
The 2021 Rugby Football League Championship is a rugby league football competition played in England, and France. It is the second tier of the three tiers of professional rugby league in England, below Super League, and above League 1. The sponsors for the league are the bookmakers, Betfred and the league will continue to be known as the Betfred Championship.
| 2021 Betfred Championship | |
|---|---|
| League | Championship |
| Duration | 2 April 2021 – 9 October 2021 |
| Teams | 14 |
| Matches played | 45 |
| Points scored | 4,518 |
| Highest attendance | 9,235 (Toulouse Olympique vs Featherstone Rovers, 10 October 2021) |
| Lowest attendance | 200 (London Broncos vs York City Knights, 11 July 2021) |
| Broadcast partners | OurLeague Sky Sports (play-offs only) |
| 2021 season | |
| Champions |  Toulouse Olympique (1st title) |
| Championship Leaders' Shield | Toulouse Olympique (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Featherstone Rovers |
| Biggest home win | 70–0 (Toulouse Olympique vs Widnes Vikings, 9 May 2021) |
| Biggest away win | 12–82 (Newcastle Thunder vs Toulouse Olympique, 18 September 2021) |
| Promotion and relegation | |
| Promoted from Championship | Toulouse Olympique |
| Relegated to League 1 |  Oldham Swinton Lions |
Teams
The league comprises 14 teams playing 22 matches each in the regular season. Each teams will play nine others twice (home and away) and play the other four teams just one (home or away).[1]
Fixtures and results
The governing body, the Rugby Football League (RFL) decided that the Summer Bash will not be played due to restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom which will limit or prohibit the attendance of spectators.[1]
Following an RFL meeting with both the Championship and League 1 clubs, it was agreed that golden point extra time would be suspended for this season, following concerns over the welfare of players and staff.[1]
The RFL also issued guidance on clubs travelling to France to play Toulouse. While UK COVID-19 quarantine rules require travellers to isolate for five days on return from France, the RFL stated that it was permissible for the part-time clubs in the Championship to postpone fixtures against Toulouse. The postponement did not apply to London Broncos as the club's players are full-time.[5]
Cancelled and forfeited matches
In March 2021 the RFL announced that the part-time clubs in the Championship would not have to travel to France to play Toulouse while the quarantine rules requiring travellers to isolate for five days were in force. This ruling did not apply to the full-time club, London Broncos.[6] London were due to travel to Toulouse for a match on 17 April but declined to do so. The RFL therefore awarded the two competition points to Toulouse with the score recorded as 24–0. The match does not count towards the number of games played by London towards qualification for the play-offs.[7] The RFL also referred London to the off-field compliance board for failing to fulfil a fixture.[7] At a subsequent meeting the compliance board deducted 2 points from London for beaching the operational rules by failing to fulfil the match.[8]
Toulouse's game against Bradford, scheduled for 19 June 2021 was cancelled on 4 June due to the quarantine rules. There were no free dates in the calendar to accommodate re-scheduling so the game was not played.[9]
London's game against Widnes scheduled for 25 July was cancelled on 20 July, after London Broncos reported more than seven players requiring to isolate, the match was postponed then cancelled as the clubs agreed there was no possible date available for re-arranging the fixture.[10]
Other points deductions
In August, Featherstone were deducted two competition points (the equivalent of a win) for breaching RFL Operational Rules. In breach of UK government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic the club hosted an indoor gathering on 27 March at which 12 members of the first team were present. Under RFL COVID-19 protocols all the players involved should have been stood-down and ordered to self-isolate. The club did not comply with the protocols and also failed to assist with the RFL investigation into the incident.[11]
Regular season table
As a precaution against disruption to fixtures due to COVID-19, league placings will be decided by points percentage, rather than points. After the regular season of 22 rounds, the top six teams will go forward to the play-offs, with the winners being promoted to Super League for 2022. The two teams finishing bottom of the Championship after the regular season will be relegated to League 1.[12]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PP | Pts | PCT | Qualification[lower-alpha 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toulouse Olympique[lower-alpha 2] |
14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 698 | 124 | 562.9 | 28 | 100.00 | Championship Leaders' Shield & advance to semi-final |
| 2 | Featherstone Rovers |
21 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 943 | 292 | 322.9 | 38[lower-alpha 3] | 90.48[lower-alpha 3] | Advance to semi-final |
| 3 |  Halifax Panthers |
21 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 528 | 354 | 149.2 | 26 | 61.90 | Advance to eliminators |
| 4 |  Batley Bulldogs |
21 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 561 | 411 | 136.5 | 26 | 61.90 | |
| 5 |  Bradford Bulls |
20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 514 | 501 | 102.6 | 24 | 60.00 | |
| 6 |  Whitehaven |
22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 502 | 524 | 95.8 | 25 | 56.82 | |
| 7 |  London Broncos[lower-alpha 2] |
20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 552 | 579 | 95.3 | 21[lower-alpha 4] | 52.50[lower-alpha 4] | |
| 8 |  Widnes Vikings |
21 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 494 | 534 | 92.5 | 19 | 45.24 | |
| 9 |  York City Knights |
20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 502 | 477 | 105.2 | 18 | 45.00 | |
| 10 |  Dewsbury Rams |
21 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 360 | 608 | 59.2 | 17 | 40.48 | |
| 11 |  Newcastle Thunder |
20 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 431 | 627 | 68.7 | 15 | 37.50 | |
| 12 |  Sheffield Eagles |
20 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 420 | 665 | 63.2 | 13 | 32.50 | |
| 13 | Oldham |
21 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 308 | 748 | 41.2 | 5 | 11.90 | Relegated to League 1 |
| 14 | Swinton Lions |
22 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 404 | 773 | 52.3 | 5 | 11.36 |
Rules for classification: 1) win percentage; 2) points scored percentage (points scored divided by points conceded).
Notes:
- Teams must have played at least 70% of scheduled fixtures (16 matches) to qualify for the play-offs. Fixtures involving Toulouse that are cancelled due to quarantine restrictions do not count against either team involved in respect of the 70% requirement.[13]
- Toulouse were awarded the fixture against London scheduled for 17 April after London declined to travel to France. Toulouse are awarded the two competition points and for points scored percentage the score is recorded as a 24–0 win for Toulouse. The game does not count towards the number of games played by London to determine eligibility for the play-offs
- Featherstone deducted 2 points for breach of the RFL Operational Rules in March 2021.[14]
- London deducted 2 points for breach of the RFL Operational Rules in failing for fulfil the fixture against Toulouse in April 2021.[16]
Play-offs
The play-off structure and dates were confirmed on 20 August and will take place over three weekends commencing 25 September. The first weekend will see 3rd play 6th and 4th play 5th in a double header. The following weekend will be another double header with 1st playing the lowest ranked play-off winning team and 2nd playing the highest ranked play-off winner. The winners of these two matches will meet in the Million Pound Game on Sunday 10 October.[18]
Team bracket
| Eliminators | Semi-finals | Million Pound Game | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Toulouse Olympique
| 51 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Batley Bulldogs
| 23 | 4 | Batley Bulldogs
| 12 | |||||||||
| 5 | Bradford Bulls
| 10 | 1 | Toulouse Olympique
| 34 | |||||||||
| 2 | Featherstone Rovers
| 12 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Featherstone Rovers
| 42 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Halifax Panthers
| 24 | 3 | Halifax Panthers
| 10 | |||||||||
| 6 | Whitehaven
| 20 | ||||||||||||
Summary
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
| Eliminators | ||||||
| Halifax Panthers |
24–20 | Whitehaven |
25 September 2021, 15:15 | The MBi Shay | Chris Kendall | 1,289 |
| Batley Bulldogs |
23–10 | Bradford Bulls |
25 September 2021, 17:30 | Fox's Biscuits Stadium | James Child | 2,005 |
| Semi-finals | ||||||
| Toulouse Olympique |
51–12 | Batley Bulldogs |
2 October 2021, 15:15 | Stade Ernest-Wallon | Liam Moore | 6,871 |
| Featherstone Rovers |
42–10 | Halifax Panthers |
2 October 2021, 17:30 | Millennium Stadium | Robert Hicks | 2,084 |
| Million Pound Game | ||||||
| Toulouse Olympique |
34–12 | Featherstone Rovers |
10 October 2021, 18:00 | Stade Ernest-Wallon | Robert Hicks | 9,235 |
Awards
The end of year awards for the 2021 Championship season were announced on 29 September 2021.[19]
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Betfred Championship Club of the Year | York City Knights |
| Betfred Championship Player of the Year |  Craig Hall (Featherstone Rovers) |
| Betfred Championship Young Player of the Year | Tyler Dupree (Oldham) |
| Betfred Championship Coach of the Year | Craig Lingard (Batley Bulldogs) |
| Our League Entertainer of the Year |  Lachlan Walmsley (Whitehaven) |
References
- "Easter return for the Betfred Championship". www.rugby-league.com. RFL. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- "Bulls to return to Odsal after RFL deal". BBC Sport. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- Gordon, James (5 November 2019). "Oldham confirm return to Bower Fold". Love Rugby League.
- "Sheffield Eagles to play at Keepmoat in 2021". www.rugby-league.com. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- Peter, Smith (11 March 2021). "Betfred Championship: RFL postpones part-time clubs' trips to Toulouse Olympique". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- "RFL sets out its policy on Toulouse Championship Participation". TotalRL.com. Total RL. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- Callum, Walker (8 April 2021). "RFL award Toulouse 24-0 win over London Broncos". Serious About Rugby League. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- McAllister, Josh (21 July 2021). "London Broncos handed points deduction after refusing to play Toulouse". LoveRugbyLeague. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- Darbyshire, Drew (4 June 2021). "Toulouse home match against Bradford cancelled due to restrictions". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- "Championship fixture called off due to COVID". Serious About Rugby League. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- Smith, Peter (3 August 2021). "Club should be setting an example: Why Rovers were punished for Covid breach". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- "Championship to adopt Super League play-off format for 2021 season". Sky Sports. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- "Toulouse home fixtures against Halifax and Batley cancelled". RFL. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- "Operational Rules Tribunal – Featherstone Rovers". RFL. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- "Operational Rules Tribunal – Featherstone Rovers". RFL. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- "Operational Rules Tribunal – London Broncos". RFL. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- "Operational Rules Tribunal – London Broncos". RFL. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- "Sky Sports to televise Betfred Championship Play-offs". www.rugby-league.com. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- "Betfred Championship and League 1 Awards – winners announced".
| Teams | |
|---|---|
| Seasons | |
| Results | |
| Major events | |
| Awards | |
| Related | |
