Ampthill is a small town in Bedfordshire located roughly halfway between Bedford to the north and Luton to the south. Although originally founded in the late 19th century, the club reformed as its current entity in 1950. They first gained a place in The Championship on 2019, having been crowned National League One champions in 2018/19. The club has performed solidly in that league since their promotion with respectable mid-table finishes and a highest position of 5th in the covid-abbreviated 2019/20 season. Ampthill play their home games at Dillingham Park with a capacity of 3000. Their nickname is "The Mob" - taken from the Ant Hill Mob of Wacky Races fame. 

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Postcode: MK45 2HX

Bedford Rugby Club was formed in 1886. They have played at Goldington Road in almost uninterrupted fashion ever since. When the game turned professional in 1996 they were placed in the second tier of the RFU leagues. Apart from a brief dalliance with Premiership rugby between 1998 & 2000 they have been an ever-present at that level since. With a strong finish to the end of last season, Bedford were runners-up to Ealing, reaching their highest league position since 2012. Goldington Road has one of the largest capacities in The Champ at 5000. Warriors supporters helped fill the ground when winning The Champ in 2026/27

 

Postcode: MK40 3NF

Founded in 1858 by former pupils of the local Proprietary School, Blackheath is the one of the world's oldest rugby clubs still in continuous existence. The club hosted the first ever rugby international between England and Wales in 1881, as part of the Home Nations Series. The Welsh were humiliated conceding 13 tries  and scoring none in a game which would have been scored 82-0 in modern times. Shouts of "Come on Club" arose from the need to differentiate between the current poupils of Blackheath Proprietary school when the two teams met. The move away from their traditional Rectory Field ground was made in 2016 and they now play at The Utilita in Eltham.

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​Postcode: SE9 6TE

Caldy Rugby Club is situated on the Wirral near Thurstaton. They play at Paton Field stadium on ground donated to the National Trust in 1926 by Sir Alfred Paton, a wealthy cotton merchant, on condition that at least one pitch be used for playing rugby in perpetuity. Caldy Sports club is also home to hockey and cricket clubs. The rugby club was promoted to The Championship in 2022 as National League One champions; their best season to date was 2022/23 when they finished 10th with 7 league wins. Caldy RFC are known as "The Ravers", a recently acquired nickname originating from the First XV's penchant for partying. Paton Field has a capacity of 4000. Former famously "homeless" Warrior Ollie Wynn is amongst their first team squad.

 

Postcode: CH48 1NZ

Chinnor Rugby club is actually located just outside the Oxfordshire town of Thame, 4 miles from Chinnor itself. The club began life in 1962, formed at The Bird in Hand public house by three regulars, initially playing their games on Whites Field across the road. The club crest is based on the original pub sign which now hangs behind the Members' Bar in their new club-house. Sadly the pub itself closed in 2000 but lives on as the name of the rugby club's marquee. In a nod to their village roots the team is known locally as "The Villagers". Chinnor RFC moved to their current ground Kingsey Road in 1973 and now boasts a capacity of 2500. They were the most recent addition to The Championship in 2024 and had a season to be proud of, finishing a very respectable 10th with 7 wins. After a brief stint as forwards and defence coach at Sixways in 2022, Nick Easter joined Chinnor as their Director of Rugby, guiding the team to promotion from National League One. Chinnor finished 5th in last season's Champ doing the league double over Warriors.

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Postcode: OX9 3JL

Cornish Pirates was the First Team of Penzance and Newlyn RFC until July 2025 when the two clubs decided to de-merge. Locally they are known as "An Vorladron Gernewek" to those who speak the Cornish language. Mennaye Field in Penzance has been the club's home since the 1940s although there were short sojourns in Truro and then Camborne between 2005 and 2010. Pirates have been one of the most consistent teams in rugby's second tier, finishing in the top 5 in each of the last 8 seasons, securing runners-up position in 2023/24. They won the inaugural Britsh & Irish Cup in 2009/10. The Mennaye has a capacity of 4000 with 2200 seats. Sir Richard "Dicky" Evans has been a long-term benefactor of the club but in 2022 announced his intention to stand down in 2024; the club has been taken over by a consortium of local businessmen. New signings for 2026/27 include ex-Warrior Jack Forsythe from Exeter Chiefs.

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Postcode TR18 4LY

Coventry Rugby Club is arguably one of the most famous and respected clubs in English rugby. In the 1960s and 1970s the club was blessed with many internationals including Geoff Evans, Fran Cotton and David Duckham; they won the RFU knockout cup in consecutive seasons 1972 & 1973 and forged a fierce rivalry with neighbours Moseley RFC. With history on their side Coventry was one of the founder members of the RFU's League Division One in 1987 but only managed to keep their place in the top tier for one season. After financial difficulties in the late 1990s, the club had a prolonged spell in Tier 3 before finally gaining promotion back to the Championship in 2017. After a strong start to last season they eventually finished 5th having been 3rd in the two previous seasons. Home for the "Blue and Whites" since 2004 is the Butts Park Arena with a capacity of 5200. Famous ex-Warriors to pull on the Coventry jersey include Matt Kvesic, Andy Goode and Shaun Perry.

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Postcode: CV1 3GE

Doncaster RFC, as they were previously known, worked their way up the RFU ladder attaining National One league status in 2005/6. The following year the club rebranded with the addition of the Knights moniker. In 2009 they reached The Championship and have been an ever-present since, besides a single year in Nat One in 2013/14 when they immediately bounced back as Champions. Doncaster have been runners-up in The Championship twice, most recently in 2021/22 when they finished second to Ealing Trailfinders despite having a superior win ratio. Home to the Knights is Castle Park, as the Armthorpe Road stadium has been known since 2000, having a capacity of around 5200 with 1650 of those seated in the impressive De Mulder-Lloyd stand. Worcester prevailed 35-5 in the final of the British & Irish Cup against Doncaster Knights in 2014/5 with current Warrior Tiff Eden starting at Fly-Half. Fans of The Blues Brothers will be delighted to see that prop Jake Ellwood has joined for 2026/27 from Cambridge.

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Postcode: DN2 5QB

Ealing Rugby Football Club has a history dating back to 1869 but, despite an impressive contemporaneous record, was not one of the 21 founding members of the RFU, formed by other London clubs in 1871. Ealing played in the London & National South leagues until moving to the newly formed Trailfinders Sportsclub, an 18 acre multi-sport facility developed by Mike Gooley, founder of Tralfinders travel company, in the late 1990s. The club moved steadily up the leagues and first reached The Championship in 2013, only to be relegated in their first season. They immediately returned to The Championship for the 2015/16 season and have remained in the second tier since then. Ealing have been crowned champions for 2 out of the last 3 seasons but have been deemed ineligible for promotion to the Premiership as their ground capacity is only 5000. In 2025/26 Ealing had an unbeaten league season, despite some very close games. Unfortunately (for them) they could not keep that record going during the play-offs, losing narrowly at home to Worcester Warriors in the semi-final.

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Postcode W13 0DD

Hartpury are one of the youngest teams in the RFU leagues let alone in the second tier. They were founded in 2004; their precursor Hartpury College Rugby Academy being born four years earlier but competing in the BUCS league. Having lost their first ever match in the 11th tier, Gloucester Three North, the team didn't lose again for 5 years. In 2016/17 they won all 30 matches in National One with 28 TBPs, finishing with a remarkable 148 points and a points difference of +923. The club has now progressed to become a solid mid-table team in the second tier with a highest finish of 5th in 2023/24. Their home games are played at Hartpury Stadium (officially the "4ED Hartpury Stadium, with Vodafone") with a capacity of 2000 including seating for 450 in the main stand. With their close links to Gloucester rugby, Hartpury have an impressive array of club alumni including Jonny May, Alex Cuthbert, Charlie Sharples and former Warrior and trailblazer for deaf athletes Mat Gilbert.

 

Postcode GL19 3BE

Nottingham is another old and venerated club dating back to 1877. Their traditional home ground was at Ireland Avenue, Beeston where they played for over a century until an enforced move in 2004. Like many historic sports-grounds the site was sold for housing with Nottingham initially ground-sharing with Notts County but latterly moving to their current home at Lady Bay which holds 3700 supporters. The club's heyday was in the mid-to-late 1980s when their first team was blessed with household names like Rob Andrew, Brian Moore, Simon Hodgkinson, Gary Rees, Chris Oti, Chris Gray and Neil Back. Nottingham have been an integral part of the RFU Championship for over a decade with their chairman Alistair Bow being a fierce supporter of the second tier competition. Bow has enjoyed a long successful career in the Construction Industry and there is no suggestion that he was attracted to Nottingham Rugby Club solely because of their logo and nickname "The Archers." Warriors have recruited two players, James Cherry and Jack Dickinson from Nottingham for the coming season.

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Postcode NG2 5AA

Formed in 1861, it is the second oldest rugby club still in existence, the oldest being Blackheath FC (1858). Richmond V Blackheath was the first ever inter-club rugby match, taking place in 1864 and both clubs were founder members of the RFU in 1871. Richmond boast a host of other "firsts" including: the first ever floodlit match in 1878; competing against the first ever All Blacks touring team in 1906; playing in the first match at Twickenham in 1909 and becoming one of the first professional teams in 1996. The club is one of the largest in the UK with over 2700 members. The professional club hit financial difficulties in the late 1990s and, following administration, was merged, along with London Scottish, into the London Irish club. Richmond amateur club reformed for the 2000/01 season, starting at Level 9 of the RFU pyramid. Over the last ten years they have yo-yoed between National League One and The Championship and will join The Champ this season having been crowned Champions of National One in April 2025. Richmond Atheltic Ground, with a capacity of 4500 including 1000 seats, has been home since 1889. Warriors' most-capped player ever, Craig Gillies, was a player at Richmond in the late nineties. Richmond maintained their Champ status by beating RAG tenants London Scottish in last season's relegation play-off semi-final.

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Postcode TW9 2SF

Rotherham finished 4 points clear at the top of National League One in 2025/26 to win automatic promotion to The Champ. The club only entered the RFU league structure in 1987 but with a succession of back-to-back promotions reached Tier 2 in 1996. Fierce rivalries with both Bedford and Worcester were kindled in the following few years with Rotherham gaining promotion to the Premiership for single seasons in 2000 and 2003. They have played at their home-ground of Clifton Lane (capacity 2500) since the 1930s, bar their second season in the Premiership in 2003/4. Notable former players include David Strettle, Kevin Maggs, and Hendrie Fourie.

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Postcode S60 2SN

Worcester RFC was founded by Reverend Francis Eld in 1871, playing their first match against the Royal Artillery Rugby Club at Pitchcroft on ground enclosed by Worcester racecourse. The club had various homes across the city including a twenty year spell in Bevere before moving to their current home at Sixways in 1975. At the advent of the RFU league system in 1987, Worcester RFC were placed in Level 8 of the pyramid. With the input of Cecil Duckworth CBE from 1996 onwards, and a re-named first team, Worcester "Warriors" climbed rapidly up the leagues and were promoted to the top tier with a perfect 26/26 winning season in 2003/04. Warriors have struggled in the lower echelons of the Premiership since then and have twice been relegated back down to The Championship, bouncing straight back each time. The 2021/22 season saw the men’s side win the Premiership Cup for the first time, but the club faced financial difficulties soon after. By 2022, the club was suspended from the Premiership and ultimately removed from the league. Efforts to return for the 2023-24 season faltered as prospective buyers failed to meet conditions, leaving the club's future uncertain. New owners Junction 6 Limited took control of the business and assets of Sixways Stadium and Worcester Warriors in April 2024. Following a gruelling application process it was announced on 3rd April 2025 that Worcester Warriors had been granted a place in the new RFU Tier 2 league, Champ Rugby. Sixways currently has a capacity of around 9500 but with proposed development could reach 12,750 within a few years. Warriors unexpectedly were crowned 2025/26 Champ champions defeating Chinnor, Ealing and Bedford in the play-offs, despite finishing just 4th in regular season.

 

Postcode WR3 8ZE