Hartpury set to face Saracens when season gets started in March

HARTPURY are set to meet relegated Saracens in home and away games when the Greene King IPA Championship commences the 2020/21 season on the weekend of March 6.

Operating under the elite sport framework, the Greene King IPA Championship league will be split into two conferences.

Teams will play home and away within their conference producing 10 competition rounds, subsequent to which there will be a two leg play off final between the winner of each league to determine the team that will earn promotion to the Gallagher Premiership for the 2021/22 season.

The conferences will be determined by standings when the 2019/2020 season ended in March 2020 with Saracens taking the place of Newcastle Falcons and Richmond replacing Yorkshire Carnegie. Conference A: Saracens, Cornish Pirates, Ampthill, Jersey Reds, London Scottish, Hartpury University

Conference B: Ealing Trailfinders, Coventry, Nottingham, Bedford Blues, Doncaster Knights, Richmond

Given the possibility of no crowds being allowed for some of the season, and wishing to take Championship rugby to a wider audience, it is hoped to stream as many of the matches as possible.

As a result of Championship clubs having little or no income for the last nine months the majority do not have the financial ability to meet the costs of Covid testing required under the elite sport framework.

The clubs have, therefore, been in regular dialogue with the RFU to consider options and solutions to conclude the season.

The clubs have chosen not to return to play under adapted laws and the March start date allows time for clubs to gain clarity from Sport England regarding the Sport Winter Survival Package before starting pre-season training.

» CINDERFORD have been placed in Group Three of the National Clubs Association’s cup competition, due to start in February,

All 44 teams taking part in the tournament have learned their groups, which have been allocated based on geographical regions to reduce travel times for clubs.

All teams within a group will play each other twice in a home-and-away format before separating into a knock-out competition with the other regional groups.

Group 1: Blaydon, Darlington Mowden Park, Tynedale, Wharfedale, Harrogate

Group 2: Barnes, Chinnor, Esher, Henley Hawks, Rams RFC, Rosslyn Park

Group 3: Birmingham Moseley, Leicester Lions, Stourbridge, Luctonians, Cinderford, Hinckley, Loughborough Students.

Group 4: Blackheath, Canterbury, Old Elthamians, Tonbridge Juddians, Worthing Raiders

Group 5: Sale FC, Caldy, Chester, Fylde, Sedgley

Park

Group 6: Bishop’s Stortford, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Old Albanian, Westcliff

Group 7: Leeds Tykes, Huddersfield, Sheffield Tigers, Hull, Hull Ionians

Group 8: Plymouth Albion, Barnstaple, Redruth, Clifton, Dings Crusaders, Taunton