The Scottish Championship Leagues (known as the RBS Championship Leagues for sponsorship reasons) formed the third tier in the Scottish rugby union system for amateur rugby union clubs in Scotland between 2012 and 2014.
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Ceased | 2014 |
| Replaced by | National League Division Two and National League Division Three |
| No. of teams | 20 (2 leagues) |
| Country |  Scotland |
| Last champion(s) | Marr RFC and Jed-Forest RFC |
History
editThe Championship Leagues were created for the 2012/13 season as part of a reconstruction which reduced the number of fully nationwide leagues from six to just two.[1] A pyramid structure was implemented which saw the Championship Leagues sit between the National and Regional Leagues. The 20 teams were divided into Championship Leagues A and B along approximate east/west geographical lines.
At the 2013 Scottish Rugby Union AGM, a motion was successfully put forward by Haddington RFC and seconded by Selkirk RFC which called for the leagues to be restructured into three nationalised 12 team leagues below the Premiership.[2][3] This meant the Championship Leagues would be replaced by National Leagues Divisions Two and Three.
Promotion and Relegation
editThe winners of both Championship A and B gained promotion at the end of the season to the National League. The bottom placed team in both Championship A and B were relegated to the appropriate Regional League. A third team was relegated in 2012/13 via a play-off between the 9th-placed team in each League.
In 2013/14 the play-off was scrapped along with relegation to the Regional Leagues. Teams finishing 2nd to 7th moved into National League Division Two, while the remaining three teams in each Championship League were joined by six the Regional Leagues to form National League Division Three.
Winners
edit| Season | Championship League A | Championship League B |
|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | GHA RFC [1] | Peebles RFC [2] |
| 2013-14 | Marr RFC [3] | Jed-Forest RFC [4] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Scottish Rugby Council Season Structure Working Party Report" (PDF). Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- ^ "SCOTTISH RUGBY UNION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2013 MOTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- ^ "Scottish Rugby Union - Minutes of AGM 2013" (PDF). Retrieved 19 August 2015.