THE TOP TIER of the English club game, Prem Rugby, isn’t the only league that has opted for a trimming of its name. Champ Rugby has also rebranded, although the second division has expanded in a more significant way. There are two more clubs this season, making it a 14-team competition.
Worcester, who have been relaunched after going bust in 2022, are one of the two new clubs to join the league and their return adds intrigue. The other fresh faces are a familiar, proud club in Richmond, winners of Nat 1 last season.
It will be easier than ever to track this season’s Champ. For the first time, every single game will be broadcast. That’s thanks to a new deal with Clubber TV, the Irish streaming platform known mainly for GAA coverage until now.
With potential promotion to the Prem seemingly back on the cards, as well as relegation to National League 1, this seems like a huge season for the Champ. Yet doubts remain whether the promotion will actually happen. The Champ clubs will believe it when they see it.
But still, following a couple of years when it faded from the limelight, there are many reasons to follow the Champ more closely than ever.
As ever, a group of Irishmen will have an influence on the league, with the Champ home to players who have came through all four of the provinces.
The 2025/26 season kicked off last night with Doncaster Knights, who finished third last season, suffering a 26-8 defeat away to Nottingham.
25-year-old centre Zach Kerr was in midfield as he got his second season with Doncaster underway. A product of Bangor Grammar School, the Ulster man had a stint in New Zealand before going to Newcastle University, where he was spotted by Newcastle Falcons, going on to play for them 17 times in the Prem, Challenge Cup, and Prem Cup.
Playing at 12 and 13, Kerr made a big impact last season for Doncaster, whose consultant director of rugby is Lions legend Ian McGeechan.
Scrum-half Will Wootton, who played for the Ireland U20s this year, also featured for the Knights last night, scoring a try on debut off the bench. Wootton, the younger brother of former Munster and Connacht wing Alex, is on loan at Doncaster from Sale Sharks.
Former Connacht man Peter Sullivan has joined Coventry. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
There’s a busy schedule of Champ action today, with the returning Worcester at home against Coventry at 2pm on what promises to be an emotional occasion for their fans.
Former Connacht wing Peter Sullivan will be part of Coventry’s bid to win on the road, with the 27-year-old having joined after impressing once again for Lansdowne in the AIL last season.
Ireland U20 and 7s international Sullivan impressed for Connacht across 21 appearances between 2020 and 2022, having initially joined on a trial basis. He signed for Jersey Reds in 2023, but the Champ club soon went into liquidation. Now, Sullivan will be eager to make a big impact in his second shot at life in the English second tier.
As reported by the Telegraph, Coventry were the subject of a possible takeover by American investors but that is said to have collapsed due to the lack of clarity over the possibility of promotion to the Premiership.
Ex-Ireland U20 and Munster centre Oli Morris established himself in the Coventry midfield last season. The 26-year-old former Saracens and Worcester man qualifies for Ireland through his grandmother.
24-year-old fullback Tom Bacon is another Irish-qualified player in the Coventry ranks, having returned to England after a stint in Australia’s Shute Shield. Bacon, who came through the Wasps academy, played for the Ireland U18 Clubs and Schools in 2018 alongside the likes of Shane Jennings, Darragh Murray, and Mark Donnelly.
Cornish Pirates, who host Hartpury today, will have a notable Irish influence this season, including from James French, the 26-year-old tighthead prop who came through in his native Munster before spending a season with Ulster and then joining the Pirates in 2024.
Bandon man French, who also had a stint with Randwick in Australia, was a key figure as the Pirates finished fourth in the Champ last season. He is not involved today.
23-year-old loosehead prop Alessandro Heaney, an Ireland Clubs international and Cork Con man, will be aiming to impress in the front row. A graduate of Astrophysics at UCC, Healy is also US-qualified and played for RFC Los Angeles in Major League Rugby last season. He is on the bench against Hartpury.
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Alessandro Heaney in action for Cork Con. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Also part of the Pirates set-up are assistant coach Joe Walsh and performance analyst Sam Cahill.
Walsh was only 24 when the club appointed him as an assistant in 2024. He had built experience working in various roles across Irish schools and youths rugby, including with Leinster underage teams, Barnhall, Buccaneers, King’s Hospital, and Catholic University School, as well as being an analyst for the Poland national team.
Kildare man Cahill previously played for hometown club Naas in the AIL, as well as featuring for the Munster development team. He also joined Cornish Pirates in 2024.
London Scottish begin their campaign away to Caldy, with scrum-half Stephen Kerins - who isn’t involved today -into his third season with Scottish.
29-year-old Sligo man Kerins came through with his native Connacht, playing for the province 11 times before a loan spell with Bristol and then stints at Ealing and Richmond.
Ex-Lansdowne tighthead prop Ntinga Mpiko, a native of South Africa who grew up in Ireland and came through the King’s Hospital School and played for Ireland Students, will be bringing power off the bench for London Scottish today, having joined last season after playing for Richmond.
Irish-qualified back row Jack Ingall is a London Scottish stalwart and starts at openside against Caldy.
Cambridge are at home to Ampthill today, with their front row stocks having been boosted by the arrival of former Ulster academy man Jack Boal, who recently finished a stint playing in Australia with the University of Queensland and lines up on the bench today.
22-year-old prop Boal, who can play loosehead or tighthead, was capped by the Ireland U19 team and hopes to earn a return to Irish rugby at some stage.
Richmond will have a few Irishmen driving their bid to build on last season’s Nat 1 success, with back row Sam Pim having been a key part of their promotion after joining from the AIL’s Old Wesley.
Sam Pim playing for Old Wesley in 2023. Leah Scholes / INPHO
Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO
Number eight Pim, who has also enjoyed success in Hong Kong and Australian club rugby, was Richmond’s players’ player of the season and was named in the Nat 1 team of the year.
Former Terenure College club and school man Sam Dardis is another important player who helped Richmond to promotion, impressing in the midfield.
Dardis – whose older brother Billy was the Ireland 7s captain – played for the Ireland U18s in 2016 alongside players like Craig Casey, Harry Byrne, John Hodnett, and Scott Penny.
Sligo native Donnacha Byrne is a new signing for Richmond, joining from Garryowen in the AIL. Back row Byrne played for the Ireland U20s in 2021 and then came through the Connacht academy without getting a senior cap.
Byrne had a spell with Brazilian side Cobras in Super Rugby Americas in 2023, the connection there being former Sligo RFC director of rugby Josh Reeves, now technical director for Brasil Rugby.
Experienced Irish-qualified wing Alex O’Meara, who once spent a pre-season with Connacht, was also part of the Richmond effort to earn their place in the Champ and has scored lots of tries at this level in the past.
Hooker Callum Torpey is Irish-qualified and has previously played for the Connacht Eagles and Ireland U18 Clubs and Schools.
Pim, Dardis, O’Meara, and Torpey are missing for today’s clash with Chinnor, but Byrne has been included on the bench.
Former Ulster academy tighthead prop Cameron Doak, younger brother of Nathan, is on loan at Chinnor, having joined the Harlequins academy ahead of this season. 21-year-old Doak, who can play on both sides of the front row, was with Chinnor at the end of last season after leaving his native Ulster.
Wicklow RFC man Luke Thompson is a new signing for Chinnor. The 25-year-old hooker, who featured in the AIL with Lansdowne and has also had a stint playing in New Zealand club rugby, was with Champ side Ampthill last season but has made the move to Chinnor in Oxfordshire. He isn’t part of today’s matchday 23.
The most exciting fixture of the weekend is Saturday afternoon’s clash between Ealing, last season’s champions, and Bedford, who finished second [KO 4pm].
Oisin Heffernan during his time with Leinster. Oisin Keniry / INPHO
Oisin Keniry / INPHO / INPHO
The Bedford Blues are at home for this opening battle and will once again be leaning on some Irish power in the front row as both Joey Conway and Oisin Heffernan on board once again.
30-year-old Clifden man Heffernan first broke into professional rugby with Leinster after playing for the Ireland U20s. The tighthead had a stint in Australia before signing for Nottingham and earning a move to Premiership side Northampton. After three seasons with the Saints, Heffernan joined Bedford in 2023.
27-year-old looshead Conway first joined Bedford in 2021 and has played for the Blues more than 100 times. The Limerick man came through the Munster academy and played for the Ireland U20s, as well as starring for UL Bohemians in the AIL.
Irish-qualified scrum-half James Lennon was part of an Ireland U20s squad in 2016 alongside Caelan Doris, Gavin Coombes, Jordan Larmour, and Calvin Nash, while he also spent time with the Munster academy during that period.
Heffernan starts today, while Lennon is on the bench, but Conway is absent.
And last but certainly not least when it comes to their Irish contingent, Ealing will be eager to kick off their title defence with a bang away to Bedford.
26-year-old former Ulster wing Angus Kernohan, who first joined the club in 2020 has been appointed as club captain in Ealing ahead of this season. He had two seasons with the Ireland U20s in 2018 and 2019, winning a Grand Slam in the second campaign, before going on to win more than 20 senior caps for Ulster.
Kernohan has been a prolific finisher since making the move over to London and bagged 11 tries in 22 starts last season as he co-captained the Trailfinders. Now, he steps up as the outright skipper.
There are two new Irish signings in Ealing this season, with experienced centre Rory Scannell joining after exiting his native Munster and grizzled openside flanker Conor Oliver coming on board after leaving Connacht.
Patrick Campbell has joined Ealing from Munster. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
31-year-old Scannell brings more than 200 appearances worth of experience from Munster, as well as three Ireland caps, while 30-year-old Oliver has plenty of experience from his time in the Connacht and Munster back rows. They are two high-calibre signings for an Ealing squad that already had plenty of quality.
23-year-old Cork man Patrick Campbell is another new addition from Ireland, joining after making 12 appearances at fullback and on the wing for Munster. Campbell excelled for the Ireland U20s in 2022 and there were high hopes for him within his native province, but injury issues hindered his progress. Campbell will look to kick on in Ealing.
25-year-old hooker Scott Buckley will be a familiar face for Campbell, with the former Munster man having joined Ealing in February, initially on loan from the Irish province. The Cork man, who played for Munster 27 times, did enough to earn a permanent contract with the Trailfinders.
27-year-old scrum-half Michael Stronge is heading into his second season with Ealing, having previously been a stalwart for Nottingham. The Ballymena man was once part of the Ulster academy, playing for Ulster A and the Ireland 7s team before moving to England.
Oliver has been named skipper on his Ealing debut, club captain Kernohan is on the right wing, and Buckley and Scannell are on the bench.
It should be a cracker between Bedford and Ealing to round off the opening weekend of the Champ.
- This article was updated at 6.34pm on 4 October to include a mention of Cameron Doak being on loan to Chinnor.
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Irish influence strong as new season of the Champ gets rolling
THE TOP TIER of the English club game, Prem Rugby, isn’t the only league that has opted for a trimming of its name. Champ Rugby has also rebranded, although the second division has expanded in a more significant way. There are two more clubs this season, making it a 14-team competition.
Worcester, who have been relaunched after going bust in 2022, are one of the two new clubs to join the league and their return adds intrigue. The other fresh faces are a familiar, proud club in Richmond, winners of Nat 1 last season.
It will be easier than ever to track this season’s Champ. For the first time, every single game will be broadcast. That’s thanks to a new deal with Clubber TV, the Irish streaming platform known mainly for GAA coverage until now.
With potential promotion to the Prem seemingly back on the cards, as well as relegation to National League 1, this seems like a huge season for the Champ. Yet doubts remain whether the promotion will actually happen. The Champ clubs will believe it when they see it.
But still, following a couple of years when it faded from the limelight, there are many reasons to follow the Champ more closely than ever.
As ever, a group of Irishmen will have an influence on the league, with the Champ home to players who have came through all four of the provinces.
The 2025/26 season kicked off last night with Doncaster Knights, who finished third last season, suffering a 26-8 defeat away to Nottingham.
25-year-old centre Zach Kerr was in midfield as he got his second season with Doncaster underway. A product of Bangor Grammar School, the Ulster man had a stint in New Zealand before going to Newcastle University, where he was spotted by Newcastle Falcons, going on to play for them 17 times in the Prem, Challenge Cup, and Prem Cup.
Playing at 12 and 13, Kerr made a big impact last season for Doncaster, whose consultant director of rugby is Lions legend Ian McGeechan.
Scrum-half Will Wootton, who played for the Ireland U20s this year, also featured for the Knights last night, scoring a try on debut off the bench. Wootton, the younger brother of former Munster and Connacht wing Alex, is on loan at Doncaster from Sale Sharks.
There’s a busy schedule of Champ action today, with the returning Worcester at home against Coventry at 2pm on what promises to be an emotional occasion for their fans.
Former Connacht wing Peter Sullivan will be part of Coventry’s bid to win on the road, with the 27-year-old having joined after impressing once again for Lansdowne in the AIL last season.
Ireland U20 and 7s international Sullivan impressed for Connacht across 21 appearances between 2020 and 2022, having initially joined on a trial basis. He signed for Jersey Reds in 2023, but the Champ club soon went into liquidation. Now, Sullivan will be eager to make a big impact in his second shot at life in the English second tier.
As reported by the Telegraph, Coventry were the subject of a possible takeover by American investors but that is said to have collapsed due to the lack of clarity over the possibility of promotion to the Premiership.
Ex-Ireland U20 and Munster centre Oli Morris established himself in the Coventry midfield last season. The 26-year-old former Saracens and Worcester man qualifies for Ireland through his grandmother.
24-year-old fullback Tom Bacon is another Irish-qualified player in the Coventry ranks, having returned to England after a stint in Australia’s Shute Shield. Bacon, who came through the Wasps academy, played for the Ireland U18 Clubs and Schools in 2018 alongside the likes of Shane Jennings, Darragh Murray, and Mark Donnelly.
Cornish Pirates, who host Hartpury today, will have a notable Irish influence this season, including from James French, the 26-year-old tighthead prop who came through in his native Munster before spending a season with Ulster and then joining the Pirates in 2024.
Bandon man French, who also had a stint with Randwick in Australia, was a key figure as the Pirates finished fourth in the Champ last season. He is not involved today.
23-year-old loosehead prop Alessandro Heaney, an Ireland Clubs international and Cork Con man, will be aiming to impress in the front row. A graduate of Astrophysics at UCC, Healy is also US-qualified and played for RFC Los Angeles in Major League Rugby last season. He is on the bench against Hartpury.
Also part of the Pirates set-up are assistant coach Joe Walsh and performance analyst Sam Cahill.
Walsh was only 24 when the club appointed him as an assistant in 2024. He had built experience working in various roles across Irish schools and youths rugby, including with Leinster underage teams, Barnhall, Buccaneers, King’s Hospital, and Catholic University School, as well as being an analyst for the Poland national team.
Kildare man Cahill previously played for hometown club Naas in the AIL, as well as featuring for the Munster development team. He also joined Cornish Pirates in 2024.
London Scottish begin their campaign away to Caldy, with scrum-half Stephen Kerins - who isn’t involved today - into his third season with Scottish.
29-year-old Sligo man Kerins came through with his native Connacht, playing for the province 11 times before a loan spell with Bristol and then stints at Ealing and Richmond.
Ex-Lansdowne tighthead prop Ntinga Mpiko, a native of South Africa who grew up in Ireland and came through the King’s Hospital School and played for Ireland Students, will be bringing power off the bench for London Scottish today, having joined last season after playing for Richmond.
Irish-qualified back row Jack Ingall is a London Scottish stalwart and starts at openside against Caldy.
Cambridge are at home to Ampthill today, with their front row stocks having been boosted by the arrival of former Ulster academy man Jack Boal, who recently finished a stint playing in Australia with the University of Queensland and lines up on the bench today.
22-year-old prop Boal, who can play loosehead or tighthead, was capped by the Ireland U19 team and hopes to earn a return to Irish rugby at some stage.
Richmond will have a few Irishmen driving their bid to build on last season’s Nat 1 success, with back row Sam Pim having been a key part of their promotion after joining from the AIL’s Old Wesley.
Number eight Pim, who has also enjoyed success in Hong Kong and Australian club rugby, was Richmond’s players’ player of the season and was named in the Nat 1 team of the year.
Former Terenure College club and school man Sam Dardis is another important player who helped Richmond to promotion, impressing in the midfield.
Dardis – whose older brother Billy was the Ireland 7s captain – played for the Ireland U18s in 2016 alongside players like Craig Casey, Harry Byrne, John Hodnett, and Scott Penny.
Sligo native Donnacha Byrne is a new signing for Richmond, joining from Garryowen in the AIL. Back row Byrne played for the Ireland U20s in 2021 and then came through the Connacht academy without getting a senior cap.
Byrne had a spell with Brazilian side Cobras in Super Rugby Americas in 2023, the connection there being former Sligo RFC director of rugby Josh Reeves, now technical director for Brasil Rugby.
Experienced Irish-qualified wing Alex O’Meara, who once spent a pre-season with Connacht, was also part of the Richmond effort to earn their place in the Champ and has scored lots of tries at this level in the past.
Hooker Callum Torpey is Irish-qualified and has previously played for the Connacht Eagles and Ireland U18 Clubs and Schools.
Pim, Dardis, O’Meara, and Torpey are missing for today’s clash with Chinnor, but Byrne has been included on the bench.
Former Ulster academy tighthead prop Cameron Doak, younger brother of Nathan, is on loan at Chinnor, having joined the Harlequins academy ahead of this season. 21-year-old Doak, who can play on both sides of the front row, was with Chinnor at the end of last season after leaving his native Ulster.
Wicklow RFC man Luke Thompson is a new signing for Chinnor. The 25-year-old hooker, who featured in the AIL with Lansdowne and has also had a stint playing in New Zealand club rugby, was with Champ side Ampthill last season but has made the move to Chinnor in Oxfordshire. He isn’t part of today’s matchday 23.
The most exciting fixture of the weekend is Saturday afternoon’s clash between Ealing, last season’s champions, and Bedford, who finished second [KO 4pm].
The Bedford Blues are at home for this opening battle and will once again be leaning on some Irish power in the front row as both Joey Conway and Oisin Heffernan on board once again.
30-year-old Clifden man Heffernan first broke into professional rugby with Leinster after playing for the Ireland U20s. The tighthead had a stint in Australia before signing for Nottingham and earning a move to Premiership side Northampton. After three seasons with the Saints, Heffernan joined Bedford in 2023.
27-year-old looshead Conway first joined Bedford in 2021 and has played for the Blues more than 100 times. The Limerick man came through the Munster academy and played for the Ireland U20s, as well as starring for UL Bohemians in the AIL.
Irish-qualified scrum-half James Lennon was part of an Ireland U20s squad in 2016 alongside Caelan Doris, Gavin Coombes, Jordan Larmour, and Calvin Nash, while he also spent time with the Munster academy during that period.
Heffernan starts today, while Lennon is on the bench, but Conway is absent.
And last but certainly not least when it comes to their Irish contingent, Ealing will be eager to kick off their title defence with a bang away to Bedford.
26-year-old former Ulster wing Angus Kernohan, who first joined the club in 2020 has been appointed as club captain in Ealing ahead of this season. He had two seasons with the Ireland U20s in 2018 and 2019, winning a Grand Slam in the second campaign, before going on to win more than 20 senior caps for Ulster.
Kernohan has been a prolific finisher since making the move over to London and bagged 11 tries in 22 starts last season as he co-captained the Trailfinders. Now, he steps up as the outright skipper.
There are two new Irish signings in Ealing this season, with experienced centre Rory Scannell joining after exiting his native Munster and grizzled openside flanker Conor Oliver coming on board after leaving Connacht.
31-year-old Scannell brings more than 200 appearances worth of experience from Munster, as well as three Ireland caps, while 30-year-old Oliver has plenty of experience from his time in the Connacht and Munster back rows. They are two high-calibre signings for an Ealing squad that already had plenty of quality.
23-year-old Cork man Patrick Campbell is another new addition from Ireland, joining after making 12 appearances at fullback and on the wing for Munster. Campbell excelled for the Ireland U20s in 2022 and there were high hopes for him within his native province, but injury issues hindered his progress. Campbell will look to kick on in Ealing.
25-year-old hooker Scott Buckley will be a familiar face for Campbell, with the former Munster man having joined Ealing in February, initially on loan from the Irish province. The Cork man, who played for Munster 27 times, did enough to earn a permanent contract with the Trailfinders.
27-year-old scrum-half Michael Stronge is heading into his second season with Ealing, having previously been a stalwart for Nottingham. The Ballymena man was once part of the Ulster academy, playing for Ulster A and the Ireland 7s team before moving to England.
Oliver has been named skipper on his Ealing debut, club captain Kernohan is on the right wing, and Buckley and Scannell are on the bench.
It should be a cracker between Bedford and Ealing to round off the opening weekend of the Champ.
- This article was updated at 6.34pm on 4 October to include a mention of Cameron Doak being on loan to Chinnor.
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Championship Irish Abroad promotion second tier