Jersey Reds win historic title
Jersey Reds beat Ampthill 43-15 at The Stade Santander to clinch a maiden Championship title.
[photo credit Sue Armes Photography]
Jersey Reds recorded the greatest achievement in the club's history on Saturday, with a victory against Ampthill that saw the Channel Islanders become champions of the English second tier for the first time.
Ampthill started brightly and took the lead inside two minutes, but from there on the Reds never looked like wavering from the task at hand: a win of any kind to secure the 2022/23 Championship title. The achievement becomes even more remarkable when you consider that the club were competing in London South West Division 3 not so long ago, and yesterday's landmark marks the crowning moment of a 15-year journey through the English league system.
Elsewhere, the relegation battle between London Scottish and Richmond was all but decided on Friday night at Lady Bay, where The Exiles clinched a 19-20 win against Nottingham. Richmond put in a brave performance against Cornish Pirates on Saturday, but a 29-34 defeat at The RAG saw Rob Powell's side relegated to National 1 for the 2023/24 season. Cambridge will take Richmond's place in The Championship, after topping National 1 with a thumping win over Birmingham Moseley, in what turned out to be a dramatic season ending in the third tier.
Elsewhere in The Championship, runners-up Ealing Trailfinders beat Doncaster Knights at Castle Park, third-placed Coventry sealed an impressive season with a bonus-point victory against third-placed Bedford Blues, and Hartpury climbed to seventh with a win against Caldy.
Stay tuned on Wednesday at 19:00 BST for the weekly Championship highlights show, featuring the best of the action from the final round of the season, on @ChampRugby Twitter and Instagram, as well as on the England Rugby YouTube channel.