Try these hidden joys of the Championship

THERE has been plenty of flack flying about recently for rugby administrators as they struggle to find a way through the Covid maze but a hat tip to all concerned for keeping the faith and coming up with an attractive looking format for an abbreviated Championship which, touch wood, will get underway early in March, a year after the action ground to a halt.

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

The format is simple, as far as possible and all it needs now is a little luck with Covid issues. Two conferences of six based on last season’s finishing positions with a two-legged play-off between the two conference winners to decide the champions who then get promoted to the Premiership.

In a world in which the only certainty is the next Government U-turn nobody is counting their chickens but that seems workable and flexible, it could be moved back a few weeks more if needed without jeopardizing the ability to finish the competition.

Although the clubs haven’t given up yet on being able to welcome some sort of crowd back to their grounds, getting the fans in could still be a long shot given the vagaries of the Tier system.

The good news, though, is that there are plans for every game to be streamed. Give it a go, you will be surprised at the high quality of much of the action. If you can sit through the Autumn Nations Cup, the Championship will feel like a breath of fresh air.