# 2020 RFL Championship

The 2020 Rugby Football League Championship is a rugby league football competition played primarily in England but including a team from France. It is the second tier of the three tiers of professional rugby league in England, below Super League and above League 1. Following rule changes agreed at the end of the 2018 season, the Super 8's format was abandoned and the Championship was to have featured a play-off system leading to promotion to Super League for one club while results during the regular season would have led to relegation to League 1 for two teams.
The 2020 Championship comprised 14 teams, which all played one another twice in the regular season, once at home and once away, totalling 26 games. The 2020 season would also have featured the "Summer Bash Weekend" for a sixth time so the regular season totals 27 games for each team.
On 16 March the structure and timing of the competition were placed in doubt as all rugby league games were suspended until 3 April at least as part of the United Kingdom's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension of the season was extended to indefinite.
A discussion between the RFL and club officials in May saw a majority of the Championship clubs reject a suggestion that the season could recommence with games being played behind closed doors. The RFL board met on 20 July and having consulted with the clubs decided to abandon the 2020 season as the majority of clubs did not support playing behind closed doors. The RFL also confirmed that there would be no promotion or relegation between the Championship and Super League in 2020 and the season was declared null and void.

## Teams

The Championship is made up of 14 teams, 11 of whom featured in the 2019 Championship; one, London Broncos, who were relegated from Super League; and two, Whitehaven and Oldham, who won promotion from League 1 in 2019. At the end of the 2019 season Bradford Bulls moved out of their Odsal ground and for 2020 agreed a ground share deal with Dewsbury Rams at the Rams' Tetley's Stadium.
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Location |
| Batley Bulldogs | Fox's Biscuits Stadium | 7,500 | Batley, West Yorkshire |
| Bradford Bulls | Tetley's Stadium | 5,800 | Dewsbury, West Yorkshire |
| Dewsbury Rams | Tetley's Stadium | 5,800 | Dewsbury, West Yorkshire |
| Featherstone Rovers | LD Nutrition Stadium | 8,000 | Featherstone, West Yorkshire |
| Halifax | The MBi Shay | 14,000 | Halifax, West Yorkshire |
| Leigh Centurions | Leigh Sports Village | 12,000 | Leigh, Greater Manchester |
| London Broncos | Trailfinders Sports Ground | 4,000 | Ealing, London |
| Oldham | Bower Fold | 6,500 | Stalybridge, Greater Manchester |
| Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield Olympic Legacy Stadium | 2,500 | Sheffield, South Yorkshire |
| Swinton Lions | Heywood Road | 3,387 | Sale, Greater Manchester |
| Toulouse Olympique | Stade Ernest-Wallon | 19,500 | Toulouse, France |
| Whitehaven | Recreation Ground | 7,500 | Whitehaven, Cumbria |
| Widnes Vikings | Halton Stadium | 13,350 | Widnes, Cheshire |
| York City Knights | Bootham Crescent | 8,256 | York, North Yorkshire |

## Regular season results
### Round 1

| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time (GMT) | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| Dewsbury Rams | 10–36 | Leigh Centurions | 31 January 2020, 19:30 | Tetley's Stadium | Cameron Worsley | 1,723 |
| Toulouse Olympique | 22–10 | York City Knights | 1 February 2020, 18:00 | Stade Ernest-Argeles | Marcus Griffiths | 3,151 |
| Batley Bulldogs | 18–38 | Featherstone Rovers | 2 February 2020, 15:00 | The Fox's Biscuit Stadium | Tom Grant | 1,795 |
| Bradford Bulls | 14–18 | London Broncos | 2 February 2020, 15:00 | Tetley's Stadium | Aaron Moore | 2,697 |
| Halifax | 18–17 | Sheffield Eagles | 2 February 2020, 15:00 | The MBI Shay | Billy Pearson | 1,525 |
| Oldham Roughyeds | 6–36 | Widnes Vikings | 2 February 2020, 15:00 | Bower Fold | Jack Smith | 1,726 |
| Whitehaven RLFC | 0–14 | Swinton Lions | 2 February 2020, 15:00 | Recreation Ground | Gareth Hewer | 803 |
| Source: |||||||

### Round 2

| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time (GMT) | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| Leigh Centurions | 58–10 | Sheffield Eagles | 8 February 2020, 15:00 | Leigh Sports Village | Michael Mannifield | 3,104 |
| Toulouse Olympique | 58–6 | Oldham Roughyeds | 8 February 2020, 18:00 | Stade Ernest-Wallon | Aaron Moore | 2,318 |
| London Broncos | 36–20 | Whitehaven RLFC | 9 February 2020, 15:00 | Trailfinders Sports Ground | Matthew Rossleigh | 735 |
| Widnes Vikings | 32–12 | Batley Bulldogs | 9 February 2020, 15:00 | Select Security Stadium | Tom Grant | 3,577 |
| Featherstone Rovers | | Halifax RLFC | TBC | | | |
| Swinton Lions | | Dewsbury Rams | TBC | | | |
| York City Knights | | Bradford Bulls | TBC | | | |
| Source: |||||||
* 1 2 3 Match postponed on original date due to poor weather conditions caused by Storm Ciara

### Round 3

| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time (GMT) | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| Batley Bulldogs | 20–10 | Swinton Lions | 16 February 2020, 15:00 | The Fox's Biscuit Stadium | Billy Pearson | 746 |
| Bradford Bulls | 22–30 | Featherstone Rovers | 16 February 2020, 15:00 | Tetley's Stadium | Matthew Rossleigh | 3,640 |
| Leigh Centurions | 34–0 | York City Knights | 16 February 2020, 15:00 | Leigh Sports Village | Scott Mikalauskua | 2,942 |
| Sheffield Eagles | 14–26 | Toulouse Olympique | 16 February 2020, 15:00 | Castle Park | Aaron Moore | 618 |
| Widnes Vikings | 12–38 | London Broncos | 16 February 2020, 15:00 | Select Security Stadium | Jack Smith | 3,680 |
| Whitehaven RLFC | 14–16 | Oldham Roughyeds | 16 February 2020, 18:15 | Recreation Ground | Michael Mannifield | 532 |
| Dewsbury Rams | 18–16 | Swinton Lions | 18 February 2020, 19:45 | The MBI Shay | Cameron Worsley | 1,151 |
| Source: |||||||

### Round 4

| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time (GMT) | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| Batley Bulldogs | 18–19 | Sheffield Eagles | 1 March 2020, 15:00 | The Fox's Biscuit Stadium | | |
| Halifax RLFC | 28–4 | York City Knights | 1 March 2020, 15:00 | The MBI Shay | | |
| London Broncos | 10–34 | Featherstone Rovers | 1 March 2020, 15:00 | Trailfinders Sports Ground | | |
| Oldham Roughyeds | 12–26 | Bradford Bulls | 1 March 2020, 15:00 | Bower Fold | | |
| Whitehaven RLFC | 4–40 | Toulouse Olympique | 1 March 2020, 15:00 | Recreation Ground | | |
| Dewsbury Rams | 20–8 | Widnes Vikings | 1 March 2020, 18:15 | Tetley's Stadium | | |
| Swinton Lions | | Leigh Centurions | TBC | | | |
| Source: |||||||
* ↑ after golden-point extra time
* ↑ original match on 1 March, postponed due to a water-logged pitch

### Round 5

| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time (GMT) | Venue | Referee | Attendance |
| Toulouse Olympique | 34–14 | Batley Bulldogs | 7 March 2020, 18:00 | Stade Ernest-Wallon | | |
| Featherstone Rovers | 35–24 | Swinton Lions | 8 March 2020, 15:00 | LD Nutrition Stadium | | |
| Leigh Centurions | 34–20 | Halifax RLFC | 8 March 2020, 15:00 | Leigh Sports Village | | |
| Oldham Roughyeds | 6–24 | Dewsbury Rams | 8 March 2020, 15:00 | Bower Fold | | |
| Widnes Vikings | 40–16 | Whitehaven RLFC | 8 March 2020, 15:00 | Select Security Stadium | | |
| York City Knights | 12–18 | London Broncos | 8 March 2020, 15:00 | Bootham Crescent | | 1,364 |
| Bradford Bulls | 28–0 | Sheffield Eagles | 8 March 2020, 18:15 | | | |
| Source: |||||||

## Standings at time of abandonment

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Toulouse Olympique | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 48 | +132 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | Leigh Centurions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 162 | 40 | +122 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Featherstone Rovers | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 137 | 74 | +63 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | London Broncos | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 120 | 92 | +28 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | Widnes Vikings | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 128 | 92 | +36 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | Dewsbury Rams | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 72 | 66 | +6 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | Bradford Bulls | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 90 | 60 | +30 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | Halifax | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 82 | 73 | +9 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Batley Bulldogs | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 82 | 133 | −51 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | Swinton Lions | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 55 | −7 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | Sheffield Eagles | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 60 | 148 | −88 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Oldham | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 158 | −112 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | York City Knights | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 102 | −76 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Whitehaven | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 54 | 146 | −92 | 0 | 0 |