Rugby Canada Signs Deal with Champ Rugby (Formerly RFU Championship) to Cover Relocation Costs for Canadian Players
It used to be called the RFU Championship, now called Champ Rugby, the second tier of English rugby. Currently there are 14 teams, full list shown below, and there are currently a few Canadian internationals in the league [updated] Shane O’Leary (Nottingham), Dewald Kotze (Rotherham), Rob Povey (Rotherham). There will be more coming with the new agreement between the league and Rugby Canada. Rugby Canada “will support players’ relocation costs such as flights and visas”.
Now that the framework is set with Rugby Canada going on record to pick up the relocation costs, it will be interesting to see how many clubs buy in with the season set to start on September 19th. Will we see a flurry of announcements over the coming weeks? Then there is the question of playing time. When Canada missed out on the 2023 Rugby World Cup they featured a team made up mostly of MLR players, not all of them got regular playing time. The Champ Rugby league still has EQP (English Qualified Players) rules where RFU funding is tied in to hitting minimum numbers for EQP players in the match 23.
In related news Brock Gallagher signed with Young Munster of the All Ireland League (AIL) Division 1A. Jason Higgins plays in that league with Cork Constitution. If you look at the various levels at which Canadians are competing in around the globe you would have to say Nic Benn in NPC, Tyler Ardron and Evan Olmstead in Pro D2 are the top. Slightly lower would be the Champ Rugby competition which is still higher than MLR. The AIL would probably sit just below MLR around the Nationale level in France.
[update] We’ve just heard Jacob Ince will be heading to Young Munster as well.
from RugbyPass.com
Rugby Canada have struck a strategic deal with Champ Rugby in England to enable their players to get more competitive game time in the lead up to Rugby World Cup 2027.
Financial and logistical measures have been put in place to encourage clubs to sign Canadian players and reverse the trend of recent years.
Canadian players used to be prevalent in the second-tier Champ until the introduction of English-qualified conditional funding put clubs off signing players from North America.
Major League Rugby promised to fill the gap but with the league now down to five teams, Canada’s players have limited opportunities to play professional rugby in a high performance environment.
Experienced stalwarts like Tyler Ardron, Evan Olmstead and Andrew Quattrin play to a high level in France, but there are very few Canadian players knocking around in the UK, and this deal hopes to change that.
Rewind to a decade or two ago, established internationals such as prolific international points scorer James Pritchard (Bedford/Plymouth), John Cannon (Coventry/Doncaster), record caps holder Aaron Carpenter and Brett Beukeboom (both Cornish Pirates) were just a few of the stars that graced the league.
Rugby Canada’s role in this latest partnership will support players’ relocation costs such as flights and visas. Champ Rugby will in turn offer players professional contracts which include accommodation support as part of the deal.
Reformatted with player availability in mind, clubs who sign Canadian players will work with the Rugby Canada to ensure flexibility for national team training/matches.
“We are pleased to formalise this partnership with Champ Rugby and its clubs with support from the RFU,” said Nathan Bombrys, CEO of Rugby Canada.
“We have some quality players in Canada, and this partnership will provide opportunities for them to test themselves and develop their rugby in an excellent professional environment.”
Simon Gillham OBE, Chair of Champ Rugby, added: “Champ Rugby is the proving ground for players with ambition. We’re delighted to welcome talented Canadian players into our clubs, where they’ll get regular, competitive rugby at an elite level.
“It’s a partnership that strengthens our competition, elevates our platform, and supports Rugby Canada in developing their internationals, all the while contributing to the growth of the wider game.”
Canada have fallen outside of the top 20 in the World Rugby Rankings since they last competed in the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2019.
The team missed out on Rugby World Cup 2023, the first time in history that they haven’t been present on the game’s biggest stage, but secured qualification for next year’s tournament in Australia.
Canada have been placed in Pool C, along with Argentina, Fiji and Spain.
from Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada is pleased to announce the partnership with Elior Champ Rugby, the reformatted English rugby second-tier league which will provide a high performance, professional environment for Canadian men’s players across the pond.
This strategic partnership strengthens both Champ Rugby as a proving ground for players hopeful to advance to Prem Rugby and international stages; while aiding Canadian internationals to compete in high-level playing opportunities. This experience will support players looking to make Canada’s final squad selection for the upcoming Men’s 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Featuring 14 teams across the country, Champ Rugby is English rugby’s biggest supporter and is the crucial link in the pathway from grassroots to the top of the game. On the field, over 8,000 matchday places are available to Champ players during the season, offering more game time to future rugby talent. Off the field, Champ Rugby lives for the growth of the game, connecting people and communities.
“We are pleased to formalize this partnership with Champ Rugby and its clubs with support from the RFU,” said Nathan Bombrys, CEO of Rugby Canada. “We have some quality players in Canada, and this partnership will provide opportunities for them to test themselves and develop their rugby in an excellent professional environment.”
“Champ Rugby is the proving ground for players with ambition,” said Simon Gillham OBE, Chair of Champ Rugby. “We’re delighted to welcome talented Canadian players into our clubs, where they’ll get regular, competitive rugby at an elite level. It’s a partnership that strengthens our competition, elevates our platform, and supports Rugby Canada in developing their internationals, all the while contributing to the growth of the wider game.”
Understanding the financial barriers that players face when moving abroad for competition, Rugby Canada’s role in this latest partnership will support players’ relocation costs such as flights and visas. Champ Rugby will in turn offer players professional contracts which include accommodation support as part of the deal. Reformatted with player availability in mind, clubs who sign Canadian players will work with the Rugby Canada to ensure flexibility for national-team commitments.
Rugby Canada looks forward to working with Champ Rugby and its associated clubs. A special thank you to World Rugby and the RFU for their support in bringing this partnership together. Rugby Canada looks forward to this exciting Champ Rugby season and the chance to witness Canadian players making their mark on the league.
Champ Rugby Teams for 2026/27
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ampthill | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2 | Bedford Blues | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Blackheath | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Caldy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Chinnor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Cornish Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Coventry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Doncaster Knights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Ealing Trailfinders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Hartpury | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Nottingham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Richmond | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Rotherham Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Worcester Warriors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
This is regards to BC Premier league. We restrict imports because certain clubs are worried “Johnny Canuck” will not have a chance to play or develop because the imports are too good and Canadians cannot compete or develop; completely stupid and small minded thinking.
Imports come to play and many stay on to become Canadian citizens.
So why are we paying to have Canadians go elsewhere, with the mindset that they will play against better players and get better.
Imports are willing to pay to come here to play and if they are as good as certain clubs say they are, then that is good. Rugby Canada will not have to ship players oversea to get better and save money. The imports come to us.
My understanding is that the New CEO of BCRU is the person who initiated that there should not be any restriction on imports but it was rolled back due to some “old Dinosaur” , Hopefully as the New CEO he reinstate no limit to imports.
The head coach of Rugby Canada 15 and 7s should also be more collaborate with the clubs to review the teams and clubs to determine the level of competitive and assign Canada players to teams so the teams are more level and Canadian players play against other Canada Players and local and import players to raise the level of completion and play everywhere. Canada player do not do themselves any favour by playing on a team stacked with other Canada player and former players. They may thinks it is great beating other clubs that have no Canada Players, but they are an embarrassment to Canada when they play on the world stage. Canada Players you are not that good on the world stage, beating up on local players is not impressive!!!!
Rugby Canada Coaches take ownership of your players, get them to play against more imports, get they to spread out among the clubs, collaborate with the clubs, ask the club coaches where they are weak on the team and asign a Canada player to that team and same for the forwards. What’s the point for a Club team that has a strong pack or back to get more of the same??????
How stupid is that?????
If the answer to all our problems is to remove the import rules in bc then why do most professional competitive league have import rules? The rules exist in england, France and may other places because they are making sure homegrown talent plays. Remove the import rules and the bigger clubs just fly in a new foreign team and develops no one
@Common Sense, the BC Premiere league is an amateur league and is not professional. BC clubs are not professional outfits, and do not provide a professional culture and training environment with professional coaches etc. This is not a slight to BC clubs, who are very dedicated and passionate about their rugby. Import players who come to play in BC do so, as a recreational pursuit and generally (based on my experience) are neither here nor there on improving the level of competition beyond their own participation.
The deal by RC is trying to get RC prospective players into a higher level of competition with organizations that are professional. that BC premiere rugby cannot provide.
Your points are all taken, however, I am not getting your perspective?
Yes BC Premier is amateur (if providing certain players game $stipend, helping player find work and accommodation and the occasional helicopting a player in to play is excluded) because clubs are grassroots with limited finance.
Your comments about the imports are true to a point, many have stayed and obtain PR and citizenship. Any club who thinks an import comes strictly to help Canada improve it game should give their head a shake. However, they do improve competition, which is good for the game and developing Canadian player playing alongside imports makes them better. However certain clubs are so scared of the imports because they are not able to naturally draw imports to their clubs, they would rather exclude them and lower the level of skill and competition. Just dumb.
If the deal by RC is trying to get RC prospective players into a higher level of competition with organizations that are professional, which is not going to happen in Canada because there is no money in Canada, but if imports are willing to come play in the BC premiere rugby which can help improve the level of competition is that not good??? Any response to my response that imports hurts the development of Canadian then that end of discussion, as the discussion is no longer from the perspective of logic but emotions.
Remember the “Highlander” team, probably not, paid coaches and player. Where are they now? BC Premier should focus on getting level of competition higher. Level the clubs with the help of Rugby Canada, allow imports and let each club determine what is best in their community to grow the club and the game.
@Common Sense, the use of imports does hurt Canadian development for a number of reasons that are logical and can be shown through evidence. 1) resources used to secure imports, takes away from available resources that could be used to improve Canadian players and infrastructure. 2) availability of resources reduces the incentive of a club to develop a player for a position of need, as they can just fill it with an import. 3) Not all import players are better than the Canadian equivalent and provide a short term solution to improved competition level.
For evidence look at the decline of Italian soccer/football. It is well documented that the increased reliance on import players by their top flight clubs has been a disaster for the development of young players, and decreased the overall competition level of their domestic leagues.
If one desired to improve Canadian rugby and BC rugby, one needs to focus resources on infrastructure which includes coaching, refs, fields etc. money for domestic players and reducing barriers to entry for players to increase the size of the player pool.
@Common Sense, the use of imports does hurt Canadian development for a number of reasons that are logical and can be shown through evidence.
1) resources used to secure imports, takes away from available resources that could be used to improve Canadian players and infrastructure.
I agree 100% that no resources should be spent, but that gate has been open it has been, the league shot itself in the foot when the first club started paying players (imports and Canada Players) game stipend to play for them. The only resources that imports should get is the club and Canadian culture and values. Let me be clear that I do not believe any Clubs should not use any resources to secure imports, carded players etc. Imports and locals should all be playing for the love of the sports. I think you can see that in the clubs that are thriving, its their culture, their volunteers, alumnis that are the draw.
2) availability of resources reduces the incentive of a club to develop a player for a position of need, as they can just fill it with an import.
I find this hard to believe, if there is a talented Canadian player for a position, a club with or withour the resource will help develop that player, unless another club poaches that player or that club will suggest suggest that they can get that player access to a University due to their “connection” Just stop this, so false, and lack of values.
3) Not all import players are better than the Canadian equivalent and provide a short term solution to improved competition level.
I agree 100% that not all import players are better than the Canadian equivalent, than why the restriction on imports?
For evidence look at the decline of Italian soccer/football. It is well documented that the increased reliance on import players by their top flight clubs has been a disaster for the development of young players, and decreased the overall competition level of their domestic leagues.
“When Italian clubs can purchase experienced foreign players, coaches under pressure to win may choose proven professionals rather than developing academy graduates. This can create a “development bottleneck” where talented youth players spend years in reserve teams without meaningful senior minutes. In Italy, several studies and football administrators have identified limited playing opportunities as a major challenge for young domestic players”
Italian Football Analogy
This is where I would still be careful. The Italian example remains imperfect because:
Serie A is professional.
BC Rugby clubs are amateur.
Market forces are very different.
However, the underlying principle is transferable.
The lesson is not:
“Foreign players ruined Italian football.”
The better lesson is:”When clubs prioritize importing finished players over developing local players, domestic player pathways can weaken.”
That principle applies to both soccer and rugby.
I would therefore cite Italy as an illustration of the development-pathway issue, not as proof.
The BC League is amateur league, a Canadian youth player can develope and gain playing time by playing in different division and gain playing time as they progress. BC is nothing like the Italian Soccer league
The worst thing that ever happend to BC Rugby is when that First Club initiated that game stipends$ to pay players to play, it has been down hill ever since.
If one desired to improve Canadian rugby and BC rugby, one needs to focus resources on infrastructure which includes coaching, refs, fields etc. money for domestic players and reducing barriers to entry for players to increase the size of the player pool.
When $money and resources are spent on paying payers (both local and imports) ends, than all teams, clubs and the League will have have more resources and a chance on equal footing. Rugby Canada can help with this in collaboration with all the BC clubs and the national Cluibs