2018–19 RFU Championship
The 2018–19 RFU Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the Greene King IPA Championship, is the tenth season of the professionalised format of the RFU Championship, the second tier of the English rugby union league system run by the Rugby Football Union. It is contested by eleven English clubs and one from Jersey in the Channel Islands. Greene King sponsors the competition for a sixth successive season. Clubs in the league also competed in the inaugural RFU Championship Cup.
| 2018–19 Greene King IPA Championship | |
|---|---|
| Countries | England Jersey |
| Date | 31 August 2018 – 27 April 2019 |
| Champions | London Irish (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Ealing Trailfinders |
| Relegated | Richmond |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Attendance | 226,061 (average 1,713 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 10,106 London Irish v Doncaster Knights 23 March 2019 |
| Lowest attendance | 602 Richmond v Hartpury 29 September 2018 |
| Tries scored | 913 (average 6.9 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Shane O'Leary (Nottingham) 186 points |
| Top try scorer | Dean Adamson (Bedford Blues) 16 tries |
On 19 April 2019 London Irish were declared champions with a round to go, following an emphatic win away against struggling Richmond, claiming promotion back to the Premiership for the 2019–20 season, in what was their second Championship title in three seasons. The next day (20 April), Richmond were relegated following relegation rivals Hartpury's victory at home against London Scottish. Richmond would drop to the 2019–20 National League 1.
Coventry had the best campaign of a promoted club since the Championship's inception back in 2009–10 (regular season only), amassing 51 points on the way to an 8th place finish - surpassing London Scottish's 45 point, 8th place finish back in 2011–12.