Some feel the RFU is trying to have its cake and eat it. There is unlikely to be any word before the end of February at the earliest, for example, as to how many sides will be promoted from the National Leagues this April. We do know the Championship will have 12 teams next season (this season’s bottom side will not be relegated) but, depending on whether Ealing Trailfinders or Doncaster Knights finish top and also satisfy the minimum standards criteria (another saga in itself) to go up, there is still no clarity over whether one or two sides will be promoted from National One. Or, even more pertinently, any firm guarantees about funding levels after 2024. We are pleased to confirm that 7️⃣ Academy players will link up with @HartpuryRFC for their 2021-22 @Champrugby campaign. In a slight adjustment to last season, there will be no play-offs to determine promotion. Instead, the top-placed side at the season’s conclusion will move directly to the Premiership and no team will drop down. There are plenty of new faces at Lady Bay, but perhaps one of the biggest developments is the club’s performance partnership with Leicester Tigers. This will see the two clubs share coaching resources, along with training and playing opportunities.

He has also recruited the likes of Tom Petty, Maurice Nwakor, Morgan Dawes and Tom Baldwin from National League clubs, as well as a litter of talent from BUCS Super Rugby and experienced Championship faces, such as the returning James Tyas. It is very much horizons new at the club. The biggest differences are heard in the bass. The new version is so much more precise and controlled in this region. On an initial listen it would be easy to conclude that the older model has more weight in this area, but given time it becomes clear that the S2 are cleaner, more insightful and have notably more punch. There have been plenty of comings and goings amongst the clubs competing. Here is our RFU Championship team-by-team guide, with our thoughts on how each club will fare this season. RFU Championship team-by-team guide 2021-22 season Ampthill Live commentary of all of Wales’ matches during the Six Nations will be on both BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru, as well as live coverage of Wales’ games against Ireland, Scotland and England on BBC One Wales.Having finished first overall in the table last season before losing to Saracens in the two-legged play-off final, this season may well be the club’s best chance to make it to the Premiership. Given the modest nature of the engineering changes we weren’t expecting much of a difference in the sound. We were wrong. While retaining a broadly similar sonic character, the 606 S2 Anniversary Edition prove significantly more capable than their predecessors. Ahead of every round, BBC Sports News will also preview the weekend’s action in their Friday Sportsday programme (18:30 on the BBC News Channel). BBC Wales Conor Maguire (Gloucester), Tommy Matthews and Xavier Hastings (Bath) arrive from the top flight, Harry Short is promoted from the club’s academy and seven players have arrived on season-long loans from nearby Gloucester.

The original 606 are fine speakers, but this new version is obviously better across the board. Considering the relatively minor engineering changes that’s a real surprise – but a thoroughly pleasant one. Coverage begins on the BBC as Wales face Ireland in the opening game of the tournament, with Gabby Logan presenting live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Richmond will no doubt be competitive and the fact that they have had game time in recent months means they should not find themselves at the bottom of the table again. tries on the board and a couple of spectaculars that will live long in the memory. Here are our five moments that mattered from the 60-10 pre-season win over Nottingham – https://t.co/SLKTD6wH80It is increasingly hard, certainly, to argue with the view of an administrator involved in the ongoing review into the future of the Championship, the second-tier competition that has been allowed to wither on the vine, in terms of proactive promotion, for the past two decades. “We will probably see an NFL-type franchise professional game, a strong game in the universities and a first team club league but you probably won’t see a social and recreational game in the way we understand it,” suggests my informant, citing concussion fears and the increasing physical commitment required at all levels. “I won’t say recreational players are an endangered species but they’re certainly at risk.” The returning Rugby Special will be hosted by Ugo Monye, with Sara Orchard and Alastair Eykyn’s commentary featuring in the programme and BBC highlights generally. Live Match Coverage Reuben Bird-Tulloch (Northampton Saints), Dylan Smith (Stade Francais), Cian Kelleher (Leinster), Stephen Kerins (Connacht) and Tadgh McElroy (Bristol Bears) are amongst those recruited by Ben Ward. Opening game of the tournament (Wales v Ireland) live on BBC One, alongside other mouth-watering ties including Wales v England on February 25

Perhaps the biggest change at Nottingham this season is the man at the helm. With Neil Fowkes having taken up a full-time coaching role with Wasps, the team’s former captain Craig Hammond has returned from Hong Kong nine years after he left the East Midlanders for Asia. Steve Boden and his side would have been disappointed to have not reached the play-off finals after a strong start last season, but they have recruited heavily from other Championship sides this summer. There is certainly depth amongst this group, which will make finding the best match-day 23 all the harder. But should the correct formula be found by director of rugby John Barnes, then Hartpury may well cause some upsets. Opting out of the 2020-21 season, Matt Williams’s first year as director of rugby has certainly been a long time in the making.It is so difficult to even guess what kind of a challenge this London Scottish team will pose when they make their long-awaited return to competitive action. With it likely to take a few weeks to get up to speed, a poor start to the season may be their undoing by the season’s end. Bill Johnston joins the club on a full-time basis after being loaned to the London-based club from Ulster in 2021. The opening game between Wales and Ireland will be live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 4 February. Other live games on BBC television include Scotland v Wales (11 February) and the mammoth clash between Wales and England (25 February).

Live commentary from Chris Jones and Sara Orchard of every match on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Live or 5 Sports Extra On the whole, there is a lot to like about this Nottingham team. Despite having moved to a part-time environment, the experiences of Josh McNulty, Carl Kirwan, Josh Poullet and David Williams in Premiership environments should help the group adjust to life under Hammond effectively. Extensive coverage available on BBC Sport’s digital channels, including live text commentary for each game Throughout the tournament, Scrum V will present their Six Nations specials on BBC Two Wales on after each game on Sunday evenings. Presented by Catrin Heledd, guests include guests including Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts and the programmes will feature highlights and analysis of all the weekend’s action. The popular Rugby Union Daily podcast will return from Monday 30 January, with daily editions running every match-week. With Ugo Monye, Danny Care, Sonja McLaughlin and more at the helm, fans can expect big name interviews, alongside the latest Rugby news and analysis.As the music builds, these speakers have the composure and organisation to keep things under control. They rarely sound flustered or stressed no matter how demanding things get.