RFU push back Championship season

The Rugby Football Union have extended the Championship season by an extra week to ease the fixture congestion caused by recent postponements.

The play-off stage of the season will now start on 20 March, a week later than originally planned.

The RFU's Terry Burwell said: "We are conscious that the winter weather has caused enormous scheduling problems.

"With this is mind we have decided that the best option is to push back stage two [of the play-offs]."

Burwell added: "We fully realise that some clubs will be affected commercially by this move in terms of hospitality bookings.

"But player welfare is paramount and we believe this is the optimum solution for the clubs and the competition as a whole."

The 2009/10 season is the first time play-offs have been introduced to the second-tier of English rugby.

The 12 teams in the Championship are currently competing for a spot in the top eight in order to have a chance of being promoted, while the bottom four enter a separate play-off system for relegation.

The decision to push back the play-off schedule means that the two-legged Championship final will now be played on either 14 and 19 May or 19 and 26 May, as opposed to 12 and 19 May.

Bristol currently lead the Championship having taken 67 points from 16 games, while the Exeter Chiefs are in second on 63 points from 17 matches.

At the other end of the table, Birmingham & Solihull are propping up the league, with Coventry second-bottom.