 This follows a 22-match home-and-away league season and a single round-robin mini-league involving the top eight clubs from the home-and-away season.In addition, the second-level Championship adopted a Shaughnessy playoff for its Championship Shield, and the third-level League 1 adopted a Shaughnessy-style promotion playoff similar to that formerly used by Rugby Pro D2.In the Championship, the bottom eight teams at the end of the league season enter their own single round-robin mini-league, with the top four teams at the end of that phase entering a Shaughnessy playoff for the Shield.