1996–97 National Division 2

Rugby union competition in England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1996–97 National Division 2 (sponsored by Courage Brewery) was the tenth season of the top tier of the English rugby union league system, the Courage Clubs Championship, currently known as Champ Rugby, and was the first season that saw professional rugby openly introduced into the English game. It was also the tenth and final season of sponsorship by Courage.[3] New sides to the division included Richmond, Coventry, Rugby Lions and Rotherham (all promoted from tier 3) and there had been no teams relegated from tier 1 due to league restructuring.

Countries England
Date7 September 1996 – 11 May 1997
ChampionsRichmond (1st title)
Runners-upNewcastle Falcons
Quick facts Countries, Date ...
1996–97 National Division 2
Countries England
Date7 September 1996 – 11 May 1997
ChampionsRichmond (1st title)
Runners-upNewcastle Falcons
RelegatedRugby Lions
Nottingham
Matches played132
Highest attendance8,000 – Coventry v Newcastle (2 November 1996)[1]
Top point scorer334 – Simon Mason (Richmond)
Top try scorer23 – John Bentley (Newcastle)[2]
Close

The top two teams, Richmond and Newcastle Falcons were automatically promoted to the new look 1997–98 Premiership 1 (formerly National Division 1), and for the first time there were play–offs between the third and fourth placed teams, and the ninth and tenth placed teams in Division One, which meant 2 to 4 teams could be promoted/relegated between the divisions.[4] The Division 2 sides played at home first with the winners of the two matches, on aggregate score, playing in the top division the following season. Coventry and Bedford both failed to win promotion.

At the end other end of the table, Rugby Lions and Nottingham were relegated to the newly named 1997–98 National League 1 (formerly National Division 3). Last season Nottingham finished in the bottom two and escaped relegation due to the division being increased from ten clubs to twelve clubs. This season they were not so lucky and next season will be their first in Division Three.[3]

Structure

Restructuring from the previous season increased the division from ten to twelve teams with each side playing one another twice, in a round robin system, home and away, to make a total of twenty-two matches for each team.

The reorganisation of the Courage Clubs Championship for the following season by the RFU meant there would be between two to four sides promoted to the new look Premiership 1. Sides finishing 1st and 2nd would be automatically promoted while sides finishing 3rd and 4th would be involved in a promotion/relegation playoff against the 9th and 10th ranked sides from the 1996–97 National Division 1 with 4th v 9th and 3rd v 10th.

Participating teams

Locations of the 1996–97 National Division 2 teams
More information Team, Stadium ...
Team Stadium Capacity City/Area Previous season
Bedford Goldington Road 6,500[a] Bedford, Bedfordshire 10th (no relegation)
Blackheath Rectory Field 3,500 (500 seats)[7] Greenwich, London 7th
Coventry Coundon Road 10,000 (1,100 seats)[8] Coventry, West Midlands Promoted from National 3 (1st)
London Scottish Athletic Ground 7,300 (1,300 seats)[9] Richmond, London 3rd
Moseley The Reddings 9,999 (1,800 seats)[10] Birmingham, West Midlands 6th
Newcastle[b] Kingston Park 6,600[12] Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear 8th
Nottingham Ireland Avenue 4,990 (590 seats)[13] Beeston, Nottinghamshire 9th (No relegation)
Richmond Athletic Ground 7,300 (1,300 seats)[9] Richmond, London Promoted from National 3 (2nd)
Rotherham Clifton Lane 2,500 Rotherham, South Yorkshire Promoted from National 3 (4th)
Rugby Webb Ellis Road 3,200 (200 seats)[14][15] Rugby, Warwickshire Promoted from National 3 (3rd)
Wakefield College Grove 4,000 (500 seats)[16] Wakefield, West Yorkshire 4th
Waterloo St Anthony's Road 9,950 (950 seats)[17] Blundellsands, Merseyside 5th
Close

Table

More information Pos, Team ...
1996–97 National Division 2 table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Richmond (C) 22 19 2 1 986 410 +576 40 Promoted
2 Newcastle Falcons 22 19 1 2 1255 346 +909 39
3 Coventry 22 16 1 5 738 394 +344 33 Promotion play–offs
4 Bedford 22 15 0 7 720 482 +238 30
5 London Scottish 22 11 0 11 549 568 −19 22
6 Wakefield 22 11 0 11 504 557 −53 22
7 Rotherham 22 10 0 12 525 661 −136 20
8 Moseley 22 9 0 13 492 741 −249 18
9 Waterloo 22 8 0 14 506 661 −155 16
10 Blackheath 22 7 0 15 412 641 −229 14
11 Rugby Lions 22 3 0 19 317 1060 −743 6 Relegated
12 Nottingham 22 2 0 20 344 827 −483 4
Close
Source: [4]
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows:
  1. two points for a win
  2. one point for a draw
  3. no points for a loss

If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

  1. difference between points for and against
  2. total number of points for
    (C) Champions

Fixtures & Results

Round 1

7 September 1996
Bedford41 – 23Nottingham
Goldington Road
7 September 1996
Blackheath44 – 5Rotherham
Rectory Field
7 September 1996
Coventry16 – 16Richmond
Coundon Road
7 September 1996
London Scottish43 – 7Rugby Lions
Athletic Ground
7 September 1996
Moseley17 – 30Wakefield
The Reddings
7 September 1996
Newcastle30 – 13Waterloo
Kingston Park
Attendance: 1,400[18]

[19][20]

Round 2

14 September 1996
Blackheath11 – 3Bedford
Rectory Field
14 September 1996
Nottingham29 – 74Newcastle
Ireland Avenue
14 September 1996
Richmond64 – 38Rotherham
Athletic Ground
14 September 1996
Rugby Lions3 – 61Coventry
Webb Ellis Road
14 September 1996
Wakefield27 – 30London Scottish
College Grove
14 September 1996
Waterloo20 – 13Moseley
St Anthony's Road

[19][20]

Round 3

21 September 1996
Bedford17 – 44Richmond
Goldington Road
21 September 1996
Coventry24 – 25Wakefield
Coundon Road
21 September 1996
London Scottish42 – 30Waterloo
Athletic Ground
21 September 1996
Moseley34 – 22Nottingham
The Reddings
21 September 1996
Newcastle61 – 0Blackheath
Kingston Park
21 September 1996
Rotherham49 – 18Rugby Lions
Clifton Lane

[19][20]

Round 4

28 September 1996
Blackheath28 – 3Moseley
Rectory Field
28 September 1996
Nottingham12 – 26London Scottish
Ireland Avenue
28 September 1996
Richmond20 – 20Newcastle
Athletic Ground
Attendance: 7,000[18]
28 September 1996
Wakefield25 – 29Rotherham
College Grove
28 September 1996
Waterloo17 – 36Coventry
St Anthony's Road
29 September 1996
Rugby Lions6 – 34Bedford
Webb Ellis Road

[19][20]

Round 5

5 October 1996
Bedford25 – 19Wakefield
Goldington Road
5 October 1996
Coventry102 – 22Nottingham
Coundon Road
Referee: Nigel Yates[21]
5 October 1996
London Scottish23 – 31Blackheath
Athletic Ground
5 October 1996
Moseley15 – 87Richmond
The Reddings
5 October 1996
Newcastle156 – 5Rugby Lions
Kingston Park
5 October 1996
Rotherham38 – 23Waterloo
Clifton Lane

[19][20]

Round 6

12 October 1996
Blackheath10 – 16Coventry
Rectory Field
12 October 1996
Nottingham21 – 44Rotherham
Ireland Avenue
12 October 1996
Richmond54 – 13London Scottish
Athletic Ground
12 October 1996
Rugby Lions29 – 22Moseley
Webb Ellis Road
12 October 1996
Wakefield17 – 47Newcastle
College Grove
12 October 1996
Waterloo11 – 34Bedford
St Anthony's Road

[19][20]

Round 7

19 October 1996
Bedford44 – 30Rotherham
Goldington Road
19 October 1996
Coventry66 – 6London Scottish
Coundon Road
19 October 1996
Moseley9 – 75Newcastle
The Reddings
19 October 1996
Nottingham12 – 22Blackheath
Ireland Avenue
19 October 1996
Richmond64 – 8Rugby Lions
Athletic Ground
19 October 1996
Wakefield45 – 12Waterloo
College Grove

[19][20]

Round 8

26 October 1996
Blackheath21 – 40Richmond
Rectory Field
26 October 1996
London Scottish42 – 10Moseley
Athletic Ground
26 October 1996
Newcastle49 – 12Bedford
Kingston Park
26 October 1996
Rotherham11 – 42Coventry
Clifton Lane
26 October 1996
Rugby Lions17 – 22Wakefield
Webb Ellis Road
26 October 1996
Waterloo19 – 20Nottingham
St Anthony's Road

[19][20]

Round 9

2 November 1996
Bedford64 – 9Moseley
Goldington Road
2 November 1996
Blackheath24 – 33Rugby Lions
Rectory Field
2 November 1996
Coventry19 – 18Newcastle
Report[1]
Coundon Road
Attendance: 8,000[c]
Referee: Neil Cousins
2 November 1996
Nottingham18 – 40Wakefield
Ireland Avenue
2 November 1996
Richmond64 – 13Waterloo
Athletic Ground
2 November 1996
Rotherham28 – 18London Scottish
Clifton Lane

[19][20]

Round 10

9 November 1996
London Scottish26 – 27Bedford
Athletic Ground
9 November 1996
Moseley19 – 35Coventry
The Reddings
9 November 1996
RotherhamP – PNewcastle
Clifton Lane
  • Postponed due to Newcastle requesting game be switched due to international call-ups.[22] Game rescheduled to 5 May 1997.[d]
9 November 1996
Rugby Lions20 – 12Nottingham
Webb Ellis
9 November 1996
Wakefield7 – 23Richmond
College Grove
9 November 1996
Waterloo16 – 10Blackheath
St Anthony's Road

[19]

Round 11

16 November 1996
Bedford30 – 23Coventry
Goldington Road
16 November 1996
Blackheath13 – 17Wakefield
Rectory Field
16 November 1996
London Scottish12 – 28Newcastle
Athletic Ground
16 November 1996
Nottingham5 – 70Richmond
Ireland Avenue
16 November 1996
Rotherham18 – 9[e]Moseley
Clifton Lane
16 November 1996
Rugby Lions15 – 56Waterloo
Webb Ellis Road

[19][20]

Round 12

28 December 1996
Nottingham13 – 36Bedford
Ireland Avenue
28 December 1996
Richmond39 – 10Coventry
Athletic Ground
28 December 1996
Rotherham39 – 11[f]Blackheath
Clifton Lane
28 December 1996
Rugby LionsP – PLondon Scottish
Webb Ellis Road
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 29 March 1997.
28 December 1996
WakefieldP – PMoseley
College Grove
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 29 March 1997.
28 December 1996
WaterlooP – PNewcastle
St Anthony's Road
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 30 April 1997.

[19]

Round 13

4 January 1997
BedfordP – PBlackheath
Goldington Road
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
4 January 1997
CoventryP – PRugby Lions
Coundon Road
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
4 January 1997
London ScottishP – PWakefield
Athletic Ground
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 31 March 1997.
4 January 1997
MoseleyP – PWaterloo
The Reddings
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
4 January 1997
NewcastleP – PNottingham
Kingston Park
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 March 1997.
4 January 1997
RotherhamP – PRichmond
Clifton Lane
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.

[19]

Round 14

11 January 1997
BlackheathP – PNewcastle
Rectory Field
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 April 1997.
11 January 1997
NottinghamP – PMoseley
Ireland Avenue
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 February 1997.
11 January 1997
RichmondP – PBedford
Athletic Ground
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 January 1997.
11 January 1997
Rugby LionsP – PRotherham
Webb Ellis Road
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 March 1997.
11 January 1997
WakefieldP – PCoventry
College Grove
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 May 1997.
11 January 1997
WaterlooP – PLondon Scottish
St Anthony's Road
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 May 1997.

[19]

Round 15

18 January 1997
Bedford57 – 6Rugby Lions
Goldington Road
18 January 1997
Coventry28 – 16Waterloo
Coundon Road
18 January 1997
London Scottish33 – 10Nottingham
Athletic Ground
18 January 1997
Moseley21 – 18Blackheath
The Reddings
18 January 1997
NewcastleP – PRichmond
Kingston Park
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 29 March 1997.
18 January 1997
Rotherham12 – 19Wakefield
Clifton Lane

[19][20]

Round 14 (rescheduled games)

25 January 1997
Richmond34 – 33Bedford
Athletic Ground
  • Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
2 February 1997
Nottingham11 – 22Moseley
Ireland Avenue
  • Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.

[19]

Round 16

8 February 1997
Blackheath13 – 19London Scottish
Rectory Field
8 February 1997
Nottingham0 – 29Coventry
Ireland Avenue
8 February 1997
Richmond37 – 27Moseley
Athletic Ground
8 February 1997
Rugby Lions8 – 70Newcastle
Webb Ellis Road
8 February 1997
Wakefield17 – 29Bedford
College Grove
8 February 1997
Waterloo23 – 27Rotherham
St Anthony's Road

[19][20]

Round 13 (rescheduled games)

22 February 1997
Bedford72 – 18Blackheath
Goldington Road
  • Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
22 February 1997
Moseley17 – 13Waterloo
The Reddings
  • Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
22 February 1997
Rotherham6 – 28Richmond
Clifton Lane
  • Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
23 January 1997
Coventry24 – 10Rugby Lions
Coundon Road
  • Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.

[19][20]

Round 17

8 March 1997
Bedford38 – 6Waterloo
Goldington Road
8 March 1997
Coventry74 – 10Blackheath
Coundon Road
8 March 1997
London Scottish18 – 37Richmond
Athletic Ground
8 March 1997
Moseley34 – 11Rugby Lions
The Reddings
8 March 1997
Newcastle57 – 10Wakefield
Kingston Park
8 March 1997
Rotherham30 – 24Nottingham
Clifton Lane

[19][20]

Rounds 13 & 14 (rescheduled games)

15 March 1997
Rugby Lions16 – 41Rotherham
Webb Ellis Road
  • Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
16 March 1997
Newcastle53 – 17Nottingham
Kingston Park
  • Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.

[19][20]

Round 18

22 March 1997
Blackheath24 – 0Nottingham
Rectory Field
22 March 1997
London Scottish13 – 14Coventry
Athletic Ground
22 March 1997
Newcastle88 – 19Moseley
Kingston Park
22 March 1997
Rotherham11 – 32Bedford
Clifton Lane
22 March 1997
Rugby Lions31 – 72Richmond
Webb Ellis Road
22 March 1997
Waterloo16 – 11Wakefield
St Anthony's Road

[19][20]

Rounds 12 & 15 (rescheduled games)

29 March 1997
Newcastle37 – 17Richmond
Kingston Park
  • Game rescheduled from 18 January 1997.
29 March 1997
Rugby Lions16 – 45London Scottish
Webb Ellis Road
  • Game rescheduled from 28 December 1996.
29 March 1997
Wakefield13 – 42Moseley
College Grove
  • Game rescheduled from 28 December 1996.

[19]

Round 13 (rescheduled game)

31 March 1997
London Scottish34 – 3Wakefield
Athletic Ground
  • Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.

Round 19

5 April 1997
Bedford34 – 28Newcastle
[5]
Goldington Road
Attendance: 6,500[g]
Referee: S Lander
5 April 1997
Coventry21 – 15Rotherham
Coundon Road
5 April 1997
Moseley44 – 16London Scottish
The Reddings
5 April 1997
Nottingham13 – 33Waterloo
Ireland Avenue
5 April 1997
Richmond29 – 24Blackheath
Athletic Ground
5 April 1997
Wakefield53 – 12Rugby Lions
College Grove

[19][20]

Round 20

12 April 1997
London Scottish25 – 3Rotherham
Athletic Ground
12 April 1997
Moseley40 – 34Bedford
The Reddings
12 April 1997
Newcastle49 – 17Coventry
Kingston Park
12 April 1997
Rugby Lions24 – 32Blackheath
Webb Ellis Road
12 April 1997
Wakefield31 – 16Nottingham
College Grove
12 April 1997
Waterloo29 – 58Richmond
St Anthony's Road

[19][20]

Round 15 (rescheduled game)

16 April 1997
Blackheath10 – 72Newcastle
Rectory Field
  • Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.

[19]

Round 21

19 April 1997
Bedford14 – 28London Scottish
Goldington Road
19 April 1997
Blackheath27 – 48Waterloo
Rectory Field
19 April 1997
Coventry33 – 18Moseley
Coundon Road
19 April 1997
Nottingham44 – 10Rugby Lions
Ireland Avenue
19 April 1997
Richmond55 – 22Wakefield
Athletic Ground
19 April 1997
Rotherham21 – 45Newcastle
Clifton Lane

[19][20]

Round 22

26 April 1997
Coventry30 – 10Bedford
Coundon Road
26 April 1997
Moseley48 – 17Rotherham
The Reddings
26 April 1997
Newcastle71 – 20London Scottish
Kingston Park
26 April 1997
Richmond34 – 0Nottingham
Athletic Ground
26 April 1997
Wakefield14 – 11Blackheath
College Grove
26 April 1997
Waterloo45 – 12Rugby Lions
St Anthony's Road

[19][20]

Round 12 (rescheduled game)

30 April 1997
Waterloo24 – 66Newcastle
St Anthony's Road
  • Game rescheduled from 28 December 1996.

Rounds 10, 12 & 14 (rescheduled games)

3 May 1997
Wakefield37 – 18Coventry
College Grove
  • Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
3 May 1997
Waterloo23 – 17London Scottish
St Anthony's Road
  • Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
4 May 1997
Newcastle61 – 13Rotherham
Kingston Park
  • Game rescheduled from 9 November 1996.

[19][20]

Promotion play–offs

For the first time play–offs took place between the third and fourth placed teams in Division Two and the ninth and tenth placed teams in Division One. The play–offs followed a 4th v 9th, 3rd v 10th system - with the games being played over two legs and the second-tier team playing at home in the first leg.[3]

First leg

7 May 1997
Bedford11 – 20Bristol
Goldington Road
7 May 1997
Coventry16 – 14London Irish
Coundon Road

Second leg

11 May 1997
Bristol19 – 12Bedford
Memorial Ground
  • Bristol won 39 – 23 on aggregate to retain their place in Division One
11 May 1997
London Irish28 – 7Coventry
The Avenue
  • London Irish won 42 – 23 on aggregate to retain their place in Division One

Individual statistics

  • Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
More information Rank, Player ...
Close

Season records

Notes

  1. [a]
    Goldington Road ground capacity up to 6,500 from 4,800 for 1996–97 season with a capacity crowd achieved versus Newcastle Gosforth on 5 April 1997.[5][6].
  2. [b]
    Formerly known as Newcastle Gosforth, the club changed their name to Newcastle ahead of the 1996–97 season.[11]
  3. [c]
    Attendance figures for Coventry v Newcastle on 2 November vary. The match report by the Independent gave a crowd figure of 8,000, while others ranged from 7,500 to 9,000. A video recording appeared to show a full capacity crowd, and given that Coundon Road had a capacity of around 10,000 the crowd is likely to be higher.
  4. [d]
    The Rugby Archive listed this fixture as an 18 –9 victory at home for Rotherham versus Moseley. This was incorrect as Moseley were at home to Coventry on the same date (9 November 1996) and the reverse fixture had Newcastle playing against Rotherham on 19 April 1997. The Independent article finally cleared things up.[22]
  5. [e]
    The Rugby Archive lists the wrong opponent (Blackheath) and score (39 – 11) for Rotherham's home game on the 16 November 1996. The result from the Rotherham Titans website has been used instead.[20]
  6. [f]
    The Rugby Archive gives this result on the wrong date - the correct date is taken from the Rotherham Titans results page.[20]
  7. [g]
    Attendance figures for Bedford v Newcastle on 5 April vary. The match report by the Independent gave a crowd figure of 6,500 while other sources had the figure as high as 7,500.

See also

References

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