National Division 5
English rugby union competition
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National Division 5 (sponsored by Courage Brewery) was a short lived English rugby union competition created as a tier 5 regional competition divided into National Division 5 North and National Division 5 South. In 1993 the RFU decided to change the whole league structure, with a new national league (National Division 4) replacing the old North / South regional system which would become the aforementioned National Division 5. This led to twelve out of thirteen teams in both National Division 4 regions dropping into National Division 5 while the league winners joined National Division 4 along with eight teams from National Division 3. This system continued to the end of the 1995–96 season when the league was restructured once again – with National Division 4 being abolished as a national competition reverting to the old system only being renamed as National League 4 North and National League 4 South.
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Folded | 1996 |
| No. of teams | 26 (13 North, 13 South) |
| Countries |  England |
Original league composition 1993–94
National Division 5 – North
- Birmingham & Solihull (promoted from Midlands 1)
- Bradford & Bingley (promoted from North 1)
- Durham City (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Hereford (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Kendal (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Lichfield (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Nuneaton (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Preston Grasshoppers (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Rotherham (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Stoke-on-Trent (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Stourbridge (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Walsall (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
- Winnington Park (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 North)
National Division 5 – South
- Basingstoke (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- Berry Hill (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- Camborne (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- High Wycombe (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- London Welsh (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- Lydney (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- Maidstone (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- Metropolitan Police (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- North Walsham (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- Reading (promoted from South West 1)
- Southend (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
- Tabard (promoted from London 1)
- Weston-super-Mare (relegated from 1992–93 Courage National 4 South)
Courage Division 5 North honours
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | League Name | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94[2] | 13 | Rotherham | Preston Grasshoppers | Durham City and Bradford & Bingley | Courage Division 5 North | |||||||||
| 1994–95[3] | 13 | Walsall | Kendal | Barkers Butts and Hereford | Courage Division 5 North | |||||||||
| 1995–96[4] | 13 | Wharfedale | Worcester (and 11 others)[n 1] | Broughton Park | Courage Division 5 North | |||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Courage Division 5 South honours
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | League Name | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94[2] | 13 | Reading | Lydney | Maidstone and Southend | Courage Division 5 South | |||||||||
| 1994–95[3] | 13 | London Welsh | Lydney | Sudbury and Basingstoke | Courage Division 5 South | |||||||||
| 1995–96[4] | 13 | Lydney | Weston-super-Mare (and 11 others)[n 2] | Camborne | Courage Division 5 South | |||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||
Notes
- By the end of this season there was another league restructure with Courage Division 4 being abolished and Courage Division 5 North reverting to a tier 4 regional competition named National League 4 North. 12 teams from Courage 5 North would join 2 teams from lower leagues (Hereford & Manchester) to form the new 14 team north division while the champions Wharfedale went into Division 3.[5]
- By the end of this season there was another league restructure with Courage Division 4 being abolished and Courage Division 5 South reverting to a tier 4 regional competition named National League 4 South. 12 teams from Courage 5 North South would join 2 teams from lower leagues (Charlton Park & Newbury) to form the new 14 team south division while the champions Lydney went into Division 3.[5]