1990–91 National Division 2

1990–91 National Division 2
Countries England
Date22 September 1990 – 27 April 1991
ChampionsRugby (1st title)
Runners-upLondon Irish
RelegatedRichmond
Headingley
Matches played78
Top point scorer117 – Brendan Mullin (London Irish)[1]
Top try scorer9 – Lindsay Renwick (London Scottish)[1]

The 1990–91 National Division 2 (sponsored by Courage Brewery) was the fourth season of the second tier of the English rugby union league system, the Courage Clubs Championship, currently known as Champ Rugby. New sides to the division included Bedford who were relegated from the top flight after a gap of just one season, while London Scottish and Wakefield were promoted from tier 3. In 1990 the Gosforth club split into two clubs, one became Newcastle Gosforth and moved to Kingston Park, known then as the New Ground while Gosforth Rugby Club continued as an amateur side working in partnership with Northumbria University.

Rugby, the champions, were promoted to the 1991–92 National Division 1 along with the league runner–up, London Irish. Headingley finished last and were relegated to the 1991–92 National Division 3 as were Richmond who finished one place above them.[2] It was a competitive season with both the promotion and relegation spots going all the way to the last game.

Structure

The division increased from twelve teams to thirteen, each side playing the others once to make a total of twelve matches each. The top two sides would be promoted to National Division 1 while the bottom two would drop to National Division 3.

Participating teams

Locations of the 1990–91 National Division 2 teams
1990–91 Greater London National Division 2 teams
Team Stadium Capacity City/Area Previous season
Bedford Goldington Road 4,800 (800 seats)[3] Bedford, Bedfordshire Relegated from National 1 (12th)
Blackheath Rectory Field 3,500 (500 seats)[4] Greenwich, London 10th
Coventry Coundon Road 10,000 (1,100 seats)[5] Coventry, West Midlands 4th
Newcastle Gosforth[a] Kingston Park[b] 6,600[7] Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear 12th (no relegation)
Headingley Clarence Fields 7,850 (850 seats)[8] Leeds, West Yorkshire 8th
London Irish The Avenue 3,600 (600 seats)[9] Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey 5th
London Scottish Athletic Ground 7,300 (1,300 seats)[10] Richmond, London Promoted from National 3 (1st)
Plymouth Albion Beacon Park 1,950 (450 seats)[11] Plymouth, Devon 7th
Richmond Athletic Ground 7,300 (1,300 seats)[10] Richmond, London 3rd
Rugby Webb Ellis Road 3,200 (200 seats)[12][13] Rugby, Warwickshire 6th
Sale Heywood Road 4,000 (500 seats)[14] Sale, Greater Manchester 9th
Wakefield College Grove 4,000 (500 seats)[15] Wakefield, West Yorkshire Promoted from National 3 (2nd)
Waterloo St Anthony's Road 9,950 (950 seats)[16] Blundellsands, Merseyside 11th (no relegation)

Table

1990–91 National Division 2 table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Rugby (C) 12 10 0 2 252 146 +106 20 Promotion place
2 London Irish 12 9 1 2 239 192 +47 19
3 Wakefield 12 8 0 4 188 109 +79 16
4 Coventry 12 8 0 4 172 129 +43 16
5 London Scottish 12 7 0 5 240 178 +62 14
6 Newcastle Gosforth 12 6 0 6 169 140 +29 12
7 Sale 12 5 1 6 224 156 +68 11
8 Bedford 12 4 2 6 138 203 −65 10
9 Waterloo 12 4 1 7 154 206 −52 9
10 Blackheath 12 4 0 8 134 169 −35 8
11 Plymouth Albion 12 4 0 8 129 210 −81 8
12 Richmond 12 3 1 8 134 245 −111 7 Relegation place
13 Headingley 12 3 0 9 125 215 −90 6
Source: [17]
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

22 September 1990
Blackheath13 – 19London Scottish
Rectory Field
22 September 1990
Coventry26 – 15Waterloo
Coundon Road
22 September 1990
Headingley11 – 20Rugby
Clarence Fields
22 September 1990
London Irish19 – 18Plymouth Albion
The Avenue
22 September 1990
Newcastle Gosforth7 – 6Sale
Kingston Park
22 September 1990
Wakefield27 – 0Bedford
College Grove

[18]

Bye/s: Richmond

Round 2

6 October 1990
Bedford18 – 19London Irish
Goldington Road
6 October 1990
London Scottish9 – 12Coventry
Athletic Ground
6 October 1990
Plymouth Albion19 – 13Richmond
Beacon Park
6 October 1990
Rugby14 – 6Wakefield
Webb Ellis Road
6 October 1990
Sale42 – 0Headingley
Heywood Road
6 October 1990
Waterloo12 – 10Newcastle Gosforth
St Anthony's Road

[18]

Bye/s: Blackheath

Round 3

13 October 1990
Coventry16 – 4Blackheath
Coundon Road
13 October 1990
Headingley16 – 13Waterloo
Clarence Fields
13 October 1990
London Irish29 – 17Rugby
The Avenue
13 October 1990
Newcastle Gosforth12 – 13London Scottish
Kingston Park
13 October 1990
Richmond28 – 17Bedford
Athletic Ground
13 October 1990
Wakefield13 – 10Sale
College Grove

[18]

Bye/s: Plymouth Albion

Round 4

20 October 1990
Bedford10 – 9Plymouth Albion
Beacon Park
20 October 1990
Blackheath9 – 19Newcastle Gosforth
Rectory Field
20 October 1990
London Scottish30 – 7Headingley
Athletic Ground
20 October 1990
Rugby28 – 9Richmond
Webb Ellis Road
20 October 1990
Sale36 – 24London Irish
Heywood Road
20 October 1990
Waterloo6 – 14Wakefield
St Anthony's Road

[18]

Bye/s: Coventry

Round 5

27 October 1990
Headingley16 – 15Blackheath
Clarence Fields
27 October 1990
London Irish39 – 0Waterloo
The Avenue
27 October 1990
Newcastle Gosforth10 – 9Coventry
Kingston Park
27 October 1990
Plymouth Albion6 – 28Rugby
Beacon Park
27 October 1990
Richmond10 – 9Sale
Athletic Ground
27 October 1990
Wakefield21 – 9London Scottish
College Grove

[18]

Bye/s: Bedford

Round 6

10 November 1990
Blackheath12 – 7Wakefield
Rectory Field
10 November 1990
Coventry11 – 3Headingley
Coundon Road
10 November 1990
London Scottish13 – 17London Irish
Athletic Ground
10 November 1990
Rugby28 – 3Bedford
Webb Ellis Road
10 November 1990
Sale20 – 9Plymouth Albion
Heywood Road
10 November 1990
Waterloo25 – 9Richmond
St Anthony's Road

[18]

Bye/s: Newcastle Gosforth

Round 7

17 November 1990
Bedford10 – 10Sale
Goldington Road
17 November 1990
Headingley7 – 18Newcastle Gosforth
Clarence Fields
17 November 1990
London Irish21 – 18Blackheath
The Avenue
17 November 1990
Plymouth Albion13 – 21Waterloo
Beacon Park
17 November 1990
Richmond15 – 40London Scottish
Athletic Ground
17 November 1990
Wakefield32 – 10Coventry
College Grove

[18]

Bye/s: Rugby

Round 8

12 January 1991
Blackheath12 – 9Richmond
Rectory Field
12 January 1991
Coventry20 – 4London Irish
Coundon Road
12 January 1991
London Scottish32 – 0Plymouth Albion
Athletic Ground
12 January 1991
Newcastle Gosforth6 – 13Wakefield
Kingston Park
12 January 1991
Sale18 – 26Rugby
Heywood Road
12 January 1991
Waterloo13 – 13Bedford
St Anthony's Road

[18]

Bye/s: Headingley

Round 9

23 February 1991
BedfordP – PLondon Scottish
Goldington Road
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 20 March 1991.
23 February 1991
London IrishP – PNewcastle Gosforth
The Avenue
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 20 March 1991.
23 February 1991
Plymouth AlbionP – PBlackheath
Beacon Park
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 March 1991.
23 February 1991
RichmondP – PCoventry
Athletic Ground
  • Postponed. Game rescheduled to 20 March 1991.
23 February 1991
Rugby16 – 13Waterloo
Webb Ellis Road
23 February 1991
Wakefield17 – 9Headingley
College Grove

[18]

Bye/s: Sale

Round 9 (rescheduled game)

2 March 1991
Plymouth Albion13 – 3Blackheath
Beacon Park
  • Game rescheduled from 23 February 1991.

Round 10

9 March 1991
Blackheath12 – 16Bedford
Rectory Field
9 March 1991
Coventry21 – 9Plymouth Albion
Coundon Road
9 March 1991
Headingley9 – 10London Irish
Clarence Fields
9 March 1991
London Scottish27 – 19Rugby
Athletic Ground
9 March 1991
Newcastle Gosforth22 – 7Richmond
Kingston Park
9 March 1991
Waterloo17 – 13Sale
St Anthony's Road

[18]

Bye/s: Wakefield

Round 9 (rescheduled game)

20 March 1991
London Irish24 – 16Newcastle Gosforth
The Avenue
  • Game rescheduled from 23 February 1991.

Round 11

23 March 1991
Bedford7 – 9Coventry
Goldington Road
23 March 1991
London Irish15 – 9Wakefield
The Avenue
23 March 1991
Plymouth Albion12 – 3Newcastle Gosforth
Beacon Park
23 March 1991
Richmond17 – 6Headingley
Athletic Ground
23 March 1991
Rugby18 – 7Blackheath
Webb Ellis Road
23 March 1991
Sale25 – 10London Scottish
Heywood Road

[18]

Bye/s: Waterloo

Round 9 (rescheduled games)

20 March 1991
Bedford21 – 16London Scottish
Goldington Road
  • Game rescheduled from 23 February 1991.
20 March 1991
Richmond0 – 13Coventry
Athletic Ground
  • Game rescheduled from 23 February 1991.

Round 12

13 April 1991
Blackheath14 – 12Sale
Rectory Field
13 April 1991
Coventry9 – 13Rugby
Coundon Road
13 April 1991
Headingley31 – 6Plymouth Albion
Clarence Fields
13 April 1991
London Scottish22 – 16Waterloo
Athletic Ground
13 April 1991
Newcastle Gosforth22 – 7Bedford
Kingston Park
13 April 1991
Wakefield20 – 3Richmond
College Grove

[18]

Bye/s: London Irish

Round 13

27 April 1991
Bedford16 – 10Headingley
Goldington Road
  • Headingley are relegated.
27 April 1991
Plymouth Albion15 – 9Wakefield
College Grove
27 April 1991
Richmond18 – 18London Irish
Athletic Ground
  • Richmond are relegated while London Irish are promoted as league runners up.
27 April 1991
Rugby25 – 8Newcastle Gosforth
Webb Ellis Road
  • Rugby are promoted as league champions.
27 April 1991
Sale23 – 16Coventry
Heywood Road
27 April 1991
Waterloo3 – 15Blackheath
St Anthony's Road

[18]

Bye/s: London Scottish

Notes

  1. ^ Formerly known as Gosforth, the club changed their name to Newcastle Gosforth ahead of the 1990–91 season.[6]
  2. ^ Previously based at North Road, Gosforth had spent the 1989–90 season ground sharing at the Prenton Avenue, the home ground of Percy Park RFC, before moving into Kingston Park for the 1990–91 season.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Ross Young, ed. (1993). "Season by Season Leading Scorers". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1993–94. Taunton: Tony Williams Publications. p. 50.
  2. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1991). Courage Club Championship Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1991–92 (4th ed.). Taunton: Tony Williams.
  3. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Bedford R.U.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 85.
  4. ^ Bill Mitchell, ed. (1994). "Blackheath FC (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1994–95. Windsor: Tony Williamson Publications. p. 179.
  5. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Coventry F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 94.
  6. ^ a b "CLUB HISTORY". Newcastle Red Bulls. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  7. ^ "Rugby Union: Winger Inga has the power". Independent. 1 March 1999.
  8. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Headingley F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 96.
  9. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "London Irish R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 98.
  10. ^ a b Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Richmond F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 112.
  11. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Plymouth Albion RFC (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 109.
  12. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Rugby F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 116.
  13. ^ "Gloucester v. Leicester (PDF, opens in a new window)" (PDF). Gloucester Rugby Heritage. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  14. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Sale F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 118.
  15. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Wakefield R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 123.
  16. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Waterloo F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 126.
  17. ^ Stephen Jones, ed. (1991). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1991–92 (20th ed.). London: Queen Anne Press/Rothmans Publications.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Fixtures / Results (September 22, 1990 to April 27, 1991)". Rugby Archives. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
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