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.
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 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
| 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
|
Table
Source:
[4]Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows:
- two points for a win
- one point for a draw
- no points for a loss
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
- difference between points for and against
- total number of points for
(C) Champions
Fixtures & Results
Round 1
| Blackheath | 44 – 5 | Rotherham |
| | |
| London Scottish | 43 – 7 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
Kingston Park
Attendance: 1,400[18] |
[19][20]
Round 2
| Nottingham | 29 – 74 | Newcastle |
| | |
| Rugby Lions | 3 – 61 | Coventry |
| | |
| Wakefield | 27 – 30 | London Scottish |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 3
| London Scottish | 42 – 30 | Waterloo |
| | |
| Newcastle | 61 – 0 | Blackheath |
| | |
| Rotherham | 49 – 18 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 4
| Nottingham | 12 – 26 | London Scottish |
| | |
Athletic Ground
Attendance: 7,000[18] |
| Wakefield | 25 – 29 | Rotherham |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 5
| Coventry | 102 – 22 | Nottingham |
| | |
Coundon Road
Referee: Nigel Yates[21] |
| London Scottish | 23 – 31 | Blackheath |
| | |
| Newcastle | 156 – 5 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 6
| Blackheath | 10 – 16 | Coventry |
| | |
| Nottingham | 21 – 44 | Rotherham |
| | |
| Richmond | 54 – 13 | London Scottish |
| | |
| Rugby Lions | 29 – 22 | Moseley |
| | |
| Wakefield | 17 – 47 | Newcastle |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 7
| Coventry | 66 – 6 | London Scottish |
| | |
| Nottingham | 12 – 22 | Blackheath |
| | |
| Richmond | 64 – 8 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 8
| Blackheath | 21 – 40 | Richmond |
| | |
| London Scottish | 42 – 10 | Moseley |
| | |
| Rugby Lions | 17 – 22 | Wakefield |
| | |
| Waterloo | 19 – 20 | Nottingham |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 9
| Blackheath | 24 – 33 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
| Coventry | 19 – 18 | Newcastle |
| Report[1] | |
Coundon Road
Attendance: 8,000[c]
Referee: Neil Cousins |
| Nottingham | 18 – 40 | Wakefield |
| | |
| Rotherham | 28 – 18 | London Scottish |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 10
| London Scottish | 26 – 27 | Bedford |
| | |
- Postponed due to Newcastle requesting game be switched due to international call-ups.[22] Game rescheduled to 5 May 1997.[d]
| Rugby Lions | 20 – 12 | Nottingham |
| | |
| Waterloo | 16 – 10 | Blackheath |
| | |
[19]
Round 11
| Blackheath | 13 – 17 | Wakefield |
| | |
| London Scottish | 12 – 28 | Newcastle |
| | |
| Rotherham | 18 – 9[e] | Moseley |
| | |
| Rugby Lions | 15 – 56 | Waterloo |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 12
| Rotherham | 39 – 11[f] | Blackheath |
| | |
| Rugby Lions | P – P | London Scottish |
| | |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 29 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 29 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 30 April 1997.
[19]
Round 13
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
| London Scottish | P – P | Wakefield |
| | |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 31 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
[19]
Round 14
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 April 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 February 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 January 1997.
| Rugby Lions | P – P | Rotherham |
| | |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 May 1997.
| Waterloo | P – P | London Scottish |
| | |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 May 1997.
[19]
Round 15
| London Scottish | 33 – 10 | Nottingham |
| | |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 29 March 1997.
| Rotherham | 12 – 19 | Wakefield |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 14 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
[19]
Round 16
| Blackheath | 13 – 19 | London Scottish |
| | |
| Rugby Lions | 8 – 70 | Newcastle |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 13 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
| Coventry | 24 – 10 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
[19][20]
Round 17
| Coventry | 74 – 10 | Blackheath |
| | |
| London Scottish | 18 – 37 | Richmond |
| | |
| Moseley | 34 – 11 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
| Newcastle | 57 – 10 | Wakefield |
| | |
| Rotherham | 30 – 24 | Nottingham |
| | |
[19][20]
Rounds 13 & 14 (rescheduled games)
| Rugby Lions | 16 – 41 | Rotherham |
| | |
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
| Newcastle | 53 – 17 | Nottingham |
| | |
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
[19][20]
Round 18
| Blackheath | 24 – 0 | Nottingham |
| | |
| London Scottish | 13 – 14 | Coventry |
| | |
| Rugby Lions | 31 – 72 | Richmond |
| | |
[19][20]
Rounds 12 & 15 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 18 January 1997.
| Rugby Lions | 16 – 45 | London Scottish |
| | |
- Game rescheduled from 28 December 1996.
- Game rescheduled from 28 December 1996.
[19]
Round 13 (rescheduled game)
| London Scottish | 34 – 3 | Wakefield |
| | |
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
Round 19
| Bedford | 34 – 28 | Newcastle |
| [5] | |
Goldington Road
Attendance: 6,500[g]
Referee: S Lander |
| Moseley | 44 – 16 | London Scottish |
| | |
| Nottingham | 13 – 33 | Waterloo |
| | |
| Richmond | 29 – 24 | Blackheath |
| | |
| Wakefield | 53 – 12 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 20
| London Scottish | 25 – 3 | Rotherham |
| | |
| Rugby Lions | 24 – 32 | Blackheath |
| | |
| Wakefield | 31 – 16 | Nottingham |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 15 (rescheduled game)
| Blackheath | 10 – 72 | Newcastle |
| | |
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
[19]
Round 21
| Bedford | 14 – 28 | London Scottish |
| | |
| Blackheath | 27 – 48 | Waterloo |
| | |
| Nottingham | 44 – 10 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
| Rotherham | 21 – 45 | Newcastle |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 22
| Newcastle | 71 – 20 | London Scottish |
| | |
| Wakefield | 14 – 11 | Blackheath |
| | |
| Waterloo | 45 – 12 | Rugby Lions |
| | |
[19][20]
Round 12 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 28 December 1996.
Rounds 10, 12 & 14 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
| Waterloo | 23 – 17 | London Scottish |
| | |
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
| Newcastle | 61 – 13 | Rotherham |
| | |
- Game rescheduled from 9 November 1996.
[19][20]
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
Second leg
- Bristol won 39 – 23 on aggregate to retain their place in Division One
| London Irish | 28 – 7 | Coventry |
| | |
- 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.
Top points scorers
[23]
|
Top try scorers
[24]
|
Season records
Team
- Largest home win — 151 pts
156 - 5 Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996
- Largest away win — 72 pts
87 - 15 Richmond away to Moseley on 5 October 1996
- Most points scored — 151 pts
156 - 5 Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996
- Most tries in a match — 24
Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996
- Most conversions in a match — 18
Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996
- Most penalties in a match — 7
Rotherham away to Richmond on 14 September 1996
- Most drop goals in a match — 2 (x3)
Coventry at home to Wakefield on 21 September 1996
London Scottish away to Blackheath on 8 February 1997
Blackheath at home to Nottingham on 22 March 1997
[25][26][27][28]
|
Player
- Most points in a match — 42
Jez Harris for Coventry at home to Nottingham on 5 October 1996
- Most tries in a match — 5
Pat Lam for Newcastle Falcons at home to Rotherham on 4 May 1997
- Most conversions in a match — 18
Rob Andrew for Newcastle Falcons at home to Rugby Lions on 5 October 1996
- Most penalties in a match — 7
Matt Inman for Rotherham away to Richmond on 14 September 1996
- Most drop goals in a match — 2 (x2)
Jez Harris for Coventry at home to Wakefield on 21 September 1996
Chris Braithwaite for Blackheath at home to Nottingham on 22 March 1997
[29][30][31][32][33]
Attendances
- Note that attendances were very poorly documented this season and aside from a few big games there is almost no information available
- Highest — 8,000
Coventry at home to Newcastle Falcons on 2 November 1996[34][35]
- Lowest — N/A
N/A
- Highest Average Attendance — N/A
N/A
- Lowest Average Attendance — N/A
N/A
[36]
|
Notes
- ^ 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].
- ^ Formerly known as Newcastle Gosforth, the club changed their name to Newcastle ahead of the 1996–97 season.[11]
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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]
- ^ 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]
- ^ The Rugby Archive gives this result on the wrong date - the correct date is taken from the Rotherham Titans results page.[20]
- ^ 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
- ^ a b "Rugby Union: Harris has the drop on tough Newcastle". The Independent. 4 November 1996.
- ^ Stephen McCormack, ed. (2000). The Official RFU Club Directory 2000–2001. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press.
- ^ a b c Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0-7472-7732-X.
- ^ a b "Courage League Championship 1996/97". Moseley Rugby Club. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Rugby Union: Popplewell's punch sullies thriller". Independent. 7 April 1997.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Bill Mitchell, ed. (1994). "Blackheath FC (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1994–95. Windsor: Tony Williamson Publications. p. 179.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Moseley F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 61.
- ^ "CLUB HISTORY". Newcastle Red Bulls. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
- ^ "Rugby Union: Winger Inga has the power". Independent. 1 March 1999.
- ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). "Nottingham R.F.C. (Ground Details)". Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 66.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Gloucester v. Leicester (PDF, opens in a new window)" (PDF). Gloucester Rugby Heritage. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Division Two 1996/97". Falcons Rugby. 9 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "Fixtures / Results (September 9, 1995 to May 4, 1996)". Rugby Archives. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "1996/97 (National 2)". Rotherham Titans Rugby. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ^ "Ghosts of Nottingham Past". Rugby Network. 6 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Rugby Union: Leicester and Quins games off". Independent. 8 November 1999.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Leading points scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Leading try scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Most tries in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Most conversions in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Most penalties in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Most drop goals in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Most points in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Most tries in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Most conversions in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Most penalties in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Most drop goals in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
- ^ "Rugby Union: Harris has the drop on tough Newcastle". The Independent. 4 November 1996. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01.
- ^ "Falcons in Division Two 1996/97". thesouthstandchoir.wordpress.com. 9 August 2012.
- ^ "National Two 96/97 Home attendance". Rugby Statbunker. 11 May 1997.
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