1990–91 Courage League National Division Two

1990–91 Courage League National Division Two
Countries England
ChampionsRugby (1st title)
Runners-upLondon Irish
RelegatedRichmond and Headingley
Matches played78
Top point scorer117   Brian Mullen
(London Irish)
Top try scorer9   Lindsay Renwick
(London Scottish)[1]

The 1990–91 Courage League National Division Two was the fourth full season of rugby union within the second tier of the English league system, currently known as the RFU Championship.

Rugby, the champions, were promoted to the Courage League National Division One for season 1991–92 along with the runner–up, London Irish. Headingley finished last and were relegated to Courage League National Division Three for season 1991–92 as were Richmond who finished one place above them.[2]

Participating teams and locations

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Greater London Courage League National Division Two teams

The number of teams in the division was increased by one to give a total of thirteen teams, with each team meeting the other teams once to give total of twelve matches each. Joining the ten teams who continued from last season were Bedford Blues who returned to Division Two after just one season in the top tier. Two teams, London Scottish and Wakefield were promoted from Division Three with London Scottish returning after just one season, and it was Wakefield's first season in this division. 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.

Team Stadium Capacity City/Area
Bedford Goldington Road 7,000 Bedford, Bedfordshire
Blackheath Rectory Field 6,000 Greenwich, London
Coventry Coundon Road 9,000 Coventry, West Midlands
Headingley Headingley Stadium 22,250 Leeds, West Yorkshire
London Irish The Avenue 6,600 Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey
London Scottish Athletic Ground 4,500 Richmond, London
Newcastle Gosworth Kingston Park 10,000 Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Plymouth Albion Beacon Park 3,500 Plymouth, Devon
Richmond Athletic Ground 4,500 Richmond, London
Rugby Lions Webb Ellis Road 4,000[3] Rugby, Warwickshire
Sale Heywood Road 5,400 Sale, Greater Manchester
Wakefield College Grove 3,000 Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Waterloo St Anthony's Road 9,000 Blundellsands, Merseyside

Table

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1990–91 Courage League National Division Two 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: [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

Sponsorship

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National Division Two is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Stephen McCormack, ed. (2000). The Official RFU Club Directory 2000–2001. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press.
  2. ^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1991). Courage Club Championship Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1991–92 (4th ed.). Taunton: Tony Williams.
  3. ^ "Gloucester v. Leicester (PDF, opens in a new window)" (PDF). Gloucester Rugby Heritage. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  4. ^ Stephen Jones, ed. (1991). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1991–92 (20th ed.). London: Queen Anne Press/Rothmans Publications.