1996–97 Courage League National Division One
1996–97 Courage League National 1 | |
---|---|
Countries | England |
Champions | Wasps RFC (2nd title) |
Runners-up | Bath |
Relegated | West Hartlepool Orrell |
Matches played | 132 |
Official website | |
www | |
The 1996–97 English Premiership (known as the Courage League National 1 for sponsorship reasons) was the tenth season of the top flight of rugby union in England. It was the first professional season in English rugby union history.
The league was made up of twelve teams with each team playing each other twice, in a round robin system.
Wasps were the champions, with a winning margin of six points above Bath, the runners–up. West Hartlepool and Orrell were relegated to National Division 2.[1] It was the tenth and final season of sponsorship by Courage.[2]
Participating teams
[edit]Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
---|---|---|---|
Bath | Recreation Ground | 8,200 | Bath, Somerset |
Bristol | Memorial Stadium | 12,100 | Bristol |
Gloucester | Kingsholm | 11,000 | Gloucester, Gloucestershire |
Harlequins | The Stoop | 8,500 | Twickenham, London |
Leicester Tigers | Welford Road | 16,000 | Leicester, Leicestershire |
London Irish | The Avenue | 6,600 | Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey |
Northampton Saints | Franklin's Gardens | 10,000 | Northampton, Northamptonshire |
Orrell | Edge Hall Road | 5,500 | Orrell, Greater Manchester |
Sale | Heywood Road | 5,400 | Sale, Greater Manchester |
Saracens | Southbury Road | 5,000 | Enfield, London |
Wasps | Loftus Road | 18,439 | Shepherd's Bush, London |
West Hartlepool | Victoria Park | 7,856 | Hartlepool, County Durham |
Table
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wasps (C) | 22 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 685 | 406 | +279 | 37 | Champions 1997–98 Heineken Cup |
2 | Bath | 22 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 863 | 411 | +452 | 31 | Qualified for 1997–98 Heineken Cup |
3 | Harlequins | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 745 | 416 | +329 | 30 | |
4 | Leicester Tigers | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 600 | 395 | +205 | 29 | |
5 | Sale Sharks | 22 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 603 | 525 | +78 | 28 | |
6 | Saracens | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 568 | 449 | +119 | 25 | |
7 | Gloucester | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 476 | 589 | −113 | 23 | |
8 | Northampton Saints | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 515 | 477 | +38 | 20 | |
9 | Bristol | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 432 | 625 | −193 | 17 | Relegation playoff |
10 | London Irish | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 502 | 747 | −245 | 12 | |
11 | West Hartlepool (R) | 22 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 382 | 795 | −413 | 6 | Relegated to 1997–98 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two |
12 | Orrell (R) | 22 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 350 | 886 | −536 | 6 |
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; (R) Relegated
Results
[edit]The home team is listed in the left column.
Relegation/Promotion playooffs
[edit]For the first time playooffs 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. The matches were played over two legs, with the second-tier team playing at home in the first leg.[2]
First leg
[edit]Second leg
[edit]Bristol won 39–23 on aggregate.
London Irish won 42–23 on aggregate.
See also
[edit]- 1996–97 Courage League National Division Two
- 1996–97 Courage League National Division Three
- 1996–97 Courage League Division 4 North
- 1996–97 Courage League Division 4 South
References
[edit]- ^ "League Tables". London Irish. Archived from the original on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ^ 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.