1989–90 Courage League National Division Two

1989–90 Courage League National Division Two
Countries  England
Champions Northampton (1st title)
Runners-up Liverpool St Helens
Relegated None
Matches played 66

The 1989–90 Courage League National Division Two was the third full season of rugby union within the second tier of the English league system, currently known as the RFU Championship. Each team played one match against each of the other teams in the league, playing a total of eleven matches. Three teams participated in the division for the first time. They were Waterloo who were relegated from last seasons Division One, and Rugby and Plymouth Albion who were promoted from Division Three. They joined the nine teams who remained from the previous seasons.

Northampton, the champions, were promoted to the Courage League National Division One for season 1990–91 along with the runners–up Liverpool St Helens. It was the second time in three seasons that Liverpool St Helens won promotion from National Division Two. Due to the expansion of the national divisions there was no relegation to Courage League National Division Three.[1]

Participating teams

Locations of the 1989–90 Courage League National Division Two teams
Team Stadium Capacity City/Area
Blackheath Rectory Field 6,000 Greenwich, London
Coventry Coundon Road 9,000+ Coventry, West Midlands
Liverpool St Helens Moss Lane St Helens, Merseyside
Gosworth North Road Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Headingley Bridge Road Leeds, West Yorkshire
London Irish The Avenue 6,600 Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey
Northampton Saints Franklin's Gardens 10,000 Northampton, Northamptonshire
Plymouth Albion Beacon Park 3,500 Plymouth, Devon
Richmond Athletic Ground, Richmond 4,500 Richmond, London
Rugby Lions Webb Ellis Road 1,000 Rugby, Warwickshire
Sale Heywood Road 5,400 Sale, Greater Manchester
Waterloo St Anthony's Road 9,000 Blundellsands, Merseyside

Table

1989–90 Courage League National Division Two Table[2]
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Points
1 Northampton 11 9 1 1 192 135 57 19
2 Liverpool St Helens 11 8 2 1 154 106 48 18
3 Richmond 11 7 1 3 282 135 147 15
4 Coventry 11 6 1 4 206 185 21 13
5 London Irish 11 6 0 5 228 247 –19 12
6 Rugby 11 5 0 6 238 172 66 10
7 Plymouth Albion 11 5 0 6 206 164 42 10
8 Headingley 11 5 0 6 161 226 –65 10
9 Sale 11 4 0 7 153 182 –29 8
10 Blackheath 11 3 2 6 141 205 –64 8
11 Waterloo 11 3 0 8 147 193 –46 6
12 Gosforth 11 1 1 9 108 266 –158 3
  • Points are awarded as follows:
  1. 2 pts for a win
  2. 1 pt for a draw
  3. 0 pts for a loss
Green background are teams promoted. (There was no relegation this season)

Sponsorship

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

See also

References

  1. Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91. Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd.
  2. "Courage Clubs Championship–1989/1990". Moseley Rugby Club. Retrieved 30 August 2012.