English rugby union championship 1996/97
The 1996/1997 season of the English Premiership was the tenth season of the top division of the English Rugby Union Championship. For sponsorship reasons it was named Courage League . It comprised 22 game days, each with a preliminary and a second round. The London Wasps won the championship title for the second time . At the end of the season, the West Hartlepool RFC and the Orrell RUFC were relegated .
Courage League
- table
M: Last year's champion
P: Promotion (promoted) from National Division One
team | Games | Victories | Unent. | Ndlg. | Game points |
Diff. | Table points |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | London Wasps | 22nd | 18th | 1 | 3 | 685: 406 | + 279 | 37 |
2. | Bath Rugby (M) | 22nd | 15th | 1 | 6th | 836: 411 | + 425 | 31 |
3. | Harlequins | 22nd | 15th | 0 | 7th | 745: 416 | + 329 | 30th |
4th | Leicester Tigers | 22nd | 14th | 1 | 7th | 600: 395 | + 205 | 29 |
5. | Sale Sharks | 22nd | 13 | 2 | 7th | 603: 525 | + 78 | 28 |
6th | Gloucester RFC | 22nd | 12 | 1 | 9 | 568: 449 | + 119 | 25th |
7th | Saracens | 22nd | 11 | 1 | 10 | 476: 589 | - 113 | 23 |
8th. | Northampton Saints (P) | 22nd | 10 | 0 | 12 | 515: 477 | + 38 | 20th |
9. | Bristol rugby | 22nd | 8th | 1 | 13 | 432: 625 | - 193 | 17th |
10. | London Irish (P) | 22nd | 6th | 0 | 16 | 502: 747 | - 245 | 12 |
11. | West Hartlepool RFC | 22nd | 3 | 0 | 19th | 382: 795 | - 413 | 6th |
12. | Orrell RUFC | 22nd | 3 | 0 | 19th | 350: 886 | - 536 | 6th |
The points were distributed as follows:
- 2 points if you win
- 1 point in case of a tie
- 0 points if you lose
National Division One
The season of the second division ( National Division One ) comprised 22 game days, each with a preliminary and a second half . The top two teams, Richmond FC and Newcastle Falcons , went straight to the Premiership. The third and fourth placed wore a play-off with the tenth and ninth placed of the Premiership for promotion, but lost both. The Rugby Lions and the Nottingham RFC had to relegate to National Division Two.
- table
P: Promotion (promoted) from National Division Two
team | Games | Victories | Unent. | Ndlg. | Game points |
Diff. | Table points |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Richmond FC (P) | 22nd | 19th | 2 | 1 | 986: 410 | + 576 | 40 |
2. | Newcastle Falcons | 22nd | 19th | 1 | 2 | 1255: 346 | + 909 | 39 |
3. | Coventry RFC (P) | 22nd | 16 | 1 | 5 | 738: 394 | + 344 | 33 |
4th | Bedford Blues | 22nd | 15th | 0 | 7th | 720: 482 | + 238 | 30th |
5. | London Scottish | 22nd | 11 | 0 | 11 | 549: 568 | - 19th | 22nd |
6th | Wakefield RFC | 22nd | 11 | 0 | 11 | 504: 557 | - 53 | 22nd |
7th | Rotherham RUFC (P) | 22nd | 10 | 0 | 12 | 525: 661 | - 136 | 20th |
8th. | Moseley RFC | 22nd | 9 | 0 | 13 | 492: 741 | - 249 | 18th |
9. | Waterloo RFC | 22nd | 8th | 0 | 14th | 506: 661 | - 155 | 16 |
10. | Blackheath FC | 22nd | 7th | 0 | 15th | 412: 641 | - 229 | 14th |
11. | Rugby Lions (P) | 22nd | 3 | 0 | 19th | 317: 1060 | - 743 | 6th |
12. | Nottingham RFC | 22nd | 2 | 0 | 20th | 344: 827 | - 483 | 4th |
* Deduction of 2 points
The points were distributed as follows:
- 2 points if you win
- 1 point in case of a tie
- 0 points if you lose