The 1988–89 Courage League National Division One was the second season of the first tier of the English league system , currently known as the Gallagher Premiership . Leicester Tigers were the defending champions while new sides Rosslyn Park and Liverpool St Helens were promoted from the 1987–88 Courage League National Division Two .
The fixture list was much more organised than with the previous season, where clubs had organised their own fixtures. Games were now played in rounds and home and away games were fairer, although as sides only played each other once, half the league had six home matches while the others had five. The points system was changed so that a win counted for 2 points, a draw 1 point and a loss no points (previously this had been 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 1 for a loss).
Bath became champions for the first time winning the league by a convincing margin from runners–up Gloucester . Waterloo and Liverpool St.Helens finished in the bottom two and were relegated to the 1989–90 Courage League National Division Two .[ 1]
Participating teams
Locations of the 1988–89 Courage League National Division One teams
Team
Stadium
Capacity
City/Area
Previous season
Bath
Recreation Ground
8,200
Bath , Somerset
4th
Bristol
Memorial Stadium
12,100
Bristol , Avon
9th
Gloucester
Kingsholm
11,000
Gloucester , Gloucestershire
5th
Harlequins
The Stoop
14,800
Twickenham , London
3rd
Leicester Tigers
Welford Road
16,000
Leicester , Leicestershire
Champions
Liverpool St Helens
Moss Lane
3,000[ 2]
St Helens , Merseyside
Promoted from Courage Division 2 (2nd)
Moseley
The Reddings
10,000
Birmingham , West Midlands
7th
Nottingham
Ireland Avenue
4,950
Beeston , Nottinghamshire
8th
Orrell
Edge Hall Road
5,500
Orrell , Greater Manchester
6th
Rosslyn Park
The Rock
2,000
Roehampton , London
Promoted from Courage Division 2 (1st)
Wasps
Repton Avenue
3,000
Sudbury , London
2nd
Waterloo
St Anthony's Road
9,000
Blundellsands , Merseyside
10th
Table
Source:
[ 3] Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows:
2 pts for a win
1 pt for a draw
0 pt for a loss(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Results table
The home team is listed on the left column.
Source:
[ 4] Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Fixtures & Results
Round 1
Kingsholm Referee: Colin High
Leicester Tigers 15 – 6 Wasps
Rosslyn Park 9 – 18 Nottingham
Waterloo 6 – 12 Liverpool St Helens
[ 5]
Round 2
Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,000[ 6] Referee: Steve Griffiths
Liverpool St Helens 12 – 23 Leicester Tigers
Moseley 7 – 13 Rosslyn Park
[ 5]
Round 3
Kingsholm Referee: Daniel Salles
Harlequins 15 – 6 Liverpool St Helens
Leicester Tigers 15 – 27 Orrell
[ 5]
Round 4
Recreation Ground Attendance: 9,000[ 6]
Liverpool St Helens 9 – 31 Gloucester
Moss Lane Referee: Laurie Prideaux
Nottingham 12 – 12 Leicester Tigers
[ 5]
Round 5
Orrell 20 – 4 Liverpool St Helens
Rosslyn Park 8 – 26 Gloucester
The Rock Referee: S V Trevithick
Waterloo 22 – 34 Leicester Tigers
[ 5]
Round 6
Kingsholm Referee: Steve Griffiths
Harlequins 23 – 24 Waterloo
Leicester Tigers 28 – 15 Rosslyn Park
Liverpool St Helens 15 – 22 Nottingham
[ 5]
Round 7
Leicester Tigers 21 – 31 Harlequins
Moseley 18 – 15 Liverpool St Helens
Rosslyn Park 18 – 16 Bristol
Waterloo 15 – 15 Gloucester
[ 5]
Round 8
Gloucester 28 – 0 Leicester Tigers
Kingsholm Referee: Roger Quittenton
Liverpool St Helens 7 – 21 Bath
Moss Lane Referee: D Hudson[ 6]
Rosslyn Park 12 – 16 Harlequins
[ 5]
Round 9
Recreation Ground Referee: D W Matthews[ 6]
Harlequins 26 – 11 Gloucester
The Stoop Referee: Fred Howard
Leicester Tigers 13 – 12 Bristol
Wasps 16 – 10 Liverpool St Helens
Waterloo 14 – 24 Rosslyn Park
[ 5]
Round 10
Waterloo are relegated.[ 6]
Liverpool St Helens 12 – 32 Rosslyn Park
Liverpool St Helens are relegated.
Moseley 22 – 13 Leicester Tigers
Nottingham 12 – 0 Harlequins
Edge Hall Road Referee: Tony Trigg
[ 5]
Round 11
Bristol 50 – 14 Liverpool St Helens
Gloucester 13 – 6 Nottingham
Kingsholm Referee: A L Mason
Leicester Tigers 15 – 12 Bath
[ 5]
National Division One is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery
See also
References
2024–25 teams Former clubs Seasons
National Division One Premiership Rugby
Other