1989–90 Courage League National Division Two

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
	← 1988–89 1990–91 →

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	3,000^[2]	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	4,500	Richmond, London
Rugby Lions	Webb Ellis Road	4,000^[3]	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
Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	Northampton (C)	11	9	1	1	192	135	+57	19	Promoted
2	Liverpool St Helens	11	8	2	1	154	106	+48	18	Promoted
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

Source: ^[4]
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows:

2 pts for a win
1 pt for a draw
0 pts for a loss

(There was no relegation this season)
(C) Champions

Sponsorship

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

References

^ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91. Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd.
^ "Liverpool St Helens". Rugby Journal. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
^ "Gloucester v. Leicester (PDF, opens in a new window)" (PDF). Gloucester Rugby Heritage. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
^ "Courage Clubs Championship–1989/1990". Moseley Rugby Club. Retrieved 30 August 2012.