1997–98 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two
The 1997–98 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two was the eleventh full season of rugby union within the second tier of the English league system, currently known as the RFU Championship. New teams to the division included West Hartlepoool and Orrell who had been relegated from the Courage Premiership 1996-97 while Exeter and Fylde were promoted from National League 1. For the first time Premiership Two, along with the Premiership, was sponsored by the assurance company Allied Dunbar. For the previous ten seasons the league was known as the Courage Clubs Championship and sponsored by Courage Brewery.
| 1997–98 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  England |
| Champions | Bedford |
| Runners-up | West Hartlepool London Scottish (also promoted) |
| Relegated | None |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Top point scorer |  Mike Rayer(Bedford) 289 points |
| Top try scorer | Ben Whetstone (Bedford)  Darragh O'Mahony(Moseley) 17 tries[1] |
Bedford, the champions, were promoted to the Allied Dunbar Premiership for season 1998–99, along with runner-up West Hartlepool. From next season, the top two divisions would consist of fourteen teams, an increase of two per division. The bottom two teams in the top tier played the third and fourth teams in Premiership Two for the final two places in the top division. Third place London Scottish won promotion by beating Bristol in a two legged play-off, while fourth placed Rotherham lost to London Irish. There was no relegation to Jewson National League 1 because of the increase in teams in the top two divisions.[2]
Participating teams
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | Goldington Road | 7,000 | Bedford, Bedfordshire |
| Blackheath | Rectory Field | 6,000 | Greenwich, London |
| Coventry | Coundon Road | 9,000+ | Coventry, West Midlands |
| Exeter | County Ground | 5,200 | Exeter, Devon |
| Fylde | Woodlands Memorial Ground | 9,000 | Lytham St Annes, Lancashire |
| London Scottish | Athletic Ground | 4,500 | Richmond, London |
| Moseley | The Reddings | 10,000 (est) | Birmingham, West Midlands |
| Orrell | Edge Hall Road | 3,000 | Orrell, Greater Manchester |
| Rotherham | Clifton Lane | 2,500 | Rotherham, South Yorkshire |
| Wakefield | College Grove | 3,000 | Wakefield, West Yorkshire |
| Waterloo | St Anthony's Road | 9,000 | Blundellsands, Merseyside |
| West Hartlepool | Victoria Park | 7,856 | Hartlepool, County Durham |
Final table
| 1997–98 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two Table | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points difference | Points | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bedford | 22 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 791 | 365 | 436 | 38[a] | |||||
| 2 | West Hartlepool | 22 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 617 | 431 | 186 | 31 | |||||
| 3 | London Scottish | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 517 | 404 | 113 | 29 | |||||
| 4 | Rotherham | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 566 | 386 | 180 | 28 | |||||
| 5 | Orrell | 22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 533 | 400 | 133 | 24 | |||||
| 6 | Moseley | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 478 | 421 | 57 | 23 | |||||
| 7 | Coventry | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 444 | 532 | −88 | 23 | |||||
| 8 | Waterloo | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 510 | 525 | −15 | 22 | |||||
| 9 | Blackheath | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 472 | 621 | −149 | 16 | |||||
| 10 | Wakefield | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 382 | 556 | −174 | 12 | |||||
| 11 | Exeter | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 334 | 553 | −219 | 12 | |||||
| 12 | Fylde | 22 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 258 | 710 | −452 | 4 | |||||
| ||||||||||||||
Green background are promotion places. (There was no relegation this season).
| ||||||||||||||
Results
Round 1
Round 2
| 7 September 1997 |
| Coventry | 29 – 8 | Exeter |
| Coundon Road |
| 7 September 1997 |
| London Scottish | 34 – 6 | Blackheath |
| Richmond Athletic Ground |
| 7 September 1997 |
| Moseley | P – P | Fylde |
| The Reddings |
- match postponed and rescheduled to 25 April 1998.
| 7 September 1997 |
| Waterloo | 30 – 18 | Wakefield |
| St Anthony's Road |
| 7 September 1997 |
| West Hartlepool | P – P | Bedford |
| Victoria Park |
- match postponed and rescheduled to 2 May 1998.
| 7 September 1997 |
| Orrell | P – P | Rotherham |
| Edge Hall Road |
- match postponed and rescheduled to 18 April 1998.
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
| 27 December 1997 |
| Coventry | P – P | Orrell |
- postponed, match rescheduled to 24 January 1998.
| 27 December 1997 |
| London Scottish | P – P | Exeter |
- postponed, match rescheduled to 24 January 1998.
| 27 December 1997 |
| Wakefield | P – P | Blackheath |
- postponed, match rescheduled to 18 April 1998.
| 27 December 1997 |
| Waterloo | P – P | West Hartlepool |
- postponed, match rescheduled to 11 April 1998.
Round 14
Round 13 (rescheduled matches)
Round 15
Round 16
Rescheduled matches
Round 17
| 7 March 1998 |
| Fylde | P – P | Moseley |
- postponed, match rescheduled to 4 April 1998.
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20 (including postponed match from round 13)
| 11 April 1998 |
| Moseley | P – P | Coventry |
| The Reddings |
- postponed, match rescheduled to 22 April 1998.
- match rescheduled from round 13.
Round 21 (including postponed matches from rounds 2 & 13)
- match rescheduled from round 2.
- match rescheduled from round 13.
Round 22
Round 2 (rescheduled match)
Individual statistics
- Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
|
Top try scorers
|
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Season records
Team
77 – 3 Bedford at home to Coventry on 8 November 1997
67 – 7 Bedford away to Fylde on 27 December 1997
77 – 3 Bedford at home to Coventry on 8 November 1997
Bedford Blues at home to Coventry on 8 November 1997
Bedford at home to Coventry on 8 November 1997
N/A - multiple teams
Exeter at home to Bedford on 13 September 1997 |
Player
N/A - multiple players
Attendances
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A [14] |
See also
References
- Stephen McCormack, ed. (2000). The Official RFU Club Directory 2000–2001. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press.
- "Leagues 1997/98". Moseley Rugby Club. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Leading point scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Leading try scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Most tries in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Most conversions in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Most penalties in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Most drop goals in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Most points in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Most tries in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Most conversions in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Most penalties in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Most drop goals in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.
- "AD Prem 2 97/98 Home attendance". Rugby Statbunker. 2 May 1998.