1996–97 Courage League National Division Three

1996–97 Courage League National Division Three
Countries	England
Champions	Exeter (1st title)
Runners-up	Fylde (also promoted)
Relegated	Walsall, Havant, Redruth, Clifton
Matches played	240
← 1995–96 1997–98 →

The 1996–97 Courage League National Division Three was the tenth full season of rugby union within the third tier of the English league system, currently known as National League 1. Exeter won a title for the second season in succession, following last seasons National League 4 title. The runner-up, Fylde, finished one point behind Exeter and were also promoted. Four teams were relegated; Walsall to National 2 North and Havant, Redruth and Clifton to National 2 South.

Structure

The league consists of sixteen teams, playing each other on a home and away basis to make a total of thirty matches for each team. There are two promotion places and four relegation places, with the champions and runner-up promoted to National League 2 and the last four teams relegated to either National Division 4 North or South, depending on their location.^[1]^[2]

Participating teams and locations

National Division Three was increased from ten teams to sixteen with six of the clubs participating in last seasons competition. To make up the numbers the top eight teams in National Division Four were all promoted; Lydney and Wharfedale, as champions of National League 5 South and National League 5 North respectively were also promoted, from the fifth to the third tier.

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Clifton	Station Road	2,500	Cribbs Causeway, Henbury, Bristol	Promoted from Division 4 (6th)
Exeter	County Ground	5,200	Exeter, Devon	Promoted from Division 4 (champions)
Fylde	Woodlands	9,000	Lytham St Annes, Lancashire	10th
Harrogate	Claro Road		Harrogate, North Yorkshire	6th
Havant	Hook's Lane	1,500	Havant, Hampshire	Promoted from Division 4 (8th)
Leeds	Headingley Stadium	22,250	Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire	Promoted from Division 4 (5th)
Liverpool St Helens	Moss Lane		St Helens, Merseyside	Promoted from Division 4 (3rd)
London Welsh	Old Deer Park	5,850	Richmond, London	Promoted from Division 4 (runners up)
Lydney	Regentsholm	1,500	Lydney, Gloucestershire	Promoted from National League 5 South (champions)
Morley	Scatcherd Lane		Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire	5th
Otley	Cross Green	5,000	Otley, West Yorkshire	8th
Reading	Holme Park		Reading, Berkshire	Promoted from Division 4 (champions)
Redruth	Recreation Ground	12,000	Redruth, Cornwall	Promoted from Division 4 (7th)
Rosslyn Park	The Rock	2,000	Roehampton, London	9th
Walsall	Broadway Ground	1,150	Walsall, West Midlands	Promoted from Division 4 (4th)
Wharfedale	The Avenue	2,000	Threshfield, North Yorkshire	Promoted from National League 5 North (champions)

Liverpool
St Helens

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1996–97 Courage League National Division Three teams in England

League table

	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Points
1996–97 Courage League National Division Three Table^[3]
1	Exeter	30	25	0	5	923	443	480	50
2	Fylde	30	24	1	5	813	439	374	49
3	Leeds	30	24	0	6	1209	432	777	48
4	Morley	30	22	0	8	928	570	358	44
5	Harrogate	30	18	0	12	823	599	224	36
6	Reading	30	17	1	12	969	631	338	31
7	Wharfedale	30	17	0	13	710	635	75	30
8	Rosslyn Park	30	17	0	13	630	620	10	30
9	Otley	30	13	0	17	720	766	−46	26
10	Lydney	30	13	0	17	668	766	−98	26
11	London Welsh	30	12	0	18	632	777	−145	24
12	Liverpool St Helens	30	9	0	21	665	827	−162	18
13	Walsall	30	8	0	22	640	980	–340	16
14	Havant	30	8	0	22	580	954	−374	16
15	Redruth	30	8	0	22	565	1116	−551	16
16	Clifton	30	4	0	26	518	1347	−829	8
Points are awarded as follows: 2 pts for a win 1 pt for a draw 0 pts for a loss
If teams are level at any stage, the following tiebreaker is applied: Difference between points for and against
Green background are promotion places. Pink background are relegation places.

Sponsorship

National Division Three is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery. This was their tenth and final season of sponsorship.^[2]

References

^ Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1996). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1996–97 (25 ed.). London: Headline Book Publishing. pp. 150–163. ISBN 978-0-7472-7771-2.
^ ^a ^b Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98 (26 ed.). London: Headline Book Publishing. pp. 87–100. ISBN 0 7472 7732 X.
^ "Courage Clubs Championship 1996/97". Moseley Rugby Club. Retrieved 19 December 2016.

National League 1

2023–24 teams

Former clubs

Seasons

National Division Three	1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97
National League One	1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000
National Division Two	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09
National League One	2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 ~~2020–21~~ 2021–22
National League 1	2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

Rugby union in England

Governing body

Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union for Women (merged into the RFU)

National teams

Men's	England England A 7's U-21 U-20 U-18 British & Irish Lions England Counties XV
Women's	Women's 7's

International competitions

Men's	World Cup Six Nations Rugby World Cup Sevens Sevens World Series Sevens Grand Prix Series Commonwealth Games
Women's	World Cup Six Nations World Series Sevens

Competition divisions

Men's	Premiership Championship National Leagues London and SE Division Northern Division Midland Division South West Division United Hospitals Cup
Women's	Premiership Women's Rugby