The 1998-99 Premiership 2 was the twelfth full season of rugby union within the second tier of the English league system, currently known as the RFU Championship. The league was expanded from twelve teams to fourteen and new teams to the division included Bristol who had been relegated from Premiership 1 while London Welsh, Rugby Lions, Leeds Tykes and Worcester were promoted from National League 1. Allied Dunbar sponsored the top two divisions of the English rugby union leagues for the second season in a row. The leagues were previously known as the Courage Clubs Championship and sponsored by Courage Brewery.
Bristol, the champions, were promoted to the Allied Dunbar Premiership for season 1999–00. The runners–up Rotherham lost to the thirteenth placed team in the Premiership (Bedford) in a two legged play–off and did not gain promotion. Blackheath and Fylde were relegated to Jewson National League 1 for the following season.
Participating teams
TeamStadiumCapacityCity/AreaPrevious seasonBlackheathRectory Field3,500 (500 seats)Greenwich, London9thBristolMemorial Stadium8,500 (1,200 seats)BristolRelegated from Premiership 1 (12th)CoventryCoundon Road10,000 (1,100 seats) Coventry, West Midlands7thExeterCounty Ground5,750 (750 seats)Exeter, Devon11th (no relegation)FyldeWoodlands7,500 (500 seats)Lytham St Annes, Lancashire12th (no relegation)Leeds TykesHeadingley Stadium22,250Leeds, West YorkshirePromoted from National 1 (2nd)London WelshOld Deer Park4,500 (1,500 seats)Richmond, LondonPromoted from National 1 (3rd)MoseleyThe Reddings9,999 (1,800 seats)Birmingham, West Midlands6thOrrellEdge Hall Road5,300 (300 seats) Orrell, Greater Manchester5thRotherhamClifton Lane2,500Rotherham, South Yorkshire4thRugby LionsWebb Ellis Road3,200 (200 seats) Rugby, WarwickshirePromoted from National 1 (4th)WakefieldCollege Grove4,000 (500 seats) Wakefield, West Yorkshire10thWaterlooSt Anthony's Road9,950 (950 seats) Blundellsands, Merseyside8thWorcesterSixways8,477Worcester, WorcestershirePromoted from National 1 (1st)
Table
Results
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Postponed. Game rescheduled for 20 February 1999.
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Postponed. Game rescheduled for 20 March 1999.
Round 16
Postponed. Game rescheduled for 21 February 1999.
Round 17
Round 18
Round 3 & 16 (Rescheduled games)
Round 19
Round 20
Round 15 (Rescheduled game)
Round 21
Round 22
Round 26 (Rescheduled game)
Game brought forward from 8 May 1999.
Round 23
Round 24
Round 25
Round 26
Game brought forward to 10 April 1999.
Total Season Attendances
ClubHomeGamesTotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity Blackheath 4 3,000 750 1,300 500 13% Bristol 13 43,369 3,336 7,326 2,012 39% Coventry 5 6,460 1,292 1,500 1,000 13% Exeter 5 6,040 1,208 2,000 670 21% Fylde 5 3,000 600 700 400 8% Leeds Tykes 13 11,230 864 2,682 287 4% London Welsh 13 16,800 1,292 2,400 600 29% Moseley 4 2,893 723 1,199 503 7% Orrell 6 5,750 958 1,200 700 18% Rotherham 2 4,520 2,260 3,000 1,520 90% Rugby Lions 4 3,513 878 1,200 600 27% Wakefield 6 3,500 583 800 450 15% Waterloo 6 3,777 630 900 400 6% Worcester 13 36,369 2,798 4,000 1,763 33%
Individual statistics
Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
Rank Player Team Appearances Points 1 Steve Gough Coventry 26 305 2 Sateki Tuipulotu Leeds Tykes 22 250 3 Bryan Easson Exeter 26 241 4 Simon Verbickas Orrell 23 224 5 Lyndon Griffiths Waterloo 26 198 6 Martyn Davies Rugby Lions 23 195 7 Paul Hull Bristol 21 166 8 Richard Le Bas Worcester 23 159 9 Doug Trivella Rotherham 17 149 10 John Liley Worcester 21 143
Top try scorers
Rank Player Team Appearances Tries 1 Dean Lax Rotherham 22 18 2 Ben Wade Rotherham 25 16 3 Andy Smallwood Coventry 22 15 Andrew Currier London Welsh 26 15 4 Lenny Woodard London Welsh 15 14 5 Luke Nabaro Bristol 6 13 Adam Larkin Bristol 15 13 Nick Baxter Worcester 16 13 Simon Verbickas Orrell 23 13 John Clarke Blackheath 13 12
Season records
Team Largest home win — 57 pts 60 - 3 Orrell at home to Blackheath on 26 September 1998 Largest away win — 48 pts 51 - 3 Worcester away to Blackheath on 16 January 1999 Most points scored — 77 pts 71 - 22 London Welsh at home to Blackheath on 17 April 1999 Most tries in a match — 11 (x2) London Welsh at home to Blackheath on 17 April 1999 Worcester at home to Wakefield on 17 April 1999 Most conversions in a match — 8 (x2) Coventry at home to Fylde on 26 September 1998 London Welsh at home to Blackheath on 17 April 1999 Most penalties in a match — 7 Leeds Tykes away to Coventry on 2 January 1999 Most drop goals in a match — 1 N/A - multiple teams
Player Most points in a match — 34 Steve Gough for Coventry at home to London Welsh on 10 October 1998 Most tries in a match — 5 Luke Nabaro for Bristol at home to Blackheath on 13 March 1999 Most conversions in a match — 8 (x2) Steve Gough for Coventry at home to Fylde on 26 September 1998 Craig Raymond for London Welsh at home to Blackheath on 17 April 1999 Most penalties in a match — 7 Sateki Tuipulotu for Leeds Tykes away to Coventry on 2 January 1999 Most drop goals in a match — 1 N/A - multiple players
Attendances
Highest — 7,326 Bristol at home to Worcester on 9 May 1999 Lowest — 287 Leeds Tykes at home to Moseley on 16 April 1999 Highest Average Attendance — 3,336 Bristol Lowest Average Attendance — 583 Wakefield
Notes
See also 1998–99 Premiership 1 1998–99 National League 1 1998–99 National League 2 North 1998–99 National League 2 South
References
External links Wakefield Rugby Table History