The 1999-00 Premiership 2 was the thirteenth full season of rugby union within the second tier of the English league system, currently known as the RFU Championship. Allied Dunbar sponsored the top two divisions of the English rugby union leagues for the third season in a row. The leagues were previously known as the Courage Clubs Championship and sponsored by Courage Brewery. New teams to the division included West Hartlepool who had been relegated from Premiership 1 while Henley Hawks and Manchester had been promoted from National League 1. Exeter were also rebranded as the 'Chiefs' from this season onward.
Rotherham, the champions, were promoted to the Allied Dunbar Premiership for season 2000–01 after beating the 12th placed team from that division, (Bedford), in a two legged play–off. There was only one promotion place available and the runners–up Leeds Tykes remained in Premiership 2 for the following season. Rugby and West Hartlepool were relegated to the 2000–01 National Division Two.
Participating teams
TeamStadiumCapacityCity/AreaPrevious seasonCoventryCoundon Road10,000 (1,100 seats) Coventry, West Midlands7thExeter ChiefsCounty Ground5,750 (750 seats)Exeter, Devon5thHenleyDry Leas4,000Henley-on-Thames, OxfordshirePromoted from National 1 (1st)Leeds TykesHeadingley Stadium22,250Leeds, West Yorkshire6thLondon WelshOld Deer Park4,500 (1,500 seats)Richmond, London4thManchesterGrove Park4,000Cheadle Hulme, Greater ManchesterPromoted from National 1 (2nd)MoseleyThe Reddings9,999 (1,800 seats)Birmingham, West Midlands10thOrrellEdge Hall Road5,300 (300 seats) Orrell, Greater Manchester8thRotherhamClifton Lane2,500Rotherham, South Yorkshire2ndRugby LionsWebb Ellis Road3,200 (200 seats) Rugby, Warwickshire11thWakefieldCollege Grove4,000 (500 seats) Wakefield, West Yorkshire12thWaterlooSt Anthony's Road9,950 (950 seats) Blundellsands, Merseyside9thWest HartlepoolVictoria Park7,856Hartlepool, County DurhamRelegated from Premiership 1 (14th)WorcesterSixways8,477Worcester, Worcestershire3rd
Table
Results
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Postponed. Game rescheduled for 29 January 2000.
Postponed. Game rescheduled for 1 May 2000.
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Postponed. Game rescheduled for 5 February 2000.
Round 13 (Rescheduled game)
Round 16 (Rescheduled game)
Round 17
Round 18
Postponed. Game rescheduled for 1 April 2000.
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Postponed. Game rescheduled for 1 April 2000.
Round 18, 21 & 25 (Rescheduled games)
Game brought forward from 29 April 2000.
Round 22
Round 23
Round 24
Round 25
Game brought forward to 2 April 2000.
Round 13 (Rescheduled game)
Round 26
Promotion/Relegation Playoff 12th placed 1999–2000 Premiership Rugby side Bedford faced champions Rotherham in a two legged playoff to see who was promoted or relegated.
Rotherham win 40–34 on aggregate and are promoted to 2000–01 Premiership Rugby.
Total Season Attendances
ClubHomeGamesTotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity Coventry 5 7,095 1,419 2,200 600 14% Exeter Chiefs 7 7,366 1,052 1,500 763 18% Henley Hawks 4 3,950 988 1,500 650 25% Leeds Tykes 11 13,629 1,239 5,019 348 6% London Welsh 12 11,450 954 1,400 500 21% Manchester 4 2,320 580 650 450 15% Moseley 4 5,128 1,282 3,000 613 13% Orrell 2 1,400 700 1,000 400 13% Rotherham 3 6,400 2,133 2,900 1,000 80% Rugby Lions 2 2,150 1,075 1,500 650 34% Wakefield 3 1,400 467 600 350 12% Waterloo 4 1,515 379 500 300 4% West Hartlepool 3 1,532 511 720 300 7% Worcester 10 24,866 2,487 3,200 1,616 29%
Individual statistics
Note if players are tied on tries or points the player with the lowest number of appearances will come first. Also note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
Rank Player Team Appearances Points 1 Sam Howard Exeter Chiefs 26 312 2 Steve Gough Coventry 23 266 3 Mike Umaga Rotherham 18 249 4 Stephen Swindells Manchester 22 246 5 Matt Jones Henley Hawks 24 236 6 Tony Yapp Worcester 23 229 7 Lyndon Griffiths Waterloo 25 201 8 Andy Lee London Welsh 25 198 9 Jon Benson Leeds Tykes 25 185 10 Martyn Davies Rugby Lions 21 179
Top try scorers
Rank Player Team Appearances Tries 1 Dean Lax Rotherham 20 18 2 Duncan Roke Henley Hawks 26 17 David Scully Rotherham 26 17 3 Simon Frost London Welsh 17 14 4 Scott Roskell London Welsh 23 13 Nick Baxter Worcester 25 13 Matt Oliver Leeds Tykes 25 13 5 Andy Smallwood Coventry 22 12 Kurt Johnson Coventry 24 12 Peter Buxton Moseley 26 12 Jim Jenner Worcester 26 12
Season records
Team Largest home win — 85 pts 93 - 8 Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999 Largest away win — 69 pts 84 - 15 Worcester away to Wakefield on 16 October 1999 Most points scored — 93 pts 93 - 8 Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999 Most tries in a match — 13 (x2) Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999 Worcester away to Wakefield on 16 October 1999 Most conversions in a match — 11 Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999 Most penalties in a match — 8 Henley Hawks away to Rugby Lions on 15 January 2000 Most drop goals in a match — 2 Manchester at home to Orrell on 2 October 1999
Player Most points in a match — 41 Simon Binns for Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999 Most tries in a match — 4 Andy Currier for London Welsh at home to Waterloo on 16 October 1999 Most conversions in a match — 10 (x3) Simon Binns for Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999 Mike Umaga for Rotherham at home to Waterloo on 11 March 2000 Sam Howard for Exeter at home to West Hartlepool on 6 May 2000 Most penalties in a match — 8 Matt Jones for Henley Hawks away to Rugby Lions on 15 January 2000 Most drop goals in a match — 2 Rod Ellis for Manchester at home to Orrell on 2 October 1999
Attendances
Highest — 5,019 Leeds Tykes at home to Rotherham on 18 February 2000 Lowest — 300 (x3) Waterloo at home to London Welsh on 19 February 2000, West Hartlepool at home to Orrell on 18 March 2000 & Exeter Chiefs on 1 May 2000 Leeds Tykes at home to Moseley on 16 April 1999 Highest Average Attendance — 2,487 Worcester Lowest Average Attendance — 379 Waterloo
Notes
See also 1999–00 Premiership 1 1999–00 National League 1 1999–00 National League 2 North 1999–00 National League 2 South
References