Founded | 1987 |
---|---|
Country | England |
Number of teams | 14 |
Level on pyramid | Level 3 |
Promotion to | RFU Championship |
Relegation to | National Two East National Two North National Two West |
Current champions | Chinnor (1st title) (2023–24) |
Most championships | Coventry, Otley, Richmond (3 titles) |
Website | National League 1 |
Current: 2024–25 National League 1 |
National One, up until 2023 known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage League National Division Three when founded in 1987. [1] Chinnor are the current champions.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) approved a new structure for the National Leagues from the 2022–23 season. This division will be reduced to fourteen teams, playing each other on a home and away basis to make a total of 26 matches each. The champions are promoted to the RFU Championship and the bottom three teams are relegated to either National Two East, National Two North or National Two West depending on the geographical location of the team. There will be a two-week break over Christmas and protected weekend breaks through the season. The competition structure will be reviewed every three years. [2] [3]
The league consists of fourteen teams, with all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis, to make a total of twenty-six matches each. There is one promotion place, with the champions promoted to the RFU Championship, and there are three relegation places to either, National League 2 East, National League 2 North or National League 2 West, depending on the geographical location of the team.
The results of the matches contribute points to the league table as follows:
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Birmingham Moseley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Promotion place |
2 | Bishop's Stortford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
3 | Blackheath | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
4 | Darlington Mowden Park | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
5 | Dings Crusaders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
6 | Esher | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
7 | Leicester Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
8 | Plymouth Albion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
9 | Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
10 | Richmond | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
11 | Rosslyn Park | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
12 | Rotherham Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation place |
13 | Sale FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
14 | Sedgley Park | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
When the rugby union leagues were introduced in 1987 the division was known as Courage League National Division Three. Ten years later, in 1997, the league was restructured and the Premiership was introduced, which consisted of the top two divisions. Therefore, National 3 became the top league outside of the Premiership structure, and was renamed as National 1. In 2000–01 the Premiership was reduced to a single division and National 1 was renamed National 2. Following the formation of the professional RFU Championship in 2009 the league, once again, became known as National League 1, and is currently the lowest tier that is nationwide. The league has previously consisted of fourteen clubs, but from 2009–10 increased to sixteen before reducing to fourteen again ahead of the 2022–23 season. Only one team was promoted to the RFU Championship and between 2009–10 and 2019–20 three teams were relegated to either National League 2 North or National League 2 South depending on geographical location. Following reorganisation in 2022, three teams are now relegated to either National League 2 East, National League 2 North or National League 2 West depending on geographical location.
Year | Name | No of teams | No of matches |
---|---|---|---|
1987–90 | Courage National 3 | 12 | 11 |
1990–92 | Courage National 3 | 13 | 12 |
1992–93 | Courage National 3 | 12 | 11 |
1993–96 | Courage National 3 | 10 | 18 |
1996–97 | Courage National 3 | 16 | 30 |
1997–2000 | Jewson National League 1 | 14 | 26 |
2000–09 | National Division 2 | 14 | 26 |
2009–22 | National League 1 | 16 | 30 |
2022– | National League 1 | 14 | 26 |
When the league system was formed in 1987, the following teams participated in the league, which was known as National 3. Thirty-three years on, only one team Plymouth Albion, are currently playing at this level. (Updated to 2019–20)
| |||||||||||||
Season | No of teams | No of matches | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987–88 | 12 | 11 | Wakefield | West Hartlepool | Morley, Birmingham | [18] | |||||||
1988–89 | 12 | 11 | Plymouth Albion | Rugby | Metropolitan Police, Maidstone | [19] | |||||||
1989–90 | 12 | 11 | London Scottish | Wakefield | London Welsh | [19] | |||||||
1990–91 | 13 | 12 | West Hartlepool | Morley | Metropolitan Police, Vale of Lune | [20] | |||||||
1991–92 | 13 | 12 | Richmond | Fylde | Nuneaton, Lydney | [21] | |||||||
1992–93 | 12 | 11 | Otley | Havant | Multiple teams [lower-alpha 1] | [22] | |||||||
1993–94 | 10 | 18 | Coventry | Fylde | Havant, Redruth | [23] | |||||||
1994–95 | 10 | 18 | Bedford | Blackheath | Clifton, Exeter | [24] | |||||||
1995–96 | 10 | 18 | Coventry | Richmond [lower-alpha 2] | Fylde in last place (no relegation) | [25] | |||||||
1996–97 | 16 | 30 | Exeter | Fylde | Walsall, Havant, Redruth, Clifton | [26] |
| |||||||||||||
Season | No of teams | No of matches | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997–98 | 14 | 26 | Worcester | Leeds Tykes [lower-alpha 3] | No relegation | [27] | |||||||
1998–99 | 14 | 26 | Henley | Manchester | Morley, Liverpool St Helens | [28] | |||||||
1999–00 | 14 | 26 | Otley | Birmingham & Solihull | Reading, Blackheath | [29] | |||||||
| |||||||||||||
Season | No of teams | No of matches | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000–01 | 14 | 26 | Bracknell | Rugby | Camberley, Lydney, West Hartlepool | [30] | |||||||
2001–02 | 14 | 26 | Orrell | Plymouth Albion | Rosslyn Park, Waterloo, Preston Grasshoppers | [30] | |||||||
2002–03 | 14 | 26 | Penzance-Newlyn | Henley | Launceston, Kendal, Fylde | [31] | |||||||
2003–04 | 14 | 26 | Sedgley Park | Nottingham | Rugby, Lydney | [32] | |||||||
2004–05 | 14 | 26 | Doncaster | Newbury | Nuneaton, Bracknell, Rosslyn Park | [33] | |||||||
2005–06 | 14 | 26 | Moseley | Waterloo | Orrell | [34] | |||||||
2006–07 | 14 | 26 | Esher | Launceston | Bradford & Bingley, Barking, Harrogate | [35] | |||||||
2007–08 | 14 | 26 | Otley | Manchester | Nuneaton, Henley Hawks, Halifax | [36] | |||||||
2008–09 | 14 | 26 | Birmingham & Solihull | Cambridge | Westcombe Park, Southend, Mounts Bay, Waterloo | [37] | |||||||
Note that all records are from 1996–97 season onwards as this is widely held as the dawn of professionalism across the English club game. It also offers a better comparison between seasons as the division team numbers are roughly equal (for example when league rugby union first started in 1987–88 the Courage League National Division Three had only 12 teams playing 11 games each, compared to 16 teams in 1996–97 playing 30 games (home & away)). Attendance records are from 2000 onwards unless otherwise specified. All records are up to date up till the end of the 2019–20 season.
Rank | Nat | Name | Years | Club(s) | Points | Apps | Ratio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Andrew Baggett | 2001–08 2008–17 | Wharfedale Blaydon | 1,707 | 409 | 4.2 | |
2 | Neil Hallett | 1999–02 2002–04 2004–10 2011–12 | Rosslyn Park Bracknell Esher Ealing Trailfinders | 1,440 | 181 | 8.0 | |
3 | Alastair Bressington | 2004–05 2005–10, 2010–12 2010 | Moseley Stourbridge Cinderford | 1,201 | 147 | 8.2 | |
4 | Lee Cholewa | 1996–97 1998–99, 2000–05 2005–07 2010–11 | Rotherham Harrogate London Welsh London Scottish | 1,168 | 146 | 8.0 | |
5 | Chris Johnson | 2012–16 2019, 2019– | Fylde Sale FC | 1,075 | 119 | 9.0 | |
6 | Clifford Hodgson | 2012–2017 2019– [50] | Coventry Birmingham Moseley | 1,024 | 109 | 9.4 | |
Mark Bedworth | 2005–10 | Wharfedale | 1,024 | 114 | 9.0 | ||
7 | Ben Harvey | 1996–97 1999–00 2000–01 2001–05 | Richmond Worcester Warriors Moseley Stourbridge | 987 | 118 | 8.4 | |
8 | Jonathon Gregory | 1996–97 2000–04 | Richmond Esher | 970 | 84 | 11.5 | |
9 | Jonathon Davies | 1997–07 | Wharfedale | 946 | 198 | 4.8 | |
(Bold denotes players still playing in National League 1)
Rank | Nat | Name | Years | Club(s) | Tries | Apps | Ratio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | David Allen | 2004–17 | Blackheath | 147 | 277 | 0.5 | |
2 | Oliver Brennand | 2011–17 | Fylde | 117 | 161 | 0.7 | |
3 | Hugo Ellis | 2012– | Rosslyn Park | 107 | 155 | 0.7 | |
4 | Phil Chesters | 2011–13, 2014–15 | Ealing Trailfinders | 105 | 82 | 1.3 | |
5 | Jason Smithson | 2007–17 | Blaydon | 96 | 224 | 0.4 | |
6 | Chris Malherbe | 1998–99 2001–02 2002–11 | Camberley Kendal Wharfedale | 95 | 222 | 0.4 | |
Andrew Hodgson | 1997–99, 2000–04, 2005–13, 2014–16 | Wharfedale | 95 | 264 | 0.4 | ||
7 | Christoff Lombaard | 2006–07, 2008–10 2012–15, 16–17 | Cambridge Old Albanian | 81 | 151 | 0.5 | |
8 | Nigel Baker | 2009–12 2013–15, 2016 2015 2016–19 | Stourbridge Cinderford Coventry Ampthill | 79 | 149 | 0.5 | |
9 | Spencer Sutherland | 2011–12 2012–18 2018–19 | Coventry Esher Ampthill | 78 | 148 | 0.5 | |
(Bold denotes players still playing in National League 1)
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