2001–02 National Division One
The 2001–02 National Division One (known as the Jewson National Division One for sponsorship reasons) was the 15th 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 Rotherham who had been relegated from the Zurich Premiership 2000–01 while Bracknell and Rugby Lions had been promoted from the 2000–01 National Division Two.[1][2]
| 2001–02 National Division One | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  England |
| Champions | Rotherham |
| Runners-up | Worcester |
| Relegated | Henley Hawks and Bracknell |
| Attendance | 168,490 (average 931 per match)[b 1] |
| Highest attendance | 4,800 Worcester at home to Rotherham on 22 September 2001 |
| Lowest attendance | 150 (x2) Bracknell at home to Exeter Chiefs on 2 March 2002 & Moseley at home to Rugby Lions on 23 March 2002 |
| Top point scorer | Simon Binns (Otley) 283 Points |
| Top try scorer | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Chris Garrard(Worcester) 25 tries |
For the first time the team finishing first, Rotherham, were denied promotion to the Zurich Premiership for season 2002–03 because their ground was not of the required standard - this was the first time a team had been denied entry to the top flight of English rugby since the leagues started in 1987 due to the introduction of the controversial 'minimum standards' rule for clubs seeking to join the Premiership.[3][4] Worcester were runners-up for the second consecutive season, and Henley Hawks and Bracknell were relegated to the 2002–03 National Division Two with Bracknell spending just one season in the division.[5]
Participating teams
Locations of the 2001–02 National Division One teams
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Blues | Goldington Road | 7,000 | Bedford, Bedfordshire |
| Birmingham & Solihull | Sharmans Cross | 2,500 | Solihull, West Midlands |
| Bracknell | Lily Hill Park | 1,250 (250 seats)[a 1] | Bracknell, Berkshire |
| Coventry | Coundon Road | 9,000+ | Coventry, West Midlands |
| Exeter Chiefs | County Ground | 5,200 | Exeter, Devon |
| Henley Hawks | Dry Leas | 4,000 | Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire |
| London Welsh | Old Deer Park | 5,850 | Richmond, London |
| Manchester | Grove Park | 4,000 | Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester |
| Moseley | Bournbrook | Birmingham, West Midlands | |
| Otley | Cross Green | 5,000 | Otley, West Yorkshire |
| Rotherham | Clifton Lane | 2,500 | Rotherham, South Yorkshire |
| Rugby Lions | Webb Ellis Road | 1,000 | Rugby, Warwickshire |
| Wakefield | College Grove | 3,000 | Wakefield, West Yorkshire |
| Worcester | Sixways | 8,477 | Worcester, Worcestershire |
- Bracknell would build a 250 seater stand for this season, improving capacity from 1,000 to 1,250.[6]
Table
| 2001–02 National Division One Table[7] | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Difference | Points Try | Points Loss | Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotherham | 26 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 1,099 | 325 | 774 | 2 | 22 | 120 | |||
| 2 | Worcester | 26 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 941 | 364 | 577 | 0 | 14 | 106 | |||
| 3 | Exeter Chiefs | 26 | 19 | 1 | 6 | 707 | 448 | 259 | 1 | 12 | 92 | |||
| 4 | Coventry | 26 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 730 | 559 | 171 | 4 | 8 | 82 | |||
| 5 | London Welsh | 26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 580 | 557 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 69 | |||
| 6 | Bedford Blues | 26 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 654 | 600 | 54 | 6 | 8 | 68 | |||
| 7 | Otley | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 601 | 675 | –74 | 4 | 6 | 56 | |||
| 8 | Birmingham & Solihull | 26 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 432 | 626 | –194 | 6 | 4 | 52 | |||
| 9 | Wakefield | 26 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 514 | 607 | –93 | 3 | 4 | 47 | |||
| 10 | Rugby Lions | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 518 | 668 | –150 | 5 | 4 | 47 | |||
| 11 | Moseley | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 448 | 695 | –247 | 3 | 5 | 45 | |||
| 12 | Manchester | 26 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 381 | 758 | –377 | 3 | 1 | 36 | |||
| 13 | Henley Hawks | 26 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 449 | 767 | –318 | 5 | 2 | 33 | |||
| 14 | Bracknell | 26 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 418 | 823 | –405 | 7 | 3 | 26 | |||
| ||||||||||||||
| Green background are promotion places (there was no promotion this season). Pink background are relegation places. | ||||||||||||||
Results
Round 1
| 1 September 2001 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 17 - 21 | Coventry |
| Report |
| Sharmans Cross Attendance: 800 Referee: Martin Fox |
| 1 September 2001 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 33 - 30 | Bracknell |
| Report |
| County Ground Attendance: 950 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
| 1 September 2001 |
| Henley Hawks | 9 - 24 | London Welsh |
| Report |
| Dry Leas Attendance: 1,150 Referee: David Grashoff |
| 1 September 2001 |
| Rugby Lions | 32 - 32 | Bedford Blues |
| Report |
| Webb Ellis Road Attendance: 620 Referee: R Glynne Jones |
Round 2
| 8 September 2001 |
| Bedford Blues | 36 - 27 | Exeter Chiefs |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 1,323 Referee: Steve Savage |
| 8 September 2001 |
| Coventry | 24 - 8 | Henley Hawks |
| Report |
| Coundon Road Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Eric Woodmason |
| 8 September 2001 |
| Worcester | 53 - 3 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Sixways Attendance: 2,123 Referee: J Barnard |
Round 3
| 15 September 2001 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 41 - 16 | Otley |
| Report |
| Sharmans Cross Attendance: 500 Referee: Trevor Fisher |
| 15 September 2001 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 20 - 15 | Rugby Lions |
| Report |
| County Ground Attendance: 810 Referee: Roy Maybank |
| 15 September 2001 |
| Rotherham | 55 - 9 | Coventry |
| Report |
| Clifton Lane Attendance: 1,100 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
| 15 September 2001 |
| Wakefield | 18 - 21 | London Welsh |
| Report |
| College Grove Attendance: 350 Referee: David Pearson |
Round 4
| 22 September 2001 |
| Bedford Blues | 21 - 10 | Manchester |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 1,477 Referee: Nick Cousins |
| 22 September 2001 |
| Bracknell | 12 - 19 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Lily Hill Park Attendance: 300 Referee: Steve Savage |
| 22 September 2001 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 39 - 3 | Wakefield |
| Report |
| County Ground Attendance: 640 Referee: David Grashoff |
| 22 September 2001 |
| Rugby Lions | 28 - 19 | Moseley |
| Report |
| Webb Ellis Road Attendance: 450 Referee: Eric Woodmason |
Round 5
| 29 September 2001 |
| London Welsh | 3 - 21 | Worcester |
| Report |
| Old Deer Park Attendance: 1,400 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
Round 6
| 6 October 2001 |
| Bedford Blues | 44 - 9 | Henley Hawks |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 1,182 Referee: Nigel Yates |
| 6 October 2001 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 16 - 3 | Manchester |
| Report |
| County Ground Attendance: 640 Referee: Eric Woodmason |
| 6 October 2001 |
| Rugby Lions | 6 - 22 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Webb Ellis Road Attendance: 320 Referee: David Grashoff |
Round 7
| 20 October 2001 |
| London Welsh | 44 - 20 | Bracknell |
| Report |
| Old Deer Park Attendance: 730 Referee: Robin Goodliffe |
Round 8
| 27 October 2001 |
| Bedford Blues | P - P | London Welsh |
- Postponed. Rescheduled for 24 November 2001.
| 27 October 2001 |
| Exeter Chiefs | P - P | Henley Hawks |
- Postponed. Rescheduled for 16 February 2002.
| 27 October 2001 |
| Manchester | P - P | Wakefield |
- Postponed. Rescheduled for 15 December 2001.
| 27 October 2001 |
| Moseley | 6 - 15 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Bournbrook Attendance: 717 Referee: Nick Cousins |
| 27 October 2001 |
| Rugby Lions | P - P | Rotherham |
- Postponed. Rescheduled for 15 February 2002.
Round 9
| 10 November 2001 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 27 - 8 | Manchester |
| Report |
| Sharmans Cross Attendance: 200 Referee: David Grashoff |
| 10 November 2001 |
| Rotherham | 13 - 19 | Exeter Chiefs |
| Report |
| Clifton Lane Attendance: 1,100 Referee: Nigel Yates |
Round 10
| 17 November 2001 |
| Bedford Blues | 11 - 20 | Worcester |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 1,410 Referee: Nigel Yates |
| 17 November 2001 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 18 - 22 | Wakefield |
| Report |
| Sharmans Cross Attendance: 200 Referee: Tim Fisher |
| 17 November 2001 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 52 - 22 | London Welsh |
| Report |
| County Ground Attendance: 822 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
Round 8 (rescheduled game)
| 24 November 2001 |
| Bedford Blues | 39 - 27 | London Welsh |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 956 Referee: Rob Debney |
- Game rescheduled from 27 October 2001.
Round 11
| 1 December 2001 |
| Henley Hawks | 20 - 26 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Dry Leas Attendance: 300 Referee: Rob Debney |
| 1 December 2001 |
| Rotherham | 55 - 10 | Manchester |
| Report |
| Clifton Lane Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
Round 12
| 8 December 2001 |
| Bedford Blues | 27 - 10 | Bracknell |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 1,301 Referee: Wayne Barnes |
| 8 December 2001 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 16 - 56 | Rotherham |
| Report |
| Sharmans Cross Attendance: 850 Referee: Martin Fox |
| 8 December 2001 |
| Henley Hawks | 20 - 13 | Wakefield |
| Report |
| Dry Leas Attendance: 550 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
Round 8 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 27 October 2001.
Round 13
| 29 December 2001 |
| Coventry | 47 - 13 | Manchester |
| Report |
| Coundon Road Attendance: 1,576 Referee: David Sainsbury |
| 29 December 2001 |
| London Welsh | 28 - 25 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Old Deer Park Attendance: 930 Referee: Steve Savage |
| 29 December 2001 |
| Rotherham | 48 - 6 | Henley Hawks |
| Report |
| Clifton Lane Attendance: 1,100 Referee: David Grashoff |
Round 14
| 5 January 2002 |
| Bedford Blues | P - P | Rugby Lions |
- Game rescheduled to 2 March 2002.
| 5 January 2002 |
| Bracknell | P - P | Exeter Chiefs |
- Game rescheduled to 2 March 2002.
| 5 January 2002 |
| Coventry | P - P | Birmingham & Solihull |
- Game rescheduled to 17 February 2002.
| 5 January 2002 |
| London Welsh | P - P | Henley Hawks |
- Game rescheduled to 2 March 2002.
| 5 January 2002 |
| Manchester | P - P | Worcester |
- Game rescheduled to 16 February 2002.
| 5 January 2002 |
| Otley | P - P | Moseley |
- Game rescheduled to 2 March 2002.
| 5 January 2002 |
| Rotherham | P - P | Wakefield |
- Game rescheduled to 2 March 2002.
Round 15
| 12 January 2002 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 13 - 30 | Worcester |
| Report |
| Sharmans Cross Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Ashley Rowden |
| 12 January 2002 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 18 - 13 | Bedford Blues |
| Report |
| County Ground Attendance: 1,158 Referee: Tim Miller |
Round 16
| 19 January 2002 |
| Bedford Blues | 36 - 25 | Moseley |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 1,486 Referee: Nigel Yates |
| 19 January 2002 |
| Otley | 18 - 3 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Cross Green Attendance: 500 Referee: Wayne Barnes |
| 19 January 2002 |
| Rugby Lions | 10 - 34 | Exeter Chiefs |
| Report |
| Webb Ellis Road Attendance: 420 Referee: David Grashoff |
Round 17
| 26 January 2002 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 10 - 3 | Bracknell |
| Report |
| Sharmans Cross Attendance: 200 Referee: Mark Wilson |
| 26 January 2002 |
| London Welsh | 19 - 5 | Coventry |
| Report |
| Old Deer Park Attendance: 700 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
| 26 January 2002 |
| Moseley | P - P | Rugby Lions |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 March 2002.
| 26 January 2002 |
| Wakefield | 15 - 27 | Exeter Chiefs |
| Report |
| College Grove Attendance: 300 Referee: Ashley Rowden |
Round 18
| 2 February 2002 |
| Bedford Blues | 23 - 10 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 1,272 Referee: Robin Goodliffe |
| 2 February 2002 |
| Rugby Lions | 25 - 13 | Manchester |
| Report |
| Webb Ellis Road Attendance: 300 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
Round 19
| 9 February 2002 |
| Manchester | P - P | Exeter Chiefs |
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 March 2002.
Rounds 8 & 14 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 27 October 2001.
| 16 February 2002 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 43 - 23 | Henley Hawks |
| Report |
| Dry Leas Attendance: 487 Referee: Nigel Higginson |
- Game rescheduled from 27 October 2001.
- Game rescheduled from 5 January 2002.
| 17 February 2002 |
| Coventry | 46 - 13 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Coundon Road Attendance: 924 Referee: Trevor Fisher |
- Game rescheduled from 5 January 2002.
Round 20
| 23 February 2002 |
| Bedford Blues | 31 - 36 | Rotherham |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 1,908 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
| 23 February 2002 |
| Bracknell | 22 - 24 | London Welsh |
| Report |
| Lily Hill Park Attendance: 600 Referee: Wayne Barnes |
| 23 February 2002 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 35 - 10 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| County Ground Attendance: 935 Referee: S Terheege |
| 23 February 2002 |
| Rugby Lions | 25 - 13 | Henley Hawks |
| Report |
| Webb Ellis Road Attendance: 350 Referee: David Rose |
Round 14 (rescheduled games)
| 1 March 2002 |
| Bedford Blues | 25 - 15 | Rugby Lions |
| Report |
| Goldington Road Attendance: 1,482 Referee: Martin Fox |
- Game rescheduled from 5 January 2002.
- Game rescheduled from 5 January 2002.
| 2 March 2002 |
| London Welsh | 33 - 20 | Henley Hawks |
| Report |
| Old Deer Park Attendance: 400 Referee: Robin Goodliffe |
- Game rescheduled from 5 January 2002.
- Game rescheduled from 5 January 2002.
- Game rescheduled from 5 January 2002.
Round 21
| 9 March 2002 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 14 - 10 | Moseley |
| Report |
| Sharmans Cross Attendance: 700 Referee: Nigel Yates |
| 9 March 2002 |
| London Welsh | 26 - 20 | Bedford Blues |
| Report |
| Old Deer Park Attendance: 1,300 Referee: Trevor Fisher |
Round 22
| 16 March 2002 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 23 - 32 | Rotherham |
| Report |
| County Ground Attendance: 1,530 Referee: Ashley Rowden |
| 16 March 2002 |
| Manchester | 16 - 11 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Grove Park Attendance: 567 Referee: David Rose |
| 16 March 2002 |
| Rugby Lions | 20 - 41 | London Welsh |
| Report |
| Webb Ellis Park Attendance: 475 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
Round 17 & 19 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 26 January 2002.
- Game rescheduled from 9 February 2002.
Round 23
| 30 March 2002 |
| London Welsh | 19 - 34 | Exeter Chiefs |
| Report |
| Old Deer Park Attendance: 1,020 Referee: Wayne Barnes |
| 30 March 2002 |
| Wakefield | 26 - 17 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| College Grove Attendance: 250 Referee: Tim Miller |
Round 24
| 6 April 2002 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 22 - 9 | Henley Hawks |
| Report |
| Sharmans Cross Attendance: 200 Referee: Nigel Yates |
| 6 April 2002 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 23 - 23 | Coventry |
| Report |
| County Ground Attendance: 952 Referee: Geraint Ashton-Jones |
Round 25
| 13 April 2002 |
| Rotherham | 73 - 0 | Birmingham & Solihull |
| Report |
| Clifton Lane Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Rob Debney |
Total season attendances
| Club | Home Games |
Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Blues | 13 | 18,445 | 1,419 | 1,908 | 956 | 20% |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 13 | 6,350 | 488 | 1,000 | 200 | 20% |
| Bracknell | 13 | 4,805 | 370 | 750 | 150 | 30% |
| Coventry | 13 | 24,718 | 1,901 | 4,132 | 924 | 21% |
| Exeter Chiefs | 13 | 11,932 | 918 | 1,530 | 487 | 18% |
| Henley Hawks | 13 | 9,575 | 737 | 1,325 | 300 | 18% |
| London Welsh | 13 | 11,750 | 904 | 1,400 | 400 | 15% |
| Manchester | 13 | 6,685 | 514 | 828 | 225 | 13% |
| Moseley | 13 | 6,673 | 513 | 1,529 | 150 | |
| Otley | 13 | 9,300 | 715 | 1,500 | 430 | 14% |
| Rotherham | 13 | 18,451 | 1,419 | 2,500 | 1,000 | 57% |
| Rugby Lions | 13 | 6,491 | 499 | 836 | 300 | 50% |
| Wakefield | 13 | 4,800 | 369 | 1,100 | 250 | 12% |
| Worcester | 12[b 2] | 28,515 | 2,376 | 4,800 | 1,448 | 28% |
- Note that 1 home attendance is missing (see below) - so the total attendance will not be 100% accurate. The average attendance has also been taken into account with the missing games not included.
- Missing home attendance v Manchester on 1 September 2001.
Individual statistics
- Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
|
Top try scorers
|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
Season records
Team
73 - 0 Rotherham at home to Birmingham & Solihull on 13 April 2002
72 - 7 Rotherham away to Manchester on 6 April 2002
73 - 0 Rotherham at home to Birmingham & Solihull on 13 April 2002
Rotherham away to Manchester on 6 April 2002
Worcester at home to Henley Hawks on 19 January 2002
Manchester at home to Wakefield on 15 December 2001
Exeter Chiefs away to Rotherham on 10 November 2001 |
Player
Attendances
Worcester at home to Rotherham on 22 September 2001
Bracknell at home to Exeter Chiefs on 2 March 2002
Worcester
Wakefield
|
See also
References
- "ZURICH PREMIER LEAGUE RUGBY UNION: HOT BATH TURN THE HEAT HIGH; ROTHERHAM 12 BATH 68". Sunday Mirror. 15 April 2001. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016.
- "National League Two". englandrugby.com/. 28 April 2001.
- "Rotherham denied promotion". BBC News. 9 May 2002.
- "FAQs". Premiership Rugby. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- "Leagues 2001/02". Moseley Rugby club. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "Club History: On to the National Leagues (1991 - 2014)". Bracknell RFC (Pitchero). Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- Stephen McCormack, ed. (2002). The Official RFU Club Directory 2002–2003. Harpenden: Queen Anne Press.
- "National One 01/02 Home attendances". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Leading point scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Leading try scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Most tries in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Most conversions in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Most penalties in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Most drop goals in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Most points in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Most tries in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Most conversions in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Most penalties in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Most drop goals in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
- "National One 01/02 Home attendance". Rugby Statbunker. 27 April 2002.
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