# 1987–88 Courage League National Division Two

The 1987–88 Courage League National Division Two was the first full season of rugby union within the second tier of the English league system, currently known as the RFU Championship. Each team played one match against the other teams, playing a total of eleven matches each. There was no set date for matches, clubs having to arrange the fixtures amongst themselves. Rosslyn Park, the first champions, were promoted to the Courage League National Division One for season 1988–89 along with the runner-up, Liverpool St Helens. Although Northampton finished in last place they were not relegated to Courage League National Division Three for the following season. Almost all clubs in the national divisions reported an increase in attendances.

## Participating teams

| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
| Bedford | Goldington Road | 7,000 | Bedford, Bedfordshire |
| Blackheath | Rectory Field | 6,000 | Greenwich, London |
| Gosforth | North Road | | Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear |
| Headingley | Bridge Road | | Leeds, West Yorkshire |
| Liverpool St Helens | Moss Lane | 3,000 | St Helens, Merseyside |
| London Irish | The Avenue | 6,600 | Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey |
| London Scottish | Athletic Ground | 4,500 | Richmond, London |
| London Welsh | Old Deer Park | 5,850 | Richmond, London |
| Northampton Saints | Franklin's Gardens | 10,000 | Northampton, Northamptonshire |
| Richmond | Athletic Ground | 4,500 | Richmond, London |
| Rosslyn Park | The Rock | 2,000 | Roehampton, London |
| Saracens | Bramley Road | 2,000 | Enfield, London |

## League table

1987–88 Courage League National Division Two table :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Rosslyn Park (C) | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 155 | 83 | +72 | 37 |
| 2 | Liverpool St Helens | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 154 | 97 | +57 | 36 |
| 3 | Saracens | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 228 | 86 | +142 | 34 |
| 4 | Headingley | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 202 | 164 | +38 | 31 |
| 5 | Bedford | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 152 | 139 | +13 | 31 |
| 6 | Richmond | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 140 | 156 | −16 | 29 |
| 7 | London Scottish | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 141 | 158 | −17 | 24 |
| 8 | London Irish | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 120 | 177 | −57 | 24 |
| 9 | London Welsh | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 153 | 185 | −32 | 22 |
| 10 | Gosforth | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 99 | 129 | −30 | 17 |
| 11 | Blackheath | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 102 | 187 | −85 | 17 |
| 12 | Northampton | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 81 | 226 | −145 | 13 |
* 4 pts for a win
* 2 pts for a draw
* 1 pt for a loss
* The scoring system used for this season is not the same as the current bonus points system introduced in 2000–01.
* Some publications listed league tables with the 2 pts for a win, 1 pt for a draw and 0 pts for a loss.
* There was no relegation this season. (C) Champions Notes:
* ↑ Gosforth had three points and one win deducted for fielding an ineligible player against Bedford

## Statistics
### Team

* Record wins
    50 – 3 London Scottish v Northampton
    48 – 12 Saracens at Blackheath
    38 – 3 Headingley v Northampton
    34 – 0 Saracens v London Scottish
* Record away win
    48 – 12 Saracens at Blackheath
* Most points scored in a match
    60 12 – 48 Blackheath v Saracens
    58 25 – 33 Bedford v Liverpool St Helens
* Most points scored but still lost
    25 28 – 25 Richmond v Bedford
    25 33 – 25 Bedford v Liverpool St Helens
* Highest scoring draw
    24 24 – 24 London Welsh v London Scottish
* Fewest points scored in a match
    6 6 – 0 Bedford v Blackheath

### Player

* Most points in a match
    26 Andy Mitchell for London Scottish v Northampton
* Most points in a season
    75 Andy Finnie for Bedford
* Most tries in a match
    3 Jerry Macklin for London Scottish v Northampton Orsen Blewitt for Northampton v Bedford John Roberts for Headingley v Northampton Peter Shillingford for London Scottish v Northampton
* Most tries in a season
    10 Dave McLagan for Saracens

## Sponsorship

National Division Two is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery