1981–82 John Player Cup Explained
The 1981–82 John Player Cup was the 11th edition of England's premier rugby union club competition at the time. Gloucester and Moseley shared the title after playing out a 12-12 draw in the final.[1] The event was sponsored by John Player cigarettes and the final was held at Twickenham Stadium.[2]
Draw and results
First round
| width=250 | Team one | width=250 | Team two | width=50 | Score |
|---|
| Liverpool | Morpeth | 19-3 |
| Birkenhead Park | Hartlepool Rovers | 6-7 |
| Aspatria | Roundhay | 0-19 |
| Northampton | Kettering | |
| Bournemouth | St Ives | 10-18 |
| Dartfordians | Hertford | 4-11 |
| Dudley Kingswinford | Nuneaton | 9-27 |
| Exeter University | Lydney | 12-13 |
| High Wycombe | Newbury | 13-0 |
| Saracens | US Portsmouth | 10-4 |
| Woodford | Old Gaytonians | 19-6 |
| Weston-super-Mare | Oxford | 6-9 |
| Walsall | Westleigh | 24-15 |
| Lewes | Streatham-Croydon | 19-0 | |
Second round
| width=250 | Team one | width=250 | Team two | width=50 | Score |
|---|
| Blackheath | Woodford | 13-0 |
| Hertford | Lydney | 10-13 |
| Lewes | St Ives | 0-10 |
| Nuneaton | Roundhay | 10-7 |
| Matson | Thurrock | 12-12* |
| Oxford | High Wycombe | 9-10 |
| Stamford | Liverpool | 3-15 |
| Stourbridge | Hartlepool Rovers | 9-19 |
| Walsall | Northampton | 9-32 |
| London Irish | Saracens | 19-3 | |
Away team progress*
Third round
| width=250 | Team one | width=250 | Team two | width=50 | Score |
|---|
| Exeter | Thurrock | 7-0 |
| Bath | Rosslyn Park | 9-11 |
| London Welsh | Lydney | 16-3 |
| Northampton | Morley | 12-7 |
| Waterloo | Nuneaton | 3-0 |
| St Ives | Bristol | 6-16 |
| Richmond | Metropolitan Police | 10-20 |
| Blackheath | London Scottish | 3-16 |
| Gloucester | High Wycombe | 40-6 |
| Nottingham | Sale | 9-15 |
| Moseley | Harrogate | 17-4 |
| Leicester | Hartlepool Rovers | 53-19 |
| London Irish | Coventry | 7-10 |
| Orrell | Liverpool | 12-15 |
| Harlequins | Wasps | 19-10 |
| Bedford | Gosforth | 3-14 | |
Fourth round
| width=250 | Team one | width=250 | Team two | width=50 | Score |
|---|
| Gloucester | Exeter | 34-3 |
| Sale | Rosslyn Park | 19-3 |
| Moseley | London Welsh | 25-9 |
| Leicester | Northampton | 23-10 |
| Coventry | Waterloo | 29-9 |
| Liverpool | Bristol | 12-10 |
| Harlequins | Metropolitan Police | 28-6 |
| Gosforth | London Scottish | 26-19 | |
Quarter-finals
| width=250 | Team one | width=250 | Team two | width=50 | Score |
|---|
| Gloucester | Sale | 13-6 |
| Moseley | Liverpool | 15-13 |
| Coventry | Harlequins | 24-12 |
| Leicester | Gosforth | 18-9 | |
Semi-finals
| width=250 | Team one | width=250 | Team two | width=50 | Score |
|---|
| Moseley | Leicester | 12-4 |
| Coventry | Gloucester | 9-18 | |
Final
| | |
|---|
| 15 | | | 14 | John Goodwin | | 13 | Jon Desborough | | 12 | Dave Shorrock | | 11 | Richard Lawson | | 10 | Mike Perry | | 9 | Steve Sutherland | | 1 | Trevor Corless | | 2 | Gary Cox | | 3 | Steve Acaster | | 4 | John Davidson | | 5 | Al Recardo | | 6 | Dave Warren | | 8 | Derek Nutt (c) | | 7 | Nick Jeavons | | Replacements: | | 16 | Phil Millington | | 17 | Steve Morley | | 18 | Ian Metcalfe | | 19 | Bob Barr | | 20 | Kevin Astley | | 21 | Alan Thomas | | Coach: | | |
| |
Notes and References
- Book: Jenkins, Vivian. Rothmans Rugby Yearbook. 1981. Rothmans Publications Ltd. 0-907574-05-X.
- Web site: Times Archives. Oxfordshire Libraries.
