1999–2000 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two Explained

1999–2000 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two
Champions:	Rotherham
Runnersup:	Leeds Tykes
Relegated:	Rugby and West Hartlepool
Highest Attendance:	5,019 Leeds Tykes at home to Rotherham on 18 February 2000
Attendance:	90,201 (average 1,219 per match)
Lowest Attendance:	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
Top Point Scorer:	Sam Howard (Worcester) 312 points
Top Try Scorer:	Dean Lax (Rotherham) 18 tries ^[1]
Prevseason:	1998–99
Nextseason:	2000–01

The 1999-00 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two 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 the Allied Dunbar Premiership 1998–99 while Henley Hawks and Manchester had been promoted from National League 1. Exeter were also rebranded as the 'Chiefs' from this season onward.^[2]

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 Two for the following season. Rugby and West Hartlepool were relegated to the 2000–01 National Division Two.^[3]

Participating teams

width=25%	Team	width=25%	Stadium	width=25%	Capacity	width=25%	City/Area
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
Leeds Tykes	Headingley Stadium	22,250	Leeds, West Yorkshire
London Welsh	Old Deer Park	5,850	Richmond, London
Manchester	Grove Park	4,000	Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
Moseley	The Reddings	10,000 (est)	Birmingham, West Midlands
Orrell	Edge Hall Road	5,500	Orrell, Greater Manchester
Rotherham	Clifton Lane	2,500	Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Rugby	Webb Ellis Road	1,000	Rugby, Warwickshire
Wakefield	College Grove	3,000	Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Waterloo	St Anthony's Road	9,000	Blundellsands, Merseyside
West Hartlepool	Victoria Park	7,856	Hartlepool, County Durham
Worcester	Sixways	8,477	Worcester, Worcestershire

Results

Round 1

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Round 2

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Round 3

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Round 4

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Round 5

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Round 6

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Round 7

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Round 8

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Round 9

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Round 10

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Round 11

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Round 12

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Round 13

• Postponed. Game rescheduled for 29 January 2000.

• Postponed. Game rescheduled for 1 May 2000.

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Round 14

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Round 15

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Round 16

• Postponed. Game rescheduled for 5 February 2000.

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Round 13 (Rescheduled game)

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Round 16 (Rescheduled game)

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Round 17

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Round 18

• Postponed. Game rescheduled for 1 April 2000.

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Round 19

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Round 20

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Round 21

• Postponed. Game rescheduled for 1 April 2000.

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Round 18, 21 & 25 (Rescheduled games)

• Game brought forward from 29 April 2000.

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Round 22

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Round 23

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Round 24

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Round 25

• Game brought forward to 2 April 2000.

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Round 13 (Rescheduled game)

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Round 26

Total Season Attendances

Club	Home Games	Total	Average	Highest	Lowest	% Capacity
Coventry	5	7,095	1,419	2,200	600	18%
Exeter Chiefs	7	7,366	1,052	1,500	763	20%
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	16%
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	83%
Wakefield	3	1,400	467	600	350	16%
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%

^[4]

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			26	312
2			23	266
3			18	249
4			22	246
5			24	236
6			23	229
7			25	201
8			25	198
9			25	185
10			21	179

^[5]

Top try scorers

Rank	Player	Team	Appearances	Tries
1			20	18
2			26	17
			26	17
3			17	14
4			23	13
			25	13
			25	13
5			22	12
			24	12
			26	12
			26	12

^[6]

Season records

Team

Largest home win — 85 pts93 - 8 Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999

Largest away win — 69 pts84 - 15 Worcester away to Wakefield on 16 October 1999

Most points scored — 93 pts93 - 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 — 11Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999

Most penalties in a match — 8Henley Hawks away to Rugby Lions on 15 January 2000

Most drop goals in a match — 2Manchester at home to Orrell on 2 October 1999

^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

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

^{[11] [12] [13] [14] [15]}

Attendances

Highest — 5,019Leeds 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 2000Leeds Tykes at home to Moseley on 16 April 1999

Highest Average Attendance — 2,487Worcester

Lowest Average Attendance — 379Waterloo

^[16]

See also

• English rugby union system

Notes and References

1. Book: The Official RFU Club Directory 2000–2001. 2000. Queen Anne Press. Harpenden. Stephen McCormack.
2. Web site: History. Exeter Chiefs. 15 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20151220002404/http://exeterchiefs.co.uk/club-info/history/. 2015-12-20. dead.
3. Web site: Leagues 1999/00. Moseley Rugby Club. 12 August 2012.
4. Web site: AD Prem 2 99/00 Home attendances . Rugby Statbunker. 6 May 2000.
5. Web site: AD Prem 2 99/00 Leading point scorers . Rugby Statbunker. 6 May 2000.
6. Web site: AD Prem 2 99/00 Leading try scorers . Rugby Statbunker. 6 May 2000.
7. Web site: National One 99-00 Most tries in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000 .
8. Web site: National One 99-00 Most conversions in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000 .
9. Web site: National One 99-00 Most penalties in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000 .
10. Web site: National One 99-00 Most drop goals in a match (Team) . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000 .
11. Web site: National One 99-00 Most points in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000 .
12. Web site: National One 99-00 Most tries in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000 .
13. Web site: National One 99-00 Most conversions in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000.
14. Web site: National One 99-00 Most penalties in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000 .
15. Web site: National One 99-00 Most drop goals in a match (Player) . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000 .
16. Web site: National One 99-00 Home attendance . Rugby Statbunker . 6 May 2000 .