1998–99 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two
The 1998-99 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two was the twelfth full season of rugby union within the second tier of the English league system, currently known as the RFU Championship. The league was expanded from twelve teams to fourteen and new teams to the division included Bristol who had been relegated from the Allied Dunbar Premiership 1997-98 while London Welsh, Rugby Lions, Leeds Tykes and Worcester were promoted from National League 1. Allied Dunbar sponsored the top two divisions of the English rugby union leagues for the second season in a row. The leagues were previously known as the Courage Clubs Championship and sponsored by Courage Brewery.
Bristol, the champions, were promoted to the Allied Dunbar Premiership for season 1999–00. The runners–up Rotherham lost to the thirteenth placed team in the Premership in a two legged play–off and did not gain promotion. Blackheath and Fylde were relegated to Jewson National League 1 for the following season.
Participating teams
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
| Blackheath | Rectory Field | 6,000 | Greenwich, London |
| Bristol | Memorial Stadium | 12,100 | Bristol |
| Coventry | Coundon Road | 9,000+ | Coventry, West Midlands |
| Exeter | County Ground | 5,200 | Exeter, Devon |
| Fylde | Woodlands Memorial Ground | 9,000 | Lytham St Annes, Lancashire |
| Leeds Tykes | Headingley Stadium | 22,250 | Leeds, West Yorkshire |
| London Welsh | Old Deer Park | 5,850 | Richmond, London |
| Moseley | The Reddings | 10,000 | Birmingham, West Midlands |
| Orrell | Edge Hall Road | 3,000 | Orrell, Greater Manchester |
| 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 |
| Waterloo | St Anthony's Road | 9,000 | Blundellsands, Merseyside |
| Worcester | Sixways | 8,477 | Worcester, Worcestershire |
Table
Allied Dunbar Premiership Two 1998-99Results
Round 1
----Round 2
----Round 3
- Postponed. Game rescheduled for 20 February 1999.
Round 4
----Round 5
----Round 6
----Round 7
----Round 8
----Round 9
----Round 10
----Round 11
----Round 12
----Round 13
----Round 14
----Round 15
- Postponed. Game rescheduled for 20 March 1999.
Round 16
- Postponed. Game rescheduled for 21 February 1999.
Round 17
----Round 18
----Round 3 & 16 (Rescheduled games)
----Round 19
----Round 20
----Round 15 (Rescheduled game)
----Round 21
----Round 22
----Round 26 (Rescheduled game)
- Game brought forward from 8 May 1999.
Round 23
----Round 24
----Round 25
----Round 26
- Game brought forward to 10 April 1999.
Total Season Attendances
| Club | Home Games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
| Blackheath | 4 | 3,000 | 750 | 1,300 | 500 | 13% |
| Bristol | 13 | 43,369 | 3,336 | 7,326 | 2,012 | 28% |
| Coventry | 5 | 6,460 | 1,292 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 14% |
| Exeter | 5 | 6,040 | 1,208 | 2,000 | 670 | 23% |
| Fylde | 5 | 3,000 | 600 | 700 | 400 | 7% |
| Leeds Tykes | 13 | 11,230 | 864 | 2,682 | 287 | 4% |
| London Welsh | 13 | 16,800 | 1,292 | 2,400 | 600 | 22% |
| Moseley | 4 | 2,893 | 723 | 1,199 | 503 | 7% |
| Orrell | 6 | 5,750 | 958 | 1,200 | 700 | 32% |
| Rotherham | 2 | 4,520 | 2,260 | 3,000 | 1,520 | 90% |
| Rugby Lions | 4 | 3,513 | 878 | 1,200 | 600 | 79% |
| Wakefield | 6 | 3,500 | 583 | 800 | 450 | 19% |
| Waterloo | 6 | 3,777 | 630 | 900 | 400 | 7% |
| Worcester | 13 | 36,369 | 2,798 | 4,000 | 1,763 | 33% |
Individual Statistics
- Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Appearances | Points |
| 1 |  Steve Gough | Coventry | 26 | 305 |
| 2 |  Sateki Tuipulotu | Leeds Tykes | 22 | 250 |
| 3 | Bryan Easson | Exeter | 26 | 241 |
| 4 | Simon Verbickas | Orrell | 23 | 224 |
| 5 | Lyndon Griffiths | Waterloo | 26 | 198 |
| 6 | Martyn Davies | Rugby Lions | 23 | 195 |
| 7 | Paul Hull | Bristol | 21 | 166 |
| 8 |  Richard Le Bas | Worcester | 23 | 159 |
| 9 |  Doug Trivella | Rotherham | 17 | 149 |
| 10 | John Liley | Worcester | 21 | 143 |
Top try scorers
| Rank | Player | Team | Appearances | Tries |
| 1 | Dean Lax | Rotherham | 22 | 18 |
| 2 | Ben Wade | Rotherham | 25 | 16 |
| 3 | Andy Smallwood | Coventry | 22 | 15 |
| 3 | Andrew Currier | London Welsh | 26 | 15 |
| 4 |  Lenny Woodard | London Welsh | 15 | 14 |
| 5 |  Luke Nabaro | Bristol | 6 | 13 |
| 5 |  Adam Larkin | Bristol | 15 | 13 |
| 5 | Nick Baxter | Worcester | 16 | 13 |
| 5 | Simon Verbickas | Orrell | 23 | 13 |
| 5 |  John Clarke | Blackheath | 13 | 12 |
Season records
Team
;Largest home win — 57 pts60 - 3 Orrell at home to Blackheath on 26 September 1998
;Largest away win — 48 pts
51 - 3 Worcester away to Blackheath on 16 January 1999
;Most points scored — 77 pts
71 - 22 London Welsh at home to Blackheath on 17 April 1999
;Most tries in a match — 11
London Welsh at home to Blackheath on 17 April 1999
Worcester at home to Wakefield on 17 April 1999
;Most conversions in a match — 8
Coventry at home to Fylde on 26 September 1998
London Welsh at home to Blackheath on 17 April 1999
;Most penalties in a match — 7
Leeds Tykes away to Coventry on 2 January 1999
;Most drop goals in a match — 1
N/A - multiple teams
Player
;Most points in a match — 34Steve Gough for Coventry at home to London Welsh on 10 October 1998
;Most tries in a match — 5
Luke Nabaro for Bristol at home to Blackheath on 13 March 1999
;Most conversions in a match — 8
Steve Gough for Coventry at home to Fylde on 26 September 1998
Craig Raymond for London Welsh at home to Blackheath on 17 April 1999
;Most penalties in a match — 7
Sateki Tuipulotu for Leeds Tykes away to Coventry on 2 January 1999
;Most drop goals in a match — 1
N/A - multiple players
Attendances
;Highest — 7,326Bristol at home to Worcester on 9 May 1999
;Lowest — 287
Leeds Tykes at home to Moseley on 16 April 1999
;Highest Average Attendance — 3,336
Bristol
;Lowest Average Attendance — 583
Wakefield