1999–2000 Allied Dunbar Premiership Two
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.
Rotherham, the champions, were promoted to the Allied Dunbar Premiership for season 2000–01 after beating the 12th placed team from that division,, 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.
Participating teams
Team | Stadium | Capacity | 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 | Birmingham, West Midlands |
Orrell | Edge Hall Road | 3,000 | 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 |
Table
Results
Round 1
----Round 2
----Round 3
----Round 4
----Round 5
----Round 6
----Round 7
----Round 8
----Round 9
----Round 10
----Round 11
----Round 12
----Round 13
- Postponed. Game rescheduled for 29 January 2000.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled for 1 May 2000.
Round 14
----Round 15
----Round 16
- Postponed. Game rescheduled for 5 February 2000.
Round 13 (Rescheduled game)
----Round 16 (Rescheduled game)
----Round 17
----Round 18
- Postponed. Game rescheduled for 1 April 2000.
Round 19
----Round 20
----Round 21
- Postponed. Game rescheduled for 1 April 2000.
Round 18, 21 & 25 (Rescheduled games)
- Game brought forward from 29 April 2000.
Round 22
----Round 23
----Round 24
----Round 25
- Game brought forward to 2 April 2000.
Round 13 (Rescheduled game)
----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 | 23% |
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% |
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 | Sam Howard | Exeter Chiefs | 26 | 312 |
2 | Steve Gough | Coventry | 23 | 266 |
3 | Mike Umaga | Rotherham | 18 | 249 |
4 | Stephen Swindells | Manchester | 22 | 246 |
5 | Matt Jones | Henley Hawks | 24 | 236 |
6 | Tony Yapp | Worcester | 23 | 229 |
7 | Lyndon Griffiths | Waterloo | 25 | 201 |
8 | Andy Lee | London Welsh | 25 | 198 |
9 | Jon Benson | Leeds Tykes | 25 | 185 |
10 | Martyn Davies | Rugby Lions | 21 | 179 |
Top try scorers
Rank | Player | Team | Appearances | Tries |
1 | Dean Lax | Rotherham | 20 | 18 |
2 | Duncan Roke | Henley Hawks | 26 | 17 |
2 | David Scully | Rotherham | 26 | 17 |
3 | Simon Frost | London Welsh | 17 | 14 |
4 | Scott Roskell | London Welsh | 23 | 13 |
4 | Nick Baxter | Worcester | 25 | 13 |
4 | Matt Oliver | Leeds Tykes | 25 | 13 |
5 | Andy Smallwood | Coventry | 22 | 12 |
5 | Kurt Johnson | Coventry | 24 | 12 |
5 | Peter Buxton | Moseley | 26 | 12 |
5 | Jim Jenner | Worcester | 26 | 12 |
Season records
Team
;Largest home win — 85 pts93 - 8 Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999
;Largest away win — 69 pts
84 - 15 Worcester away to Wakefield on 16 October 1999
;Most points scored — 93 pts
93 - 8 Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999
;Most tries in a match — 13
Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999
Worcester away to Wakefield on 16 October 1999
;Most conversions in a match — 11
Rotherham at home to West Hartlepool on 2 October 1999
;Most penalties in a match — 8
Henley Hawks away to Rugby Lions on 15 January 2000
;Most drop goals in a match — 2
Manchester at home to Orrell on 2 October 1999
Player
;Most points in a match — 41Simon 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
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
Attendances
;Highest — 5,019Leeds Tykes at home to Rotherham on 18 February 2000
;Lowest — 300
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
Leeds Tykes at home to Moseley on 16 April 1999
;Highest Average Attendance — 2,487
Worcester
;Lowest Average Attendance — 379
Waterloo