2019–20 National League 1
The 2019–20 National League 1, known for sponsorship reasons as the SSE National League 1, was the 11th season of the third tier of the English rugby union system, since the professionalised format of the second tier RFU Championship was introduced; and was the 33rd season since league rugby began in 1987.
Newly promoted Canterbury were the first team to be relegated after losing away to league leaders Richmond on 29 February, with six games still to play. Hull Ionians, also newly promoted, were the second team to be relegated after losing their rescheduled match at home to Blackheath on 14 March - Ionians having six games still to play.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom the Rugby Football Union officially cancelled the season after an initially suspension of all rugby in England including training, from which was scheduled to last until 14 April 2020. After the cancellation was announced the RFU used a best playing record formula to decide the final table. This meant that Richmond, who had been 7 points clear when the league had been suspended, were crowned as champions, beating off stiff opposition from Rosslyn Park and newly promoted Rams, who had a fantastic debut season in the third tier. Richmond's title was their third at level 3, and tied them with Coventry and Otley as the clubs that had the most league titles. It also was the fourth time Richmond had been promoted from tier 3 - a divisional record.
With two relegation spots already decided, it was tough luck for Rotherham Titans who were designated as the third team to go down, despite a late surge which had seen them gaining ground on 13th placed Birmingham Moseley. It was also a great fall for a side that were once playing in the Premiership and the lowest level for the club since the mid 1990s. Richmond would return to the 2020–21 RFU Championship after one season away, while Rotherham Titans and Hull Ionians would fall to 2020–21 National League North and Canterbury to 2020–21 National League South.
Another interesting statistic from the season was Brandon Asher-Wood's 7 tries for Darlington Mowden Park's resounding win against Hull Ionians on 21 December 2019. Wood's tries equalled the league record of 7 previously set by Hugo Ellis of Rosslyn Park back in the 2012–13 season.
Structure
The league consists of sixteen teams with all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis to make a total of thirty matches each. There is one promotion place with the champions promoted to the Greene King IPA Championship. There are usually three relegation places with the bottom three teams relegated to either National League 2 North or National League 2 South depending on the geographical location of the team.The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:
- 4 points are awarded for a win
- 2 points are awarded for a draw
- 0 points are awarded for a loss, however
- 1 losing point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
- 1 additional point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match.
Participating teams and locations
The teams promoted into the division were Hull Ionians and Rams, champions of 2018–19 National League 2 North and 2018–19 National League 2 South respectively, along with the south runners-up Canterbury, who defeated the north's Chester in the promotion play-off. Ionians return to the division after a season's absence, while Rams and Canterbury are debuting in National 1 – the highest level either club have reached since the leagues began.
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
| Birmingham Moseley | Billesley Common | 5,000 | Birmingham, West Midlands | 12th |
| Bishop's Stortford | Silver Leys | 1,600 | Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire | 9th |
| Blackheath | Well Hall | 1,650 | Eltham, London | 4th |
| Cambridge | Grantchester Road | 1,250 | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | 13th |
| Canterbury | Marine Travel Ground | 1,500 | Canterbury, Kent | Promoted from N2S |
| Chinnor | Kingsey Road | 2,000 | Thame, Oxfordshire | 10th |
| Cinderford | Dockham Road | 2,500 | Cinderford, Gloucestershire | 8th |
| Darlington Mowden Park | Northern Echo Arena | 25,500 | Darlington, County Durham | 7th |
| Hull Ionians | Brantingham Park | 1,500 | Brantingham, East Riding | Promoted from N2N |
| Old Elthamians | College Meadow | 1,800 | Eltham, London | Runners up |
| Plymouth Albion | The Brickfields | 8,500 | Plymouth, Devon | 5th |
| Rams | Old Bath Road | 1,250 | Sonning, Reading, Berkshire | Promoted from N2S |
| Richmond | Athletic Ground | 4,500 | Richmond, London | Relegated from Championship |
| Rosslyn Park | The Rock | 2,000 | Roehampton, London | 3rd |
| Rotherham Titans | Clifton Lane | 2,500 | Rotherham, South Yorkshire | 6th |
| Sale FC | Heywood Road | 3,387 | Sale, Greater Manchester | 11th |
Tables
At the date the leagues were suspended, the National League 1 table read as follows:On 4 April, the RFU confirmed the final table for the season.
Fixtures & results
Round 1
----Round 2
----Round 3
----Round 4
----Round 5
----Round 6
----Round 7
----Round 8
- Postponed due to adverse weather conditions. Game to be rescheduled for 22 February 2020.
Round 9
----Round 10
----Round 11
----Round 12
----Round 13
----Round 14
----Round 15
----Round 16
----Round 17
----Round 18
----Round 19
- Game postponed due to the funeral of Hull Ionians player, Billy Hardy, who died on 28 December 2019 after falling ill following a gym workout. Game to be rescheduled for 14 March 2020.
Round 20
----Round 21
----Round 22
----Round 23
- Postponed. Game to be rescheduled for 14 March 2020.
- Postponed. Game to be rescheduled for 22 February 2020.
- Postponed. Game to be rescheduled for 22 February 2020.
Rounds 8 & 23 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 15 February 2020.
- Game originally rescheduled from 15 February 2020 but postponed again due to poor weather. Game to be rescheduled for 12 March 2020.
- Game rescheduled from 26 October 2019 but postponed again due to poor weather. Game to be rescheduled for 11 April 2020.
Round 24
- Postponed due to bad weather. Game to be rescheduled for 2 May 2020.
- Canterbury are relegated.
Round 25
----Rounds 19 & 23 (rescheduled games)
- Game originally rescheduled from 15 February 2020 and then again from 22 February 2020.
- Game rescheduled from 18 January 2020. Hull Ionians are relegated.
- Game rescheduled from 15 February 2020.
Round 26
----Round 27
----Round 28
----Round 8 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 26 October 2019 and then 22 February 2020.
Round 29
----Round 30
----Round 24 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 29 February 2020.
Attendances
| Club | Home games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
| Birmingham Moseley | 13 | 9,066 | 697 | 882 | 578 | 14% |
| Bishop's Stortford | 11 | 4,852 | 441 | 825 | 350 | 28% |
| Blackheath | 13 | 6,698 | 515 | 832 | 352 | 41% |
| Cambridge | 12 | 6,217 | 518 | 832 | 352 | 41% |
| Canterbury | 13 | 5,239 | 403 | 610 | 296 | 27% |
| Chinnor | 12 | 6,203 | 517 | 1,024 | 252 | 26% |
| Cinderford | 11 | 3,212 | 292 | 425 | 145 | 12% |
| Darlington Mowden Park | 13 | 10,599 | 815 | 1,128 | 479 | 3% |
| Hull Ionians | 12 | 2,945 | 245 | 411 | 176 | 16% |
| Old Elthamians | 12 | 3,140 | 262 | 515 | 174 | 15% |
| Plymouth Albion | 13 | 13,071 | 1,005 | 1,301 | 826 | 12% |
| Rams | 12 | 7,070 | 589 | 1,131 | 356 | 47% |
| Richmond | 12 | 7,449 | 621 | 756 | 495 | 31% |
| Rosslyn Park | 13 | 9,449 | 727 | 2,000 | 495 | 36% |
| Rotherham Titans | 12 | 6,298 | 525 | 687 | 462 | 21% |
| Sale FC | 13 | 5,216 | 401 | 712 | 210 | 12% |
Individual statistics
- Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals. Appearance figures also include coming on as substitutes.
Top points scorers
Top try scorers
Season records
Team
;Largest home win — 85 points92 – 7 Darlington Mowden Park at home to Hull Ionians on 21 December 2019
;Largest away win — 50 points
50 – 0 Richmond away to Canterbury on 9 November 2019
;Most points scored — 92
92 – 7 Darlington Mowden Park at home to Hull Ionians on 21 December 2019
;Most tries in a match — 14
Darlington Mowden Park at home to Hull Ionians on 21 December 2019
Richmond at home to Hull Ionians on 11 January 2020
;Most conversions in a match — 11
Darlington Mowden Park at home to Hull Ionians on 21 December 2019
;Most penalties in a match — 5
Old Elthamians at home to Plymouth Albion on 28 September 2019
Birmingham Moseley at home to Sale FC on 2 November 2019
Rosslyn Park at home to Chinnor on 9 November 2019
Birmingham Moseley at home to Rams on 21 December 2019
Sale FC away to Blackheath on 25 January 2020
Blackheath at home to Plymouth Albion on 8 February 2020
;Most drop goals in a match — 1
Plymouth Albion at home to Canterbury on 5 October 2019
Sale FC at home to Rosslyn Park on 5 October 2019
Bishop's Stortford at home to Rams on 26 October 2019
Attendances
;Highest — 2,000Rosslyn Park at home to Richmond on 6 March 2020
;Lowest — 145
Cinderford at home to Blackheath on 7 March 2020
;Highest average attendance — 1,005
Plymouth Albion
;Lowest average attendance — 245
Hull Ionians
Player
;Most points in a match — 35Brandon Asher-Wood for Darlington Mowden Park at home to Hull Ionians on 21 December 2019
;Most tries in a match — 7
Brandon Asher-Wood for Darlington Mowden Park at home to Hull Ionians on 21 December 2019
;Most conversions in a match — 9
Warren Seals for Darlington Mowden Park at home to Birmingham Moseley on 30 November 2019
;Most penalties in a match — 5
Tom White for Old Elthamians at home to Plymouth Albion on 28 September 2019
Clifford Hodgson for Birmingham Moseley at home to Sale FC on 2 November 2019
Craig Holland for Rosslyn Park at home to Chinnor on 9 November 2019
Clifford Hodgson for Birmingham Moseley at home to Rams on 21 December 2019
Chris Johnson for Sale FC away to Blackheath on 25 January 2020
Mark Cooke for Blackheath at home to Plymouth Albion on 8 February 2020
;Most drop goals in a match — 1
Connor Eastgate for Plymouth Albion at home to Canterbury on 5 October 2019
Chris Johnson for Sale FC at home to Rosslyn Park on 5 October 2019
Bradley Burr for Bishop's Stortford at home to Rams on 26 October 2019