1996–97 National Division 2
The 1996–97 National Division 2 was the tenth season of the top tier of the English rugby union league system, the Courage Clubs Championship, currently known as Champ Rugby, and was the first season that saw professional rugby openly introduced into the English game. It was also the tenth and final season of sponsorship by Courage. New sides to the division included Richmond, Coventry, Rugby Lions and Rotherham and there had been no teams relegated from tier 1 due to league restructuring.
The top two teams, Richmond and Newcastle Falcons were automatically promoted to the new look 1997–98 Premiership 1, and for the first time there were play–offs between the third and fourth placed teams, and the ninth and tenth placed teams in Division One, which meant 2 to 4 teams could be promoted/relegated between the divisions. The Division 2 sides played at home first with the winners of the two matches, on aggregate score, playing in the top division the following season. Coventry and Bedford both failed to win promotion.
At the end other end of the table, Rugby Lions and Nottingham were relegated to the newly named 1997–98 National League 1. Last season Nottingham finished in the bottom two and escaped relegation due to the division being increased from ten clubs to twelve clubs. This season they were not so lucky and next season will be their first in Division Three.
Structure
Restructuring from the previous season increased the division from ten to twelve teams with each side playing one another twice, in a round robin system, home and away, to make a total of twenty-two matches for each team.The reorganisation of the Courage Clubs Championship for the following season by the RFU meant there would be between two to four sides promoted to the new look look Premiership 1. Sides finishing 1st and 2nd would be automatically promoted while sides finishing 3rd and 4th would be involved in a promotion/relegation playoff against the 9th and 10th ranked sides from the 1996–97 National Division 1 with 4th v 9th and 3rd v 10th.
Participating teams
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
| Bedford | Goldington Road | 6,500 | Bedford, Bedfordshire | 10th |
| Blackheath | Rectory Field | 3,500 | Greenwich, London | 7th |
| Coventry | Coundon Road | 10,000 | Coventry, West Midlands | Promoted from National 3 |
| London Scottish | Athletic Ground | 7,300 | Richmond, London | 3rd |
| [Moseley Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby Football Club|Moseley] | The Reddings | 9,999 | Birmingham, West Midlands | 6th |
| Newcastle | Kingston Park | 6,600 | Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear | 8th |
| Nottingham | Ireland Avenue | 4,990 | Beeston, Nottinghamshire | 9th |
| Richmond | Athletic Ground | 7,300 | Richmond, London | Promoted from National 3 |
| Rotherham | Clifton Lane | 2,500 | Rotherham, South Yorkshire | Promoted from National 3 |
| Rugby | Webb Ellis Road | 3,200 | Rugby, Warwickshire | Promoted from National 3 |
| Wakefield | College Grove | 4,000 | Wakefield, West Yorkshire | 4th |
| Waterloo | St Anthony's Road | 9,950 | Blundellsands, Merseyside | 5th |
Fixtures & Results
Round 1
----Round 2
----Round 3
----Round 4
----Round 5
----Round 6
----Round 7
----Round 8
----Round 9
----Round 10
- Postponed due to Newcastle requesting game be switched due to international call-ups. Game rescheduled to 5 May 1997.
Round 11
----Round 12
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 29 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 29 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 30 April 1997.
Round 13
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 31 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 February 1997.
Round 14
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 April 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 February 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 January 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 March 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 May 1997.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 3 May 1997.
Round 15
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 29 March 1997.
Round 14 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
Round 16
----Round 13 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
Round 17
----Rounds 13 & 14 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
Round 18
----Rounds 12 & 15 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 18 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 28 December 1996.
- Game rescheduled from 28 December 1996.
Round 13 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 1997.
Round 19
----Round 20
----Round 15 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
Round 21
----Round 22
----Round 12 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 28 December 1996.
Rounds 10, 12 & 14 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 1997.
- Game rescheduled from 9 November 1996.
Promotion play–offs
For the first time play–offs took place between the third and fourth placed teams in Division Two and the ninth and tenth placed teams in Division One. The play–offs followed a 4th v 9th, 3rd v 10th system - with the games being played over two legs and the second-tier team playing at home in the first leg.Second leg
- Bristol won 39 – 23 on aggregate to retain their place in Division One
- London Irish won 42 – 23 on aggregate to retain their place in Division One
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 |  |rugby unionTop try scorers
|
