The 2009-10 National League 1, previously known as National Division 2, is the first season of the
third division of the English
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
competitions since the professionalised format of the
second division was introduced with widespread league changes made by the RFU. As the new second division would reduce teams from 16 to 12, there were plenty of new additions to National League 1, itself increasing from 14 to 16 teams, with
Esher
Esher ( ) is a town in the borough of Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole, Surrey, River Mole.
Esher is an outlying suburb of London, close to the London–Surrey border; with Esher Commons at its ...
,
Newbury,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
and
Sedgley Park
Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester, north of Salford and south of Bury.
Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ...
all dropping down from the old National 1 while
Nuneaton
Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire to the north-east.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...
and
London Scottish came up from the
2008–09 National Division Three North and
2008–09 National Division Three South respectively (these divisions themselves now renamed National League 2 North/South).
At the end of the season Esher finished as champions, way ahead of runners up and newly promoted London Scottish, suffering only one defeat and going straight back up to the
2010–11 RFU Championship
The 2010–11 RFU Championship was the 2nd season (of the professionalised format) of the second division of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between August 2010 and May 2011. New teams to the division included Worcester Warr ...
. At the other end of the table, Manchester had an absolutely awful season, suffering their second successive relegation, with no wins, no bonus points, only 114 points scored and over 2,500 points conceded. The other two sides to join them would be Nuneaton who went straight back down after one season and Newbury Blues who also suffered a second relegation in a row, losing out to 13th place
Otley
Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 2011 c ...
by just 2 points. Manchester and Nuneaton would drop to the
2010–11 National League 2 North while Newbury would go down into the
2010–11 National League 2 South.
Participating teams and locations
League table
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
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Round 14
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Round 15
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 6 February 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 6 February 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 6 February 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 6 February 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 6 February 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 6 February 2010.
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Round 16
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 20 March 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 15 May 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 20 March 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 March 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 March 2010.
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Round 17
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 1 May 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 1 May 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 1 May 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 1 May 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 20 March 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 1 May 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 1 May 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 1 May 2010.
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Round 18
*Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 May 2010.
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 14 April 2010.
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Round 19
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Round 20
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 2 February 2010.
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Round 20 (Rescheduled game)
*Rescheduled from 30 January 2010.
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Round 15 (Rescheduled games)
*Rescheduled from 19 December 2009.
*Rescheduled from 19 December 2009.
*Rescheduled from 19 December 2009.
*Rescheduled from 19 December 2009.
*Rescheduled from 19 December 2009.
*Rescheduled from 19 December 2009.
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Round 21 (Rescheduled game)
*Brought forward from 13 February 2010.
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Round 21
*Brought forward to 7 February 2010.
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Round 22
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Round 23
*Postponed. Game rescheduled for 8 May 2010.
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Round 24
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Round 25
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Rounds 16 & 17 (Rescheduled games)
*Rescheduled from 9 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 2 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 2 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 2 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 2 January 2010.
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Round 26
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Round 27
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Round 28
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Round 18 (Rescheduled game)
*Rescheduled from 16 January 2010.
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Round 29
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Round 30
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Round 17 (Rescheduled games)
*Rescheduled from 9 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 9 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 9 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 9 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 9 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 9 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 9 January 2010.
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Rounds 18 & 23 (Rescheduled games)
*Rescheduled from 16 January 2010.
*Rescheduled from 27 February 2010.
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Round 16 (Rescheduled game)
*Rescheduled from 2 January 2010. Game cancelled as Cinderford did not have enough front row players and match would not have any outcome as Esher had already won the title and Cinderford were safe from relegation.
[
]
Total season attendances
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
Top try scorers
Season records
Team
;Largest home win — 119 pts
124 - 5 Wharfedale at home to Manchester on 26 September 2009
;Largest away win — 148 pts
148 - 0 Esher away to Manchester on 5 September 2009
;Most points scored — 148 pts
148 - 0 Esher away to Manchester on 5 September 2009
;Most tries in a match — 23
Blaydon away to Manchester on 19 September 2009
;Most conversions in a match — 19
Esher away to Manchester on 5 September 2009
;Most penalties in a match — 5
N/A - multiple teams
;Most drop goals in a match — 2
Newbury Blues away to Blackheath on 12 September 2009
Player
;Most points in a match — 51
Sam Ulph for Esher away to Manchester on 5 September 2009
;Most tries in a match — 6 (x2)
Johannes Schmidt for Cambridge at home to Manchester on 10 April 2010
Seb Jewell for Esher at home to Manchester on 24 April 2010
;Most conversions in a match — 18
Sam Ulph for Esher away to Manchester on 5 September 2009
;Most penalties in a match — 5
N/A - multiple players
;Most drop goals in a match — 2
Mitch Burton for Newbury Blues away to Blackheath on 12 September 2009
Attendances
;Highest — 2,485
London Scottish at home to Esher on 16 January 2010
;Lowest — 105
Blaydon at home to Nuneaton on 17 April 2010
;Highest Average Attendance — 1,014
London Scottish
;Lowest Average Attendance — 203
Manchester
See also
* English Rugby Union Leagues
* English rugby union system
Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system.
Women's Rugby union in England consi ...
* Rugby union in England
Rugby union in England is one of the leading professional and recreational team sports. In 1871 the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for rugby union in England, was formed by 21 rugby clubs, and the first international match, which invol ...
References
External links
NCA Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:2009-10 National League 1
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
National League 1 seasons