The 1987–88 National Division 1 was the first season of the top tier of the English rugby union league system, the Courage Clubs Championship, and the first to be sponsored by Courage Brewery. It was the first season of a truly national rugby union league, with the top flight currently known as Premiership Rugby.
At the end of the season Leicester finished top of the league table and were crowned as the first ever champions, while Coventry and Sale were relegated to the 1988–89 National Division 2, the latter side having lost all of its eleven matches.
Structure Each team played one match against each of the other teams, playing a total of eleven matches each. For this first season there was no fixture list; the teams arranged fixtures amongst themselves. Most teams played eleven games, although some played ten due to cancellations and there were unequal home and away fixtures, with some sides playing up to seven games at home, while others as little as four. The bottom two sides were relegated to National Division 2.
The points scheme was such that a team received four points for a win, two for a draw and one point for a loss.
Participating teams
TeamStadiumCapacityCity/AreaBathThe Recreation Ground8,300 (1,000 seats)Bath, SomersetBristolMemorial Stadium8,500 (1,200 seats)Bristol, AvonCoventryCoundon Road10,000 (1,100 seats) Coventry, West MidlandsGloucesterKingsholm11,100 (1,100 seats)Gloucester, GloucestershireHarlequinsThe Stoop9,000 (2,000 seats)Twickenham, LondonLeicesterWelford Road14,700 (9,200 seats)Leicester, LeicestershireMoseleyThe Reddings9,999 (1,800 seats)Birmingham, West MidlandsNottinghamIreland Avenue4,990 (590 seats) Beeston, NottinghamshireOrrellEdge Hall Road5,300 (300 seats) Orrell, Greater ManchesterSaleHeywood Road4,000 (500 seats) Sale, Greater ManchesterWaspsRepton Avenue3,200 (1,200 seats)Sudbury, LondonWaterlooSt Anthony's Road9,950 (950 seats) Blundellsands, Merseyside
League table
Results table
The home team is listed in the left column.
Fixtures and results Clubs had to organise their own fixtures so there was no organised round by round fixture lists and also no equal allocation of home and away matches. Dates of games and results are given below in date order.
September 1987
October 1987
November 1987
December 1987
January 1988
February 1988
March 1988
April 1988
League and cup double header. The 1988 John Player Cup final would also count as Harlequins v Bristol Courage League game.
Cancelled games
See also 1987–88 National Division 2 1987–88 National Division 3 1987–88 Area League North 1987–88 Area League South
References