The 1996–97 National Division One was the 10th season of the league at the second tier of the English rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 pyramid.

Division 2 of the Courage Clubs Championship, now known as National Division One, is a rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 club competition in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Promotion to the then Division 1

Guinness Premiership

The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...

 was decided in a series of play-offs. The teams in first, second and third place on Division 2 at the end of the season played the bottom, second from bottom and third from bottom in Division 1

Guinness Premiership

The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...

 (what is now the Premiership) in a pair of home and away matches. The Division 2 side played at home first. The winners of the two matches on aggregate score were promoted.

Richmond

Richmond F.C.

Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs...

 beat Orrell

Orrell R.U.F.C.

Orrell Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby union team from the Orrell area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester.The club were founded in 1927, holding a place in the top-tier of rugby union from 1986 to 1997.-1927–1939:...

, and were promoted to Division 1

Guinness Premiership

The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...

. Newcastle

Newcastle Falcons

The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...

 beat West Hartlepool

West Hartlepool R.F.C.

West Hartlepool Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club who play in the National League 3 North league after gaining promotion by winning the 2010 / 2011 North 1 East league.-History:...

, and were promoted to Division 1

Guinness Premiership

The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...

. Coventry

Coventry R.F.C.

Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....

 lost to London Irish

London Irish

London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...

, and were not promoted. Rugby Lions and Nottingham

Nottingham R.F.C.

Nottingham Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based in Nottingham, England. The club's first team currently play in the Championship, the second tier of English Rugby....

 were relegated to Division 3 for the 1997-98 season.

Table

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! colspan=9 style="border-right:0px;"; | Courage National Division Two 1996-97
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! Pos
! Team
! P
! W
! D
! L
! For
! Against
! Pts
|-
|| 1 || Richmond

Richmond F.C.

Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs...

 || 22 || 19 || 2 || 1 || 986 || 410 || 40
|-
|| 2 || Newcastle

Newcastle Falcons

The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...

 || 22 || 19 || 1 || 2 || 1255 || 346 || 39
|-
|| 3 || Coventry

Coventry R.F.C.

Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....

 || 22 || 16 || 1 || 5 || 738 || 394 || 33
|-
|| 4 || Bedford

Bedford Blues

Bedford Blues is a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The...

 || 22 || 15 || 0 || 7 || 720 || 482 || 30
|-
|| 5 || London Scottish

London Scottish F.C.

London Scottish Football Club is a rugby union club in England. It is a member of both the Rugby Football Union and the Scottish Rugby Union.-History:...

 || 22 || 11 || 0 || 11 || 549 || 568 || 22
|-
|| 6 || Wakefield

Wakefield RFC

Wakefield RFC was an English rugby union club, founded in 1901, and which dropped out of the English leagues in 2004 as a result of the effects of professionalism...

 || 22 || 11 || 0 || 11 || 504 || 557 || 22
|-
|| 7 || Rotherham  || 22 || 10 || 0 || 12 || 525 || 661 || 20
|-
|| 8 || Moseley

Moseley Rugby Football Club

Moseley Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club, based at Billesley Common in Birmingham, that competes in the RFU Championship. The club was historically the premier rugby club in Birmingham, reaching the final of the John Player Cup three times in the late 1970s and early 1980s...

 || 22 || 9 || 0 || 13 || 492 || 741 || 18
|-
|| 9 || Waterloo

Waterloo R.F.C.

Waterloo Football Club is an English Rugby Union team based at St Anthonys Road, Blundellsands, Merseyside. It celebrated its 125th season in 2007/08, having been founded in 1882 by brothers Sidney and Harry Hall and George Abercrombie. From 1882 until 1884 the club was known as Serpentine after...

 || 22 || 8 || 0 || 14 || 506 || 661 || 16
|-
|| 10 || Blackheath || 22 || 7 || 0 || 15 || 412 || 641 || 14
|-
|| 11 || Rugby Lions || 22 || 3 || 0 || 19 || 317 || 1060 || 6
|-
|| 12 || Nottingham

Nottingham R.F.C.

Nottingham Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based in Nottingham, England. The club's first team currently play in the Championship, the second tier of English Rugby....

|| 22 || 2 || 0 || 20 || 344 || 827 || 4
|}

Points were awarded as follows:

• 2 points for a win
• 1 point for a draw
• 0 points for a loss