The 2002–03 National Division One (for sponsorship reasons known as the Jewson National Division One) was the 16th full season of rugby union within the second tier of the English league system, currently known as the RFU Championship. New teams to the division included Orrell and Plymouth Albion who were promoted from 2001–02 National Division Two while no team was relegated from the 2001–02 Zurich Premiership as Rotherham's ground was not deemed suitable for top flight games.
For the second year in a row Rotherham, were champions, and this year they were promoted to the Zurich Premiership for season 2003–04 with Worcester finishing as runners–up for the third consecutive season. Moseley and Rugby were relegated to the 2003–04 National Division Two.
Participating teams
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Team
!Stadium
!Capacity
!City/Area
|-
|Bedford Blues
|Goldington Road
|5,000
|Bedford, Bedfordshire
|-
|Birmingham & Solihull
|Sharmans Cross
|4,000
|Solihull, West Midlands
|-
|Coventry
|Coundon Road
|10,000 (1,100 seats)
|Coventry, West Midlands
|-
|Exeter Chiefs
|County Ground
|5,750 (750 seats)
|Exeter, Devon
|-
|London Welsh
|Old Deer Park
|4,500 (1,500 seats)
|Richmond, London
|-
|Manchester
|Grove Park
|4,000
|Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
|-
|Moseley
|Bournbrook
|
|Birmingham, West Midlands
|-
|Orrell
|Edge Hall Road
|5,300 (300 seats)
|Orrell, Greater Manchester
|-
|Otley
|Cross Green
|7,000 (852 seats)
|Otley, West Yorkshire
|-
|Plymouth Albion
|Beacon Park
|3,500 (450 seats)
|Plymouth, Devon
|-
|Rotherham
|Millmoor
|8,300
|Rotherham, South Yorkshire
|-
|Rugby Lions
|Webb Ellis Road
|3,200 (200 seats)
|Rugby, Warwickshire
|-
|Wakefield
|College Grove
|4,000 (500 seats)
|Wakefield, West Yorkshire
|-
|Worcester
|Sixways
|8,477
|Worcester, Worcestershire
|-
|}
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
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 February 2003.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 February 2003.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 21 April 2003.
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Round 15
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 March 2003.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 February 2003.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 22 March 2003.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 March 2003.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 March 2003.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 February 2003.
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Round 16
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Round 17
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 8 March 2003.
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Round 18
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 9 April 2003.
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Round 19
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Round 14 & 15 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003..
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 4 January 2003.
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Round 21 (rescheduled game)
- Game brought forward from 1 March 2003.
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Round 20
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Round 21
- Game brought forward to 19 February 2003.
- Game postponed. Rescheduled to 8 March 2003.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 23 March 2003.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 April 2003.
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Round 15, 17 & 21 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 25 January 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 1 March 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
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Round 22
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Rounds 15 & 21 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 11 January 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 1 March 2003.
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Round 23
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Rounds 18, 21 & 26 (rescheduled games)
- Game brought forward from 26 April 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 1 March 2003.
- Game rescheduled from 1 February 2003.
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Round 24
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Round 25
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Round 14 (rescheduled game)
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Round 26
- Game brought forward to 5 April 2003.
Total Season Attendances
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
!Club
!Home<br>Games
!Total
!Average
!Highest
!Lowest
!% Capacity
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Bedford Blues || 13 || 20,696 || 1,592 || 2,227 || 1,159 || 32%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Birmingham & Solihull || 13 || 6,500 || 500 || 1,200 || 200 || 13%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Coventry || 11 || 16,745 || 1,522 || 2,500 || 850 || 15%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Exeter Chiefs || 13 || 17,663 || 1,359 || 2,958 || 786 || 24%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|London Welsh || 13 || 12,155 || 935 || 1,475 || 400 || 21%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Manchester || 13 || 6,712 || 516 || 1,200 || 125 || 13%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Moseley || 13 || 6,214 || 478 || 750 || 323 || N/A
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Orrell || 13 || 9,165 || 705 || 1,410 || 400 || 13%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Otley || 12 || 9,065 || 755 || 2,000 || 435 || 11%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Plymouth Albion || 13 || 24,578 || 1,891 || 3,420 || 1,056 || 54%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Rotherham || 12 || 19,823 || 1,652 || 4,000 || 1,000 || 20%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Rugby Lions || 12 || 4,970 || 414 || 682 || 275 || 13%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Wakefield || 13 || 4,679 || 360 || 850 || 250 || 9%
|-
| style="text-align:left"|Worcester || 13 || 31,984 || 2,460 || 5,700 || 800 || 29%
|-
|}
Individual statistics
- Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
{|class="wikitable"
! Rank !! Player !! Team !! Appearances !! Points
|-
| 1 || James Pritchard || Bedford Blues || 26 || 374
|-
| 2 || Tony Yapp || Exeter Chiefs || 23 || 349
|-
| 3 || Phil Jones || Orrell || 26 || 346
|-
| 4 || Simon Binns || Otley || 23 || 269
|-
| 5 || Ramiro Pez || Rotherham || 17 || 265
|-
| 6 || Luke Smith || Rotherham / Birmingham & Solihull || 24 || 166
|-
| 7 || Brett McCormack || Plymouth Albion || 22 || 152
|-
| 8 || Simon Verbickas || Manchester || 20 || 137
|-
| 9 || Jon Boden || Rugby Lions || 21 || 134
|-
| 10 || Jon Benson || Rotherham || 21 || 133
|-
|}
Top try scorers
{|class="wikitable"
! Rank !! Player !! Team !! Appearances !! Tries
|-
| 1 || Duncan Roke || Worcester || 25 || 26
|-
| 2 || Michael Wood || Rotherham || 22 || 22
|-
| 3 || Dan Ward-Smith || Plymouth Albion || 26 || 21
|-
| 4 || Nmandi Ezulike || Worcester || 23 || 19
|-
| rowspan=3| 5 || David Officer || Worcester || 15 || 16
|-
| Wes Davies || Orrell || 22 || 16
|-
| Nick Baxter || Birmingham & Solihull || 26 || 16
|-
| rowspan=3| 6 || Andy Craig || Orrell || 14 || 15
|-
| Chris Garrard || Worcester || 21 || 15
|-
| Phil Jones || Orrell || 26 || 15
|-
|}
Season records
Team
;Largest home win — 99 pts
102 - 3 Rotherham at home to Moseley on 6 October 2002
;Largest away win — 68 pts
75 - 7 Rotherham away to Moseley on 8 February 2003
;Most points scored — 102 pts
102 - 3 Rotherham at home to Moseley on 6 October 2002
;Most tries in a match — 14 (x2)
Exeter Chiefs at home to Rugby Lions on 14 September 2002<br>
Rotherham at home to Moseley on 6 October 2002
;Most conversions in a match — 10 (x3)
Rotherham at home to Moseley on 6 October 2002<br>
Rotherham away to Moseley on 8 February 2003<br>
Worcester away to Moseley on 22 March 2003
;Most penalties in a match — 8 (x2)
Bedford Blues at home to Otley on 2 November 2002<br>
Coventry at home to Exeter Chiefs on 9 April 2003
;Most drop goals in a match — 2 (x3)
Plymouth Albion at home to Wakefield on 8 February 2003<br>
Bedford Blues at home to Plymouth Albion on 23 March 2003<br>
Exeter Chiefs at home to Plymouth Albion on 19 April 2003
Player
;Most points in a match — 37
Ramiro Pez for Rotherham at home to Moseley on 6 October 2002
;Most tries in a match — 4 (x4)
Drew Hickey for Orrell at home to Rugby Lions on 1 September 2002<br>
Dan Ward-Smith for Plymouth Albion away to Rugby Lions on 26 October 2002<br>
Dan Ward-Smith for Plymouth Albion at home to Manchester on 4 January 2003<br>
Duncan Roke for Worcester away to Rugby Lions on 26 April 2003
;Most conversions in a match — 10 (x2)
Ramiro Pez for Rotherham at home to Moseley on 6 October 2002<br>
Jon Benson for Rotherham away to Moseley on 8 February 2003
;Most penalties in a match — 8 (x2)
James Pritchard for Bedford Blues at home to Otley on 2 November 2002<br>
Luke Smith for Coventry at home to Exeter Chiefs on 9 April 2003
;Most drop goals in a match — 2 (x3)
Tom Barlow for Plymouth Albion at home to Wakefield on 8 February 2003<br>
Ed Barnes for Bedford Blues at home to Plymouth Albion on 23 March 2003<br>
Tony Yapp for Exeter Chiefs at home to Plymouth Albion on 19 April 2003
Attendances
;Highest — 5,700
Worcester at home to Rotherham on 12 April 2003
;Lowest — 250
Wakefield at home to Rugby Lions on 2 November 2002
;Highest Average Attendance — 2,460
Worcester
;Lowest Average Attendance — 360
Wakefield
Notes
See also
- English rugby union system