1995–96 Courage League Division 4

1995–96 Courage League Division 4
Countries	England
Champions	Exeter (1st title)
Runners-up	London Welsh (also promoted)
Relegated	No relegation
Matches played	162

The 1995–96 Courage League Division 4 was the ninth full season of rugby union within the fourth tier of the English league system, currently the regional divisions National League 2 South and National League 2 North, and the third using the name Division 4. Impending changes to the league structure by the RFU meant that this would be the last season for Courage League Division 4 as a national league with it reverting to the previous incarnation of two regional leagues - Courage League Division 4 South and Courage League Division 4 North. It would also herald the elimination of Courage League 5 North and South, which was to be divided into four regional divisions - North 1, Midlands 1, London 1 and South West 1. These changes meant that the top 8 teams would be promoted to an expanded Courage League National 3 while the bottom teams would be transferred into the new-look Courage 4 North or South depending on location, where they would be joined by teams from the discontinued Courage 5 North/South divisions.

By the end of the campaign Exeter finished as champions, 4 points ahead of runners up London Welsh. Both champions and runners up were joined by the teams ranked 3rd through to 8th in claiming promotion to the 1996–97 National Division 3. The bottom two sides were Plymouth Albion and Aspatria who would be transferred to National Division 4 South and National Division 4 North respectively.

Structure

Each team played home and away matches against each of the other teams, playing a total of eighteen matches each. Changes to the league structure by the RFU for the 1996-97 season meant that the top eight sides were promoted to Courage League National 3 while the bottom two were transferred to the new-look Courage League Division 4 South or Courage League Division 4 North depending on locality.

Participating teams and locations

Aspatria

Clifton

Exeter

Havant

Leeds

L Welsh

Liverpool
St Helens

Plymouth

Redruth

Walsall

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1995–96 Courage League 4 teams in England

Team	Ground	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Aspatria	Bower Park		Aspatria, Cumbria	5th
Clifton	Station Road	2,500	Cribbs Causeway, Henbury, Bristol	Relegated from National 3 (9th)
Exeter	County Ground	5,200	Exeter, Devon	Relegated from National 3 (10th)
Havant	Hook's Lane	1,500	Havant, Hampshire	4th
Leeds	Clarence Field / Chandos Park		Kirkstall / Roundhay, Leeds, West Yorkshire	6th
London Welsh	Old Deer Park	5,850	Richmond, London	Promoted from Courage 5 South (champions)
Liverpool St Helens	Moss Lane	3,000	St Helens, Merseyside	3rd
Plymouth Albion	Beacon Park	3,500	Plymouth, Devon	4th
Redruth	Recreation Ground	12,000	Redruth, Cornwall	7th
Walsall	Broadway Ground	1,150	Walsall, West Midlands	Promoted from Courage 5 North (champions)

League table

1995–96 Courage League Division 4 table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	Exeter (C, P)	18	14	0	4	448	230	+218	28	Promoted
2	London Welsh (P)	18	12	0	6	424	269	+155	24
3	Liverpool St Helens (P)	18	11	1	6	471	343	+128	23
4	Walsall (P)	18	10	0	8	406	324	+82	20
5	Leeds (P)	18	9	1	8	311	345	−34	19
6	Clifton (P)	18	7	2	9	283	298	−15	16
7	Redruth (P)	18	7	2	9	358	391	−33	16
8	Havant (P)	18	7	1	10	287	368	−81	15
9	Aspatria	18	5	1	12	356	497	−141	11
10	Plymouth Albion	18	4	0	14	266	545	−279	8

Source:
Rules for classification: Points are awarded as follows: 2 pts for a win, 1 pt for a draw, 0 pts for a loss. If teams are level at any stage, difference between points for and against applies.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Sponsorship

Courage League Division 4 is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery.

See also

• 1995–96 Courage League National Division One
• 1995–96 Courage League National Division Two
• 1995–96 Courage League National Division Three
• 1995–96 Courage League Division 5 North
• 1995–96 Courage League Division 5 South