2019–20 National League 1
The 2019–20 National League 1, known for sponsorship reasons as the SSE National League 1, was the 11th season of the third tier of the English rugby union system, since the professionalised format of the second tier RFU Championship was introduced; and was the 33rd season since league rugby began in 1987.
| 2019–20 National League 1 | |
|---|---|
| Countries | England |
| Date | September 2019 – 14 March 2020 |
| Champions | Richmond (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Rams |
| Relegated | Hull Ionians, Canterbury, Rotherham Titans |
| Matches played | 198 |
| Attendance | 110,390 (average 558 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 2,000 Rosslyn Park v Richmond 6 March 2020 |
| Lowest attendance | 145 Cinderford v Blackheath 7 March 2020 |
| Tries scored | 1279 (average 6.5 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Warren Seals (Darlington MP) 267 points |
| Top try scorer | Jake Lloyd (Blackheath) Jason Worrall (Chinnor) 18 tries each |
Newly promoted Canterbury were the first team to be relegated after losing away to league leaders Richmond on 29 February, with six games still to play. Hull Ionians, also newly promoted, were the second team to be relegated after losing their rescheduled match at home to Blackheath on 14 March - Ionians having six games still to play.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom the Rugby Football Union officially cancelled the season after an initially suspension of all rugby in England including training, from which was scheduled to last until 14 April 2020. After the cancellation was announced the RFU used a best playing record formula to decide the final table. This meant that Richmond, who had been 7 points clear when the league had been suspended, were crowned as champions, beating off stiff opposition from Rosslyn Park (who beat Richmond home and away) and newly promoted Rams, who had a fantastic debut season in the third tier. Richmond's title was their third at level 3, and tied them with Coventry and Otley as the clubs that had the most league titles. It also was the fourth time Richmond had been promoted from tier 3 - a divisional record.
With two relegation spots already decided, it was tough luck for Rotherham Titans who were designated as the third team to go down, despite a late surge which had seen them gaining ground on 13th placed Birmingham Moseley. It was also a great fall for a side that were once playing in the Premiership and the lowest level for the club since the mid-1990s. Richmond would return to the 2020–21 RFU Championship after one season away, while Rotherham Titans and Hull Ionians would relegated to 2021–22 National League North and Canterbury to 2021–22 National League South.
Another interesting statistic from the season was Brandon Asher-Wood's 7 tries for Darlington Mowden Park's resounding win against Hull Ionians on 21 December 2019. Wood's tries equalled the league record of 7 previously set by Hugo Ellis of Rosslyn Park back in the 2012–13 season.