1996–97 English Premiership (rugby union)
The 1996–97 English Premiership was the tenth season of the top flight of rugby union in England. It was the first professional season in English rugby union history. The league was made up of twelve teams with each team playing each other twice, in a round robin system. Wasps were the champions, with a winning margin of six points above Bath, the runners–up. West Hartlepool and Orrell were relegated to National Division 2. It was the tenth and final season of sponsorship by Courage.
Participating teams
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
| Bath | Bath | 8,200 | Bath, Somerset |
| Bristol | Memorial Stadium | 12,100 | Bristol |
| Gloucester | Kingsholm | 11,000 | Gloucester, Gloucestershire |
| Harlequins | The Stoop | 8,500 | Twickenham, London |
| Leicester Tigers | Welford Road | 16,000 | Leicester, Leicestershire |
| London Irish | The Avenue | 6,600 | Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey |
| Northampton Saints | Franklin's Gardens | 10,000 | Northampton, Northamptonshire |
| Orrell | Edge Hall Road | 3,000 | Orrell, Greater Manchester |
| Sale | Heywood Road | 5,400 | Sale, Greater Manchester |
| Saracens | Southbury Road | 5,000 | Enfield, London |
| Wasps | Loftus Road | 18,439 | Shepherd's Bush, London |
| West Hartlepool | Victoria Park | 7,856 | Hartlepool, County Durham |
Table
Results
The Home Team is listed on the left column.Relegation/Promotion play–offs
For the first time play–offs took place between the third and fourth placed teams in Division Two and the ninth and tenth placed teams in Division One. The play–offs followed a 4th v 9th, 3rd v 10th system – with the games being played over two legs and the second tier team playing at home in the first leg.First leg
Second leg
- Bristol won 39 – 23 on aggregate to retain their place in Division One
- London Irish won 42 – 23 on aggregate to retain their place in Division One