Zurich Premiership
The Zurich Premiership\ is the present name for the leading rugby union league competition for English clubs. From 1987/88 until 1996/97 it was known as the Courage League, and from 1997/98 until 1999/2000 as the Allied Dunbar Premiership.
Winners
In the 2002/03 season a controversial play-off system was introduced, under which the winner of the league had to play the winner of a match between the second- and third-placed teams for the title. Although Gloucester won the league by a clear margin, second-placed Wasps (who had defeated third-placed Northampton) beat them easily in the play-offs. Many followers of the game regarded the outcome as an injustice.
