1971–72 RFU Knockout Cup
{{Short description|English rugby cup}}
{{Infobox Six Nations Championship 2
| name = 1971–72 RFU National KO Competition
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| next year = 1972–73
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The 1971–72 National KO Competition was the first rugby union cup competition (for clubs) in England. Gloucester won the competition defeating Moseley in the final. In the final the Moseley lock Nigel Horton floored Dick Smith (the Gloucester openside) with a punch during the second scrum of the game and was sent off by Ron Lewis the referee. Moseley ended the game with just twelve men after their two flankers, Tim Smith and Ian Pringle, were both carried off injured.{{cite book|last=Jenkins|first=Vivian|title=Rothmans Rugby Yearbook|year=1975|publisher=Brickfield Publications Ltd|isbn=0362-00221-5}}
The RFU introduced this new challenge cup which quickly emerged as England's premier Rugby Union club competition event. The final was held at Twickenham Stadium. The principal event for Rugby Union club players at this time had been the County Championship because there was no official league table for clubs.{{cite web|url=https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/reference-online|title=Times Archives|publisher=Oxfordshire Libraries}}
Draw and results
=First round=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | |||
| width=150| Team one
!width=150| Team two !width=50| Score !width=150| Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Birkenhead Park | Wigton | 13-9 | |
| Coventry | Birmingham | 11-4 | |
| Wilmslow | Liverpool | 14-6 | |
| Halifax | Gosforth | 9-6 | |
| London Welsh | Oxford | 30-6 | |
| Moseley | Northampton | 25-12 | |
| Nottingham | Leicester | 10-3 | |
| Rugby | Bedford | 12-17 | |
| Saracens | London Irish | 26-3 | |
| Sidcup | Blackheath | 3-30 | |
| West Hartlepool | Headingley | 17-10 | |
| Wilmslow | Liverpool | 14-6 |
=Second round=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | |||
| width=150| Team one
!width=150| Team two !width=50| Score !width=150| Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Birkenhead Park | Wilmslow | 0-6 | |
| Exeter | Penryn | 10-10* | (* away team progress) |
| Gloucester | Bristol | 15-4 | |
| Halifax | West Hartlepool | 8-0 | |
| Harlequins | Blackheath | 12-4 | |
| Moseley | Bedford | 16-9 | |
| Nottingham | Coventry | 3-30 | |
| Saracens | London Welsh | 7-33 |
=Quarter-finals=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | |||
| width=150| Team one
!width=150| Team two !width=50 | Score !width=150| Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlequins | Wilmslow | 7-16 | |
| London Welsh | Gloucester | 4-9 | |
| Moseley | Halifax | 22-0 | |
| Penryn | Coventry | 4-28 |
=Semi-finals=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" | |||
| width=150| Team one
!width=150| Team two !width=50| Score !width=150| Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry | Gloucester | 6-6* | (away team progress) |
| Moseley | Wilmslow | 18-10 |
=Final=
{{rugbybox
|date=29 April 1972
|time=
|home=Gloucester
|score= 17–6
|report=
|away= Moseley
|try1= John Dix
Roy Morris
|con1=
|pen1= Eric Stephens
|drop1= Tom Palmer
Mickie Booth
|try2= Malcolm Swain
|con2= Sam Doble
|pen2=
|drop2=
|stadium=Twickenham Stadium, London
|attendance=10,500
|referee=Ron Lewis (Wales)
}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{Football kit
| pattern_la = _red hoops
| pattern_b = _redhoops
| pattern_ra = _red hoops
| pattern_sh =
| pattern_so = _whitestripe
| leftarm = ffffff
| body = ffffff
| rightarm = ffffff
| shorts = 000000
| socks = 000000
| title = Gloucester
}}
{{col-2}}
{{Football kit
| pattern_la = _black hoops
| pattern_b = _blackhoops
| pattern_ra = _black hoops
| pattern_sh =
| pattern_so = _redtop
| leftarm = ff0000
| body = ff0000
| rightarm = ff0000
| shorts =000000
| socks = 000000
|title = Moseley
}}
{{col-end}}
| width="100%"
|valign="top" width="50%"| {| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" | ||
| width="25"| | width="25"| | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Eric Stephens | |
| 14 | Bob Clewes | |
| 13 | Roy Morris | |
| 12 | John Bayliss | |
| 11 | John Dix | |
| 10 | Tom Palmer | |
| 9 | Mickie Booth | |
| 1 | Robin Cowling | |
| 2 | Mike Nicholls (c) | |
| 3 | Mike Burton | |
| 4 | Alan Brinn | |
| 5 | Jim Jarrett | |
| 6 | John Watkins | |
| 7 | Mike Potter | |
| 8 | Dick Smith | |
| colspan=3| | ||
| colspan="4"| |
|valign="top" width="50%"|
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" | ||
| width="25"| | width="25"| | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Sam Doble | |
| 14 | Keith Hatter | |
| 13 | Malcolm Swain | |
| 12 | Colin McFadyean | |
| 11 | Roy Kerr | |
| 10 | John Finlan | |
| 9 | Jan Webster (c) | |
| 1 | J Griffiths | |
| 2 | Don Lane | |
| 3 | Chris Morrell | |
| 4 | R Morris | |
| 5 | Nigel Horton | |
| 6 | Tim Smith | |
| 7 | J White | |
| 8 | Ian Pringle | |
| colspan=3| | ||
| colspan="4"| |
|}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Anglo-Welsh Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1971-72 John Player Cup}}