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1987–88 John Player Cup

{{Short description|Player Cup}}

{{Infobox rugby union season

| name = 1987–88 John Player Special Cup

| image =

| countries = {{flag|England}}

| date =

| champions = Harlequins

| runnersup = Bristol

| relegated =

| matches =

| highest attendance = 37,000 Harlequins v Bristol at Twickenham

| attendance =

| lowest attendance =

| tries =

| top point scorer =

| top try scorer =

| prevseason = 1986–87

| nextseason = 1988–89

}}

The 1987–88 John Player Special Cup was the 17th edition of England's premier rugby union cup competition. Harlequins won the competition, for the first time, defeating Bristol in the final at Twickenham Stadium.{{cite book|last1=Austin|first1=Michael|editor1-last=Jones|editor1-first=Stephen|title=John Player Special Cup 1987–88. In Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1988–89|date=1988|publisher=Rothmans Publications Ltd|location=London|pages=117–122|edition=17th|ref=austin}} The competition was sponsored by John Player cigarettes.{{cite web|url=https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/reference-online|title=Times Archives|publisher=Oxfordshire Libraries}}

First round

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
width=250| Home

!width=250| Away

!width=50| Score

AskeansLondon Irish10-12
BedfordBarkers Butts35-4
Berry HillSalisbury12-0
Devonport ServicesMaidenhead11-12
DixoniansDroitwich21-6
EalingSouthend10-9
Gordon LeagueChiltern44-7
FyldeHartlepool Rovers30-9
Leighton BuzzardDerby10-7
LetchworthBlackheath0-26
LewesHavant15-13
LichfieldVipers31-3
London ScottishSudbury9-3
NuneatonAspatria4-43
Old AlleyniansMaidstone12-0
OxfordCamborne14-0
RedruthOld Culverhaysians26-9
TynedaleVale of Lune16-15
WakefieldMorley22-0
WidnesBirkenhead Park4-3

Second round

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
width=250| Home

!width=250| Away

!width=50| Score

Berry HillLewe35-9
DixoniansAsptatria3-53
Gordon LeagueOxford18-16
Leighton BuzzardBedford6-24
LichfieldWidnes31-3
London IrishEaling13-10
MaidenheadOld Alleynians13-3
RedruthBlackheath9-13
TynedaleLondon Scottish11-9
WakefieldFylde24-21

Third round

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
width=250| Home

!width=250| Away

!width=50| Score

AspatriaWasps6-13
BedfordBristol4-21
CoventryTynedale7-6
GloucesterOrrell19-9
Gordon LeagueHeadingley10-0
HarlequinsMaidenhead40-0
LichfieldBath3-43
London IrishSale3-16
London WelshBerry Hill10-13
Plymouth AlbionNorthampton14-7
RichmondLiverpool St Helens10-6
Rosslyn ParkLeicester0-15
RuislipGosforth10-13
SaracensBlackheath15-3
WaterlooNottingham19-6
WakefieldMoseley4-14

Fourth round

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
width=250| Home

!width=250| Away

!width=50| Score

Berry HillHarlequins4-17
BristolRichmond34-0
CoventrySale0-13
GloucesterWasps13-24
Gordon LeagueWaterloo9-11
LeicesterBath6-13
MoseleyGosforth33-9
Plymouth AlbionSaracens14-6

Quarter-finals

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
width=250| Home

!width=250| Away

!width=50 | Score

Plymouth AlbionWasps4-26
HarlequinsWaterloo37-4
MoseleyBath4-3
SaleBristol15-19

Semi-finals

{{rugbybox

|date =

|time =

|home = Moseley

|score = 6–34

|report =

|away = Bristol

|stadium = The Reddings

|attendance =

|referee =

}}

{{rugbybox

|date =

|time =

|home = Wasps

|score = 16–20

|aet = yes{{refn|The score was 16–16 at 80'.|group=n|name=scor}}

|report =

|away = Harlequins

|stadium = Sudbury

|attendance =

|referee =

}}

;Notes

{{reflist|group=n}}

Final

{{rugbybox

|date=30 April 1988

|time=

|home= Harlequins

|score= 28–22

|report=

|away= Bristol

|try1= Carling 2
Harriman

|con1= Thresher
Salmon

|pen1= Thresher
Salmon 3

|drop1=

|try2= Duggan
Penalty try

|con2= Webb

|pen2= Webb 3

|drop2= Knibbs

|stadium=Twickenham Stadium, London

|attendance= 37,000 (record for competition)

|referee= Fred Howard (Liverpool)

}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{Football kit

| pattern_la = _blacklower

| pattern_b = _Harlequins_2123h

| pattern_ra = _greenlower

| pattern_sh =

| pattern_so =

| leftarm = 009900

| body =

| rightarm = 000000

| shorts = ffffff

| socks = 000000

| title = Harlequins

}}

{{col-2}}

{{Football kit

| pattern_la = _white hoops

| pattern_b = _white hoops

| pattern_ra = _white hoops

| pattern_sh =

| pattern_so = _hoops white

| leftarm = 000055

| body = 000055

| rightarm = 000055

| shorts = 000055

| socks = 000055

| title = Bristol

}}

{{col-end}}

width="100%"

|valign="top" width="50%"|

{| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"

width="25"|width="25"|
15Stuart Thresher
14Andrew Harriman
13Jamie Salmon
12Will Carling
11Everton Davis
10Adrian Thompson
9Richard Moon
8Richard Langhorn
7Tim Bell
6Mick Skinner
5Neil Edwards
4Paul Ackford
3Andy Mullins
2John Olver (c)
1Paul Curtis
colspan=3|Replacements:
16Simon Hunter
17Richard Cramb
18Alan Woodhouse
19David Butcher
20S Conway
21Chris Sheasby
colspan=3|Coach:
colspan="4"|
colspan="4"|

|valign="top" width="50%"|

style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
width="25"|width="25"|
AJonathan Webb
BHuw Duggan
CDavid Thomas
DRalph Knibbs
EJohn Carr
FSimon Hogg
GRichard Harding
OPaul Collings
NWayne Hone
MAndy Dun
LNigel Pomphrey (c)
KAndy Blackmore
JJohn Doubleday
IDave Palmer
HCrayton Phillips
colspan=3|Replacements:
PKevin Morgan
QPaul Jeffrey
RKevin Bogira
SDarryll Hickey
TGeoff Crane
UPete Polledri
colspan=3|Coach:
colspan="4"|Bob Hesford

|}

{{refn|This game would also count as Harlequins and Bristol's league match in the 1987–88 Courage League Division One.|group=p|name=league}}

;Notes

{{reflist|group=p}}

Records

  • The attendance for the final of 37,000 was highest in the competition's history
  • Bath's unbeaten sequence of 22 matches ended when Moseley beat them in a quarter-final at The Reddings

Sponsorship

The competition was sponsored, for the last time, by John Player and the prize money was £125,000 (an increase of £15,000). Both finalists received £3,750 each and in thirteen years of sponsorship over £1 million has been provided.

References

{{reflist}}

{{Anglo-Welsh Cup}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:John Player Cup}}

1987-88

Category:1987–88 rugby union tournaments for clubs

Category:1987–88 in English rugby union