The 1981–82 John Player Cup was the 11th edition of England's premier rugby union club competition at the time. Gloucester and Moseley shared the title after playing out a 12-12 draw in the final.[1] The event was sponsored by John Player cigarettes and the final was held at Twickenham Stadium.[2]
Draw and results
First round
| Team one |
Team two |
Score |
| Liverpool | Morpeth | 19-3 |
| Birkenhead Park | Hartlepool Rovers | 6-7 |
| Aspatria | Roundhay | 0-19 |
| Northampton | Kettering | |
| Bournemouth | St Ives | 10-18 |
| Dartfordians | Hertford | 4-11 |
| Dudley Kingswinford | Nuneaton | 9-27 |
| Exeter University | Lydney | 12-13 |
| High Wycombe | Newbury | 13-0 |
| Saracens | US Portsmouth | 10-4 |
| Woodford | Old Gaytonians | 19-6 |
| Weston-super-Mare | Oxford | 6-9 |
| Walsall | Westleigh | 24-15 |
| Lewes | Streatham-Croydon | 19-0 |
Second round
| Team one |
Team two |
Score |
| Blackheath | Woodford | 13-0 |
| Hertford | Lydney | 10-13 |
| Lewes | St Ives | 0-10 |
| Nuneaton | Roundhay | 10-7 |
| Matson | Thurrock | 12-12* |
| Oxford | High Wycombe | 9-10 |
| Stamford | Liverpool | 3-15 |
| Stourbridge | Hartlepool Rovers | 9-19 |
| Walsall | Northampton | 9-32 |
| London Irish | Saracens | 19-3 |
Away team progress*
Third round
| Team one |
Team two |
Score |
| Exeter | Thurrock | 7-0 |
| Bath | Rosslyn Park | 9-11 |
| London Welsh | Lydney | 16-3 |
| Northampton | Morley | 12-7 |
| Waterloo | Nuneaton | 3-0 |
| St Ives | Bristol | 6-16 |
| Richmond | Metropolitan Police | 10-20 |
| Blackheath | London Scottish | 3-16 |
| Gloucester | High Wycombe | 40-6 |
| Nottingham | Sale | 9-15 |
| Moseley | Harrogate | 17-4 |
| Leicester | Hartlepool Rovers | 53-19 |
| London Irish | Coventry | 7-10 |
| Orrell | Liverpool | 12-15 |
| Harlequins | Wasps | 19-10 |
| Bedford | Gosforth | 3-14 |
Fourth round
| Team one |
Team two |
Score |
| Gloucester | Exeter | 34-3 |
| Sale | Rosslyn Park | 19-3 |
| Moseley | London Welsh | 25-9 |
| Leicester | Northampton | 23-10 |
| Coventry | Waterloo | 29-9 |
| Liverpool | Bristol | 12-10 |
| Harlequins | Metropolitan Police | 28-6 |
| Gosforth | London Scottish | 26-19 |
Quarter-finals
| Team one |
Team two |
Score |
| Gloucester | Sale | 13-6 |
| Moseley | Liverpool | 15-13 |
| Coventry | Harlequins | 24-12 |
| Leicester | Gosforth | 18-9 |
Semi-finals
| Team one |
Team two |
Score |
| Moseley | Leicester | 12-4 |
| Coventry | Gloucester | 9-18 |
Final
|
|
| |
| 15 | Martin Cooper |
| 14 | John Goodwin |
| 13 | Jon Desborough |
| 12 | Dave Shorrock |
| 11 | Richard Lawson |
| 10 | Mike Perry |
| 9 | Steve Sutherland |
| 1 | Trevor Corless |
| 2 | Gary Cox |
| 3 | Steve Acaster |
| 4 | John Davidson |
| 5 | Al Recardo |
| 6 | Dave Warren |
| 8 | Derek Nutt (c) |
| 7 | Nick Jeavons |
| Replacements: |
| 16 | Phil Millington |
| 17 | Steve Morley |
| 18 | Ian Metcalfe |
| 19 | Bob Barr |
| 20 | Kevin Astley |
| 21 | Alan Thomas |
| Coach: |
|
|
References
- ↑ Jenkins, Vivian (1981). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook. Rothmans Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-907574-05-X.
- ↑ "Times Archives". Oxfordshire Libraries.