National League 2 East
Current season or competition: 2024–25 National League 2 East | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2022 |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Country |  England |
| Holders | Esher(2023–24) |
| Most titles | Blackheath,Esher(1 title) |
| Website | National League 2 East |
National League 2 Eastis arugby unionleague at level four in theEnglish rugby union systemand providessemi-professional competitionfor teams inLondon,South East Englandand theEast of England.The remainder of England is covered by two other regional leagues;National League 2 NorthandNational League 2 West.[1]The champion club is promoted toNational One.The last two teams are relegated to eitherRegional 1 South CentralorRegional 1 South East.
Blackheath became champions, with three matches to play, following their 93 – 17 defeat of Westcliff on 25 March 2023.[2]Rochford Hundred(13th) andWestcliff(14th) are relegated toRegional 1 South East.[3]
Prior to the 2022–23 season, National League 2 East and National League 2 West were part of a unified division known asNational League 2 South.
Structure
[edit]The league consists of fourteen teams who play the others on a home and away basis, to make a total of 26 matches each. The champions are promoted toNational League 1and the bottom two teams are relegated toRegional 1 South CentralorRegional 1 South East,depending on their location.[4]
The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:
- 4 points are awarded for a win
- 2 points are awarded for a draw
- 0 points are awarded for a loss, however
- 1 losing (bonus) point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
- 1 additional (bonus) point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match.
Current season
[edit]Participating teams and locations
[edit]
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | Barn Elms | 1,000 | Barnes,London | Runners up |
| Bury St Edmunds | The Haberden | 3,000 (135 seats) | Bury St Edmunds,Suffolk | 6th |
| Canterbury | Marine Travel Ground | 1,500 (75 seats) | Canterbury,Kent | 7th |
| Colchester | Raven Park | 1,200 | Colchester,Essex | Promoted fromRegional 1SE(champions)[5] |
| Dorking | The Big Field | 1,500 | Dorking,Surrey | 3rd |
| Guernsey Raiders | Footes Lane | 5,000 (720 seats) | Saint Peter Port,Guernsey | 10th |
| Havant | Hook's Lane[6] | 1,500 (500 seats) | Havant,Hampshire | Promoted fromRegional 1SC(champions)[7] |
| Henley Hawks | Dry Leas | 4,000 | Henley-on-Thames,Oxfordshire | 4th |
| Old Albanian | Woollam's Playing Fields | 1,000 | St Albans,Hertfordshire | 8th |
| Oxford Harlequins | Horspath Sports Ground[8] | 1,000 | Horspath,Oxfordshire | Promoted fromRegional 1 Midlands(champions)[9] |
| Sevenoaks | Knole Paddock | 1,000 | Sevenoaks,Kent | 11th |
| Tonbridge Juddians | The Slade | 1,500 | Tonbridge,Kent | 5th |
| Westcombe Park | Goddington Dene | 3,200 (200 seats) | Orpington,London | 9th |
| Worthing Raiders | Roundstone Lane | 1,500 (100 seats) | Angmering,West Sussex | 12th |
League table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tonbridge Juddians | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 338 | 169 | +169 | 8 | 0 | 40 | Promotion place |
| 2 | Guernsey Raiders | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 286 | 203 | +83 | 8 | 1 | 37 | |
| 3 | Dorking | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 298 | 192 | +106 | 8 | 0 | 36 | |
| 4 | Barnes | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 274 | 171 | +103 | 6 | 2 | 32 | |
| 5 | Henley Hawks | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 186 | 184 | +2 | 2 | 1 | 25 | |
| 6 | Canterbury | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 264 | 204 | +60 | 5 | 0 | 25 | |
| 7 | Bury St Edmunds | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 260 | 235 | +25 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| 8 | Old Albanian | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 251 | 266 | −15 | 6 | 1 | 23 | |
| 9 | Westcombe Park | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 217 | 256 | −39 | 6 | 0 | 22 | |
| 10 | Havant | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 228 | 251 | −23 | 4 | 2 | 18 | |
| 11 | Oxford Harlequins | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 214 | 312 | −98 | 4 | 1 | 11 | |
| 12 | Sevenoaks | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 175 | 263 | −88 | 3 | 2 | 9 | |
| 13 | Worthing Raiders | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 192 | 324 | −132 | 5 | 3 | 8 | Relegation place |
| 14 | Colchester | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 154 | 307 | −153 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
- Number of matches won
- Difference between points for and against
- Total number of points for
- Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
- Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
National Two East honours
[edit]
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runner–up | Relegated teams | Ref | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 14 | Blackheath | Barnes | Westcliff,Rochford Hundred | [11] | |||||||||
| 2023–24 | 14 | Esher | Barnes | North Walsham,Wimbledon | [12] | |||||||||
| 2024–25 | 14 | |||||||||||||
| Green backgroundis the promotion place. | ||||||||||||||
Number of league titles
[edit]- Blackheath(1)
- Esher(1)
See also
[edit]- English rugby union system
- History of the English rugby union system
- National League 2 North
- National League 2 West
References
[edit]- ^"Update on Structural Changes to National League Rugby".National League Rugby.24 May 2022.Retrieved24 July2022.
- ^Compton, Richard. "Crushing Club back into Level Three at a stroll".The RugbyPaper.No. 758. pp. 32–3.
- ^"National League 2 East 2022/23 – Points Table".National League Rugby.Retrieved29 April2023.
- ^"How promotion and relegation will work for Men's National 1 and below and Women's Championship and below".England Rugby.Retrieved20 June2023.
- ^"Colchester Rugby Club celebrating promotion to fourth tier".Daily Gazette.18 March 2024.
- ^"Havant".Havant Rugby Football Club.Retrieved31 May2023.
- ^"Title in the bag as Havant battle up the hill".Havant RFC.25 March 2024.
- ^"Oxford Harlequins RUFC".Oxford Harlequins RUFC.Retrieved31 May2023.
- ^"Oxford Harlequins win title and promotion to National League".Oxford Mail.19 March 2024.
- ^"National League 2 East".NCA Rugby.
- ^"National League 2 East 2022–23 Final Standings".England Rugby.Retrieved26 March2023.
- ^"National League 2 East 2023–24 Final Standing".England Rugby.Retrieved27 April2024.