National League 2 East
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Current season or competition: 2025–26 National League 2 East | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2022 |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Country |  England |
| Holders | Bury St Edmunds (2025–26) |
| Most titles | Blackheath, Bury St Edmunds, Esher, Tonbridge Juddians (1 title) |
| Website | National League 2 East |
National League 2 East is a men’s rugby union league at level four in the English rugby union system and provides semi-professional competition for teams in London, South East England, the East of England and the Channel Islands. The remainder of England is covered by two other regional leagues; National League 2 North and National League 2 West.[1]
The champion club is promoted to National One. The last two teams are relegated to either Regional 1 South Central or Regional 1 South East. Prior to the 2022–23 season, National League 2 East and National League 2 West were part of a unified division known as National League 2 South. Tonbridge Juddians are the current champions and are promoted to National League 1.
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 to National League 1 while the runners up go into a four team National 2 playoffs with the runners up from National League 2 North and National League 2 West and the 11th placed side in National League 1.[2]
The bottom two teams are relegated to Regional 1 South Central or Regional 1 South East while the 12th placed side go into the four team Regional 1 playoffs with the 12th placed sides from National 2 North and National 2 West, as well as the Regional 1 playoff winners.[3]
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
Participating teams and locations
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | Barn Elms | 1,000 | Barnes, London | 3rd |
| Bury St Edmunds | The Haberden | 3,000 (135 seats) | Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk | 9th |
| Canterbury | Marine Travel Ground | 1,500 (75 seats) | Canterbury, Kent | 4th |
| Dorking | The Big Field | 1,500 | Dorking, Surrey | 2nd |
| Esher | Molesey Road | 3,500 | Hersham, Surrey | Relegated from National League 1 (13th) |
| Guernsey Raiders | Footes Lane | 5,000 (720 seats) | Saint Peter Port, Guernsey | 7th |
| Havant | Hook's Lane[4] | 1,500 (500 seats) | Havant, Hampshire | 11th |
| Henley Hawks | Dry Leas | 4,000 | Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire | 8th |
| London Welsh | Old Deer Park[5] | 5,850 (1,000 seats) | Richmond, London | Promoted from Regional 1 South Central |
| Old Albanian | Woollam's Playing Fields | 1,000 | St Albans, Hertfordshire | 6th |
| Oundle | Occupation Road | 1,000 | Oundle, Northamptonshire | Promoted from Regional 1 South East |
| Oxford Harlequins | Horspath Sports Ground[6] | 1,000 | Horspath, Oxfordshire | 12th |
| Sevenoaks | Knole Paddock | 1,000 | Sevenoaks, Kent | 10th |
| Westcombe Park | Goddington Dene | 3,200 (200 seats) | Orpington, London | 5th |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bury St Edmunds (C) | 26 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 1128 | 659 | +469 | 22 | 4 | 108 | Promotion place |
| 2 | Oundle (PP) | 26 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 940 | 713 | +227 | 21 | 1 | 106 | Promotion Play-off |
| 3 | Old Albanian | 26 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 1009 | 813 | +196 | 22 | 3 | 97 | |
| 4 | Barnes | 26 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 738 | 598 | +140 | 15 | 5 | 86 | |
| 5 | Canterbury | 25 | 15 | 0 | 10 | 757 | 644 | +113 | 15 | 6 | 81 | |
| 6 | Dorking | 26 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 798 | 598 | +200 | 13 | 6 | 79 | |
| 7 | Westcombe Park | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 851 | 751 | +100 | 19 | 8 | 75 | |
| 8 | Havant | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 840 | 960 | −120 | 19 | 1 | 66 | |
| 9 | London Welsh | 26 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 705 | 866 | −161 | 16 | 8 | 64 | |
| 10 | Guernsey Raiders | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 690 | 875 | −185 | 13 | 3 | 62 | |
| 11 | Esher | 26 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 844 | 831 | +13 | 16 | 6 | 62 | |
| 12 | Henley Hawks (RP) | 26 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 693 | 665 | +28 | 12 | 9 | 61 | Relegation Play-off |
| 13 | Sevenoaks (R) | 26 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 743 | 900 | −157 | 12 | 5 | 49 | Relegation place |
| 14 | Oxford Harlequins (R) | 25 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 505 | 1368 | −863 | 11 | 2 | 21 |
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
- Number of matches won
- Number of matches drawn
- 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
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runner–up | Relegated teams | Ref | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 14 | Blackheath | Barnes | Westcliff, Rochford Hundred | [8] | |||||||||
| 2023–24 | 14 | Esher | Barnes | North Walsham, Wimbledon | [9] | |||||||||
| 2024–25 | 14 | Tonbridge Juddians | Dorking | Worthing Raiders, Colchester | [10] | |||||||||
| 2025–26 | 14 | Bury St Edmunds | Oundle | Oxford Harlequins, Sevenoaks | ||||||||||
| Green background is the promotion place. | ||||||||||||||
Number of league titles
- Blackheath (1)
- Bury St Edmunds (1)
- Esher (1)
- Tonbridge Juddians (1)