National League 2 East

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 East is a rugby union league at level four in the English rugby union system and provides semi-professional competition for teams in London, South East England and the East of England. 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.

Blackheath became champions, with three matches to play, following their 93 – 17 defeat of Westcliff on 25 March 2023.^[2] Rochford Hundred (13th) and Westcliff (14th) are relegated to Regional 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 as National League 2 South.

Structure

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 and the bottom two teams are relegated to Regional 1 South Central or Regional 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

Main article: 2024–25 National League 2 East

Participating teams and locations

Barnes

Bury St Edmunds

Canterbury

Colchester

Dorking

Guernsey Raiders

Havant

Henley Hawks

Old Albanian

Oxford Harlequins

Sevenoaks

Tonbridge Juddians

Westcombe Park

Worthing

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Locations of the 2024–25 National League 2 East teams

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 from Regional 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 from Regional 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 from Regional 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

2024–25 National League 2 East table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Tonbridge Juddians	14	13	0	1	519	290	+229	12	0	64	Promotion place
2	Dorking	13	11	0	2	485	319	+166	11	1	56
3	Barnes	14	10	0	4	416	260	+156	9	4	53
4	Canterbury	14	10	0	4	494	339	+155	10	1	51
5	Guernsey Raiders	12	8	0	4	374	294	+80	9	2	43
6	Bury St Edmunds	14	7	0	7	446	436	+10	10	4	42
7	Westcombe Park	14	8	0	6	381	384	−3	8	1	41
8	Henley Hawks	14	8	1	5	304	333	−29	5	1	40
9	Havant	14	6	1	7	409	431	−22	6	3	35
10	Old Albanian	14	5	0	9	395	425	−30	8	4	32
11	Sevenoaks	14	4	0	10	320	411	−91	5	3	24
12	Oxford Harlequins	14	2	1	11	346	540	−194	7	2	19
13	Colchester	13	1	1	11	263	442	−179	6	3	15	Relegation place
14	Worthing Raiders	14	1	0	13	311	559	−248	7	4	15

Updated to match(es) played on 21 December 2024. Source: National League Rugby ^[10]
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

1. Number of matches won
2. Difference between points for and against
3. Total number of points for
4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled

National Two East honours

List of National Two East honours
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 background is the promotion place.

Number of league titles

• Blackheath (1)
• Esher (1)

See also

• English rugby union system
• History of the English rugby union system
• National League 2 North
• National League 2 West

References

1. "Update on Structural Changes to National League Rugby". National League Rugby. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
2. Compton, Richard. "Crushing Club back into Level Three at a stroll". The RugbyPaper. No. 758. pp. 32–3.
3. "National League 2 East 2022/23 – Points Table". National League Rugby. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
4. "How promotion and relegation will work for Men's National 1 and below and Women's Championship and below". England Rugby. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
5. "Colchester Rugby Club celebrating promotion to fourth tier". Daily Gazette. 18 March 2024.
6. "Havant". Havant Rugby Football Club. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
7. "Title in the bag as Havant battle up the hill". Havant RFC. 25 March 2024.
8. "Oxford Harlequins RUFC". Oxford Harlequins RUFC. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
9. "Oxford Harlequins win title and promotion to National League". Oxford Mail. 19 March 2024.
10. "National League 2 East". NCA Rugby.
11. "National League 2 East 2022–23 Final Standings". England Rugby. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
12. "National League 2 East 2023–24 Final Standing". England Rugby. Retrieved 27 April 2024.

External links

• NCA Rugby