National League 2 North is one of three level four leagues in the men’s English rugby union system and provides semi-professional competition for teams in Northern England. The remainder of England is covered by the two counterpart leagues National League 2 East and National League 2 West. The champion club is promoted to National One. Relegation is to either the Regional 1 Midlands, Regional 1 North East or Regional 1 North West, depending on their location. Rotherham Titans are the current champions.
Before September 2009, it was known as National Division Three North. From 2009 to 2010 the Rugby Football Union (RFU) expanded the league from fourteen to sixteen teams. Each team played thirty league games on a home and away basis. The 2019–20 season ended before all the matches were completed because of the coronavirus pandemic and the RFU used a best playing record formula to decide the final table.
The RFU approved a new structure for the National Leagues from the 2022–23 season. The league is reduced to fourteen teams, there will be a two-week break over Christmas and protected weekend breaks through the season. The competition structure will be reviewed every three years.
Structure The league consists of fourteen teams and each plays 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 promotion-relegation playoff with the runners up from National League 2 East and National League 2 West and the 11th placed side in National League 1.
The bottom two teams are relegated to Regional 1 North East or Regional 1 North West; depending on their location, while the 12th placed side go into the four team Regional 1 playoffs with the 12th placed sides from National 2 East and National 2 North, as well as the Regional 1 playoff winners.
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
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Billingham Greenwood Road 1,500 (100 seats) Billingham, County Durham 10th Chester Hare Lane 2,000 (500 seats) Chester, Cheshire Level transfer from National League 2 West (11th) Darlington Mowden Park The Darlington Arena 25,500 Darlington, County Durham 5th Fylde Woodlands Memorial Ground 7,500 (500 seats) Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire 6th Harrogate Rudding Lane 2,000 Harrogate, North Yorkshire Promoted from Regional 1 North East (3rd – play-off winner) Heath West Vale West Vale, Halifax, West Yorkshire Promoted from Regional 1 North East (champions) Huddersfield Lockwood Park 1,500 (500 seats) Huddersfield, South Yorkshire Promoted from Regional 1 North West (champions) Hull Ionians Brantingham Park 1,500 (240 seats) Brantingham, East Riding 4th Otley Cross Green 7,000 (852 seats) Otley, Leeds, West Yorkshire 11th Preston Grasshoppers Lightfoot Green 2,250 (250 seats) Preston, Lancashire 9th Sedgley Park Park Lane 3,000 Whitefield, Bury, Greater Manchester Relegated from National League 1 (13th) Sheffield Tigers Dore Moor 1,000 Sheffield, South Yorkshire 8th Tynedale Tynedale Park 2,000 (400 seats) Corbridge, Northumberland 2nd Wharfedale The Avenue 2,000 Threshfield, North Yorkshire 7th
Current league table
National Two North honours List of National Two North honoursSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunner–upRelegated teamsLeague name 1987–88 11 Rugby Durham City Solihull, Derby, Birkenhead Park Area League North 1988–89 11 Roundhay Broughton Park Birmingham Area League North 1989–90 11 Broughton Park Morley No relegation Area League North 1990–91 13 Otley Lichfield Birmingham & Solihull, Stoke-on-Trent National 4 North 1991–92 13 Aspatria Hereford Vale of Lune, Northern National 4 North 1992–93 13 Harrogate Rotherham Towcestrians National 4 North 1993–94 10 Clifton Harrogate Sheffield (to 5 North), Sudbury (to 5 South) Courage National League 4 1994–95 10 Rotherham Reading Askeans (to 5 South), Broughton Park (to 5 North) Courage National League 4 1995–96 10 Exeter London Welsh Aspatria (to 4 North), Plymouth Albion (to 4 South) Courage National League 4 1996–97 14 Worcester Birmingham & Solihull Stoke-on-Trent, Hereford National 4 North 1997–98 14 Birmingham & Solihull Manchester No relegation National 2 North 1998–99 14 Preston Grasshoppers Stourbridge Winnington Park, Lichfield, Hinckley National 2 North 1999–00 14 Kendal Stourbridge Sheffield National 2 North 2000–01 14 Stourbridge Sedgley Park Walsall, Aspatria National 3 North 2001–02 14 Doncaster Dudley Kingswinford Whitchurch, Morley, Sandal, West Hartlepool National 3 North 2002–03 14 Nuneaton New Brighton Bedford Athletic, Broadstreet, Hull Ionians, Scunthorpe National 3 North 2003–04 14 Waterloo Halifax Preston Grasshoppers, Liverpool St Helens, Longton National 3 North 2004–05 14 Halifax Macclesfield Rugby Lions, Dudley Kingswinford, Bedford Athletic National 3 North 2005–06 14 Bradford & Bingley Nuneaton New Brighton, Kendal National 3 North 2006–07 14 Blaydon Tynedale Darlington, Cleckheaton, Orrell National 3 North 2007–08 14 Tynedale Darlington Mowden Park Morley, West Park St Helens, Beverley National 3 North 2008–09 14 Nuneaton Caldy Darlington Mowden Park, Halifax National 3 North 2009–10 16 Macclesfield Loughborough Students Waterloo, Bradford & Bingley National League 2 North 2010–11 16 Fylde Loughborough Students Morley, Rugby Lions, Manchester National League 2 North 2011–12 16 Loughborough Students Caldy Harrogate, Nuneaton, Kendal National League 2 North 2012–13 16 Hull Ionians Stourbridge Westoe, Stockport, Huddersfield National League 2 North 2013–14 16 Macclesfield Darlington Mowden Park Sheffield Tigers, Bromsgrove, Dudley Kingswinford National League 2 North 2014–15 16 Hull Ionians Ampthill Birmingham & Solihull, Hull, Stockport National League 2 North 2015–16 16 Macclesfield Sedgley Park Huddersfield, Broadstreet, Sandal National League 2 North 2016–17 16 Caldy Sale Preston Grasshoppers, Scunthorpe, Harrogate National League 2 North 2017–18 16 Sale FC Sedgley Park Sheffield, Blaydon, Luctonians National League 2 North 2018–19 16 Hull Ionians Chester Peterborough Lions, South Leicester, Macclesfield National League 2 North 2019–20 16 Caldy Fylde Scunthorpe, Preston Grasshoppers, Otley National League 2 North 2020–21 16 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. National League 2 North 2021–22 16 Hull Sedgley Park No relegation owing to league reorganisation National League 2 North 2022–23 14 Sedgley Park Fylde Blaydon and Harrogate National League 2 North 2023–24 14 Rotherham Titans Leeds Tykes Huddersfield National League 2 North 2024–25 14 Leeds Tykes Sheffield Harrogate National League 2 North 2025–26 14 Sheffield Tynedale Hull, Scunthorpe, Rossendale National League 2 North 2026–27 14 National League 2 North Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Promotion play-offs Until the 2018–19 season, there was a play-off between the league runners-up of National League 2 North and National League 2 South, for the third and final promotion place to National League 1. The team with the superior league record having home advantage in the tie. Southern teams have been more successful with fourteen wins to the northern teams four, while the home side has won thirteen teams to the away sides five.
National Two promotion play-off results Season Home team Score Away team Venue Attendance 2000–01 Sedgley Park (N) 40–23 Launceston (S) Park Lane, Whitefield, Greater Manchester 1,500 2001–02 Launceston (S) 26–0 Dudley Kingswinford (N) Polson Bridge, Launceston, Cornwall 2,500 2002–03 Lydney (S) 21–7 New Brighton (N) Regentsholme, Lydney, Gloucestershire 2003–04 Halifax (N) 16–18 Launceston (S) Ovenden Park, Halifax, West Yorkshire 2004-05 Redruth (S) 33–14 Macclesfield (N) The Recreation Ground, Redruth, Cornwall 4,000 2005–06 North Walsham (S) 5–15 Nuneaton (N) Norwich Road, Scottow, Norfolk 1,302 2006–07 Westcombe Park (S) 36–20 Tynedale (N) Goddington Dene, Orpington, Greater London 1,700 2007–08 Cinderford (S) 15–14 Darlington Mowden Park (N) Dockham Road, Cinderford, Gloucestershire 2,800 2008–09 No promotion play-offs this season due to the restructuring of the English rugby union league system, with only the champions of each division promoted. 2009–10 Loughborough Students (N) 21–43 Rosslyn Park (S) Loughborough University Stadium, Loughborough, Leicestershire 1,000 2010–11 Jersey (S) 30–5 Loughborough Students (N) St. Peter, Saint Peter, Jersey 3,100 2011–12 Richmond (S) 20–13 (aet) Caldy (N) Athletic Ground, Richmond, Greater London 1,600 2012–13 Stourbridge (N) 26–28 Worthing Raiders (S) Stourton Park, Stourbridge, West Midlands 925 2013–14 Darlington Mowden Park (N) 30–28 (aet) Ampthill (S) The Northern Echo Arena, Darlington, County Durham 975 2014–15 Ampthill (N) 19–10 Bishop's Stortford (S) Dillingham Park, Ampthill, Bedfordshire 1,253 2015–16 Old Albanian (S) 24–0 Sedgley Park (N) Woollam Playing Fields, St Albans, Hertfordshire 473 2016–17 Sale FC (N) 14–19 Old Elthamians (S) Heywood Road, Sale, Greater Manchester 1,297 2017–18 Chinnor (S) 40–31 Sedgley Park (N) Kingsey Road, Thame, Oxfordshire 1,378 2018–19 Canterbury (S) 19–10 Chester (N) The Marine Travel Ground, Canterbury, Kent 1,114 2019–20 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner-up – Tonbridge Juddians (S) promoted. 2020–21 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. 2021–22 Cancelled due the reorganisation of tier three and four national leagues. Green background represent the promoted teams. (N) stands for the northern teams and (S) stands for the southern teams.
Number of league titles
Hull Ionians (3) Macclesfield (3) Caldy (2) Nuneaton (2) Rotherham Titans (2) Aspatria (1) Birmingham & Solihull (1) Blaydon (1) Bradford & Bingley (1) Broughton Park (1) Doncaster (1) Fylde (1) Halifax (1) Harrogate (1) Hull (1) Kendal (1) Leeds Tykes (1) Loughborough Students (1) Otley (1) Preston Grasshoppers (1) Roundhay (1) Rugby (1) Sale FC (1) Sedgley Park (1) Sheffield (1) Stourbridge (1) Tynedale (1) Waterloo (1) Worcester (1)
Original teams When club rugby began in 1987 this division was called Area 4 North and contained the following teams:
Birkenhead Park (now playing in North 1 West) Broughton Park (now playing in North 1 West) Derby (now playing in Midlands 1 East) Durham City (now playing in North 1 East) Lichfield (now playing in Midlands 1 West) Northern (now playing in Durham/Northumberland 1) Preston Grasshoppers (now playing in North Premier) Roundhay (now Leeds Tykes and playing in National League 1) Rugby Lions (now playing in Midlands 1 East) Solihull (now Birmingham & Solihull and playing in Midlands 4 West (South)) Stourbridge (still playing in National League 2 North)
League format since 1987 Format of fourth tier rugby union leagues in EnglandYearNameNo of teamsNo of matches 1987–93 Area League NorthArea League South 11 10 1993–96 National Division Four 10 18 1996–97 National Four NorthNational Four South 14 26 1997–00 National Division 2 NorthNational Division 2 South 14 26 2000–09 National Division Three NorthNational Division Three South 14 26 2009–22 National League 2 NorthNational League 2 South 16 30 2022– National Two EastNational Two NorthNational Two West 14 26
Records