Current season or competition:![]() | |
Sport | Rugby union |
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Instituted | 1987 | (as London 2 South)
Number of teams | 12 |
Country | ![]() |
Holders | Camberley RFC (2nd title) (2021-22) (promoted to Regional 1 South East) |
Most titles | Basingstoke, Canterbury, Gravesend, Haywards Heath, Sutton & Epsom, Wimbledon, Camberley (2 titles) |
Website | englandrugby.com |
Regional 2 South East is an English level 6 rugby union regional league for rugby clubs in London and the south-east of England including sides from East Sussex, south Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 2 South, changing to London 1 South ahead of the 2009–10 season. Following the RFU Adult Competition Review the league was decreased in size from 14 to 12 and the name changed once more.
The twelve teams play home and away matches from September through to March, making a total of twenty-two matches each. The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:
The first-placed team at the end of season wins promotion to Regional 1 South East. Three teams are relegated into a mixture of Counties 1 Surrey / Sussex, Counties 1 Kent and Counties 1 Hampshire.
Departing were London Welsh and Camberley who were promoted to Regional 1 South Central and Medway, promoted to Regional 1 South East. Also leaving the league were Hammersmith & Fulham, London Cornish, Cobham and London Irish Wild Geese - all level transferred to Regional 2 Thames.
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![]() Farnham ![]() Guildford ![]() Horsham ![]() London ![]() Reigatian ![]() Reeds Locations of the 2022–23 Regional 2 South East teams
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Haywards Heath (promoted as London 2 SE champions in 2019–20) withdrew from the league, before the season started, leaving London 1 South thirteen teams. The teams competing in 2021–22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019–20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020–21.
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![]() Camberley ![]() Farnham ![]() Guildford ![]() Horsham ![]() London ![]() Medway ![]() Locations of the 2021–22 London 1 South teams
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Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Try bonus | Loss bonus | Points | |||||||
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1 | Camberley (C) | 24 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 1000 | 373 | 627 | 21 | 0 | 109 | ||||||
2 | London Welsh | 24 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 838 | 432 | 406 | 20 | 2 | 102 | ||||||
3 | Medway | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 745 | 441 | 304 | 14 | 0 | 90 | ||||||
4 | Hammersmith & Fulham | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 666 | 582 | 84 | 16 | 5 | 77 | ||||||
5 | Guildford | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 598 | 643 | −45 | 13 | 4 | 67 | ||||||
6 | Horsham | 23 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 565 | 506 | 59 | 11 | 4 | 61 | ||||||
7 | Cobham | 24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 620 | 724 | −104 | 10 | 2 | 54 | ||||||
8 | KCS Old Boys | 23 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 470 | 541 | −71 | 8 | 2 | 52 | ||||||
9 | Battersea Ironsides | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 638 | 621 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 52 | ||||||
10 | Chichester | 24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 569 | 760 | −191 | 9 | 1 | 48 | ||||||
11 | Fareham | 24 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 504 | 626 | −122 | 8 | 3 | 46 | ||||||
12 | London Irish Wild Geese | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 406 | 829 | −423 | 4 | 4 | 28 | ||||||
13 | London Cornish | 24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 356 | 897 | −541 | 2 | 3 | 17 | ||||||
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Green background is the promotion place. Updated: 28 Aug 2022 Source: [1] |
On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced [1] that due to the coronavirus pandemic a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning London 1 South was not contested.
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![]() Camberley ![]() Horsham ![]() London ![]() Medway ![]() Locations of the 2019–20 London 1 South teams Location of 2019–20 London 1 South teams in London
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Location of 2018–19 London 1 South teams in London
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Sutton & Epsom, the current champions were promoted to National 3 London & South East for the 2016–17 season, while the second-placed team, Guildford beat Tring, the runner-up from London 1 North, in a play-off for the second promotion place. Twickenham and Charlton Park are relegated. Medway were also relegated despite finishing third due to an RFU punishment for incorrect registration of, and illegal payments to, players[2] thus granting a reprieve from relegation for Gosport and Fareham.[3]
Medway RFC were replaced by Gravesend who were relegated from National 3 London & SE. Promoted into the league were winners of London 2 South East, Tunbridge Wells[4] as well as Cobham as champions of London 2 South West and play-off winners Sevenoaks.[5] CS Rugby 1863 were transferred from London 1 North because they were the most southern team in London 1 North due of an imbalance in North and South teams in the leagues.[5]
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Location of 2015-16 London 1 South teams in London
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Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Try bonus | Loss bonus | Points | |||||||
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1 | Sutton & Epsom (C) | 26 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 853 | 415 | 438 | 17 | 1 | 112 | ||||||
2 | Guildford (P) | 26 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 802 | 481 | 321 | 15 | 3 | 98 | ||||||
3 | Medway (R)[c] | 26 | 19 | 0 | 7 | 710 | 494 | 216 | 12 | 3 | 91 | ||||||
4 | Sidcup | 26 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 735 | 477 | 258 | 13 | 4 | 91 | ||||||
5 | Brighton | 26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 661 | 480 | 181 | 13 | 7 | 84 | ||||||
6 | Maidstone | 26 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 733 | 541 | 192 | 11 | 1 | 80 | ||||||
7 | Tottonans | 26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 741 | 464 | 277 | 12 | 3 | 79 | ||||||
8 | Chobham | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 720 | 598 | 122 | 13 | 8 | 73 | ||||||
9 | Havant | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 724 | 688 | 36 | 13 | 7 | 68 | ||||||
10 | Chiswick | 26 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 496 | 707 | −211 | 5 | 2 | 49 | ||||||
11 | Dover | 26 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 425 | 748 | −323 | 6 | 7 | 37 | ||||||
12 | Gosport & Fareham | 26 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 458 | 959 | −501 | 8 | 1 | 29 | ||||||
13 | Twickenham (R) | 26 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 424 | 859 | −435 | 7 | 6 | 21 | ||||||
14 | Charlton Park (R) | 26 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 413 | 984 | −571 | 2 | 4 | 20 | ||||||
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Green background is the promotion place. Blue background is the play-off place. Pink background are relegation places. Updated: 12 June 2016 Source: 2014–15 |
Each season, the runners-up in London 1 South and London 1 North participate in a play-off for promotion to National 3 London & SE. The team with the best playing record, in this case Tring, from London 1 North, was the home team and the away team Guildford, won the match 26 – 21, with a try in the 79th minute.[6][7]
Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Try bonus | Loss bonus | Points |
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Tring | 26 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 987 | 360 | 627 | 17 | 0 | 109 |
Guildford (P) | 26 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 802 | 481 | 321 | 15 | 3 | 98 |
When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as London 2 South) contained the following teams:
In the first season of the English rugby union league pyramid, sponsored by Courage, there was six, tier six leagues. The initial name was London 2 South and was for teams based in London and the counties of Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex. There was eleven teams in the league and each team played one match against each of the other teams, giving each team five home matches and five away matches. The winning team was awarded two points, and there was one point for each team in a drawn match.[8]
The original London 2 South was a tier 6 league with promotion up to London 1 and relegation down to either London 3 South East or London 3 South West.
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Season | No of teams | No of matches | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||
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1987–88 | 11 | 10 | Basingstoke | Old Mid-Whitgiftian | Old Juddian, Portsmouth | [8] | |||||||
1988–89 | 11 | 10 | Old Alleynian | Worthing | Old Reigatian, KCS Old Boys, Purley | [8] | |||||||
1989–90 | 11 | 10 | Old Mid-Whitgiftian | Camberley | Alton | [8] | |||||||
1990–91 | 11 | 10 | Dorking | Westcombe Park | Old Brockleians, Dartfordians | [9] | |||||||
1991–92 | 11 | 10 | Old Colfeians | Guildford & Godalming | Tunbridge Wells | [10] | |||||||
1992–93 | 13 | 12 | Camberley | Westcombe Park | No relegation[f] | [11] |
At the end of the 1992–93 season the top six teams from London Division 1 and the top six from South West Division 1 were combined to create National 5 South. This meant that London 2 South dropped from a tier 6 league to a tier 7 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion continued to London 1 and relegation down to either London 3 South East or London 3 South West.
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Season | No of teams | No of matches | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated teams | Reference | |||||||
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1993–94 | 13 | 12 | Esher | Westcombe Park | KCS Old Boys, Worthing, Lewes | ||||||||
1994–95 | 13 | 12 | Charlton Park | Old Blues | Portsmouth, Old Alleynians, Sidcup | ||||||||
1995–96 | 13 | 12 | Wimbledon | Thanet Wanderers | Maidstone |
The cancellation of National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that London 2 South reverted to being a tier 6 league.[12] Promotion continued to London 1 and relegation down to either London 3 South East or London 3 South West (renamed to London 2 South East and London 2 South West from the 2000–01 season onward).
London 2 South was renamed to London 1 South from the 2009–10 season onward. It continued as a tier 6 league with promotion to National League 3 London & South East (formerly London 1 and currently known as London & South East Premier) and relegation to London 2 South East and London 2 South West (formerly London 3 South East and London 3 South West).
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Season | No of teams | No of matches | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated teams | Reference | ||||||||
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2009–10 | 14 | 26 | Gravesend | Dover | Aylesford Bulls, Maidstone, Old Elthamians | [26] | ||||||||
2010–11 | 14 | 26 | Tonbridge Juddians | London Irish Amateur | Tunbridge Wells, Wimbledon | [27] | ||||||||
2011–12 | 14 | 26 | Guernsey | Old Elthamians | Sutton & Epsom, Thanet Wanderers, Portsmouth | [28] | ||||||||
2012–13 | 14 | 26 | East Grinstead | Basingstoke | Old Colfeians, Trojans, Gosport & Fareham | [29] | ||||||||
2013–14 | 14 | 26 | Gravesend | Chichester | Haywards Heath, Staines, Beckenham | [30] | ||||||||
2014–15 | 14 | 26 | Wimbledon | Chobham | Basingstoke, Hove, Cobham | [31] | ||||||||
2015–16 | 14 | 26 | Sutton & Epsom | Guildford | Charlton Park, Twickenham, Medway | [32] | ||||||||
2016–17 | 14 | 26 | Sidcup | Tunbridge Wells | Gosport and Fareham, Dover, Chiswick | [33] | ||||||||
2017–18 | 14 | 26 | CS Rugby 1863 | Medway | Gravesend, Maidstone, Old Colfeians | [34] | ||||||||
2018–19 | 14 | 26 | Sevenoaks | Brighton | Hove, Chobham, Tottonians | [35] | ||||||||
2019–20 | 14 | 22[l] | Havant | Westcombe Park | Beckenham, Dartfordians, H.A.C. | [38] | ||||||||
2020–21 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. | |||||||||||||
2021–22 | 13 | 24[m] | Camberley | London Welsh, Medway | No relegation | [39] | ||||||||
Green background are the promotion places. |
Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of London 1 North and London 1 South for the third and final promotion place to London & South East Premier. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the London 1 South teams have been the most successful with eleven wins to the London 1 North teams eight; and the home team has won promotion on thirteen occasions compared to the away teams six.
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Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attendance | |||||||||
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2000-01[40] | Canterbury (S) | 21-27 | London Nigerian (N) | Merton Lane, Canterbury, Kent | ||||||||||
2001-02[41] | Southend (N) | 37-15 | Portsmouth (S) | Warners Bridge Park, Southend-on-Sea, Essex | ||||||||||
2002-03[42] | Old Albanian (2nd XV) (N) | 28-12 | Portsmouth (S) | Woollam Playing Fields, St Albans, Hertfordshire | ||||||||||
2003-04[43] | Cambridge (N) | 21-19 | Barnes (S) | Grantchester Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | ||||||||||
2004-05[44] | Staines (N) | 55-12 | Portsmouth (S) | The Reeves, Hanworth, Greater London | ||||||||||
2005-06[45] | Guildford (S) | 27-14 | CS Rugby 1863 (N) | Broadwater Sports Club, Farncombe, Surrey | ||||||||||
2006-07[46] | Tring (N) | 7-20 | Thanet Wanderers (S) | Cow Lane, Tring, Hertfordshire | ||||||||||
2007-08[47] | Jersey (S) | 15-0 | Staines (S) | St. Peter, Saint Peter, Jersey | ||||||||||
2008-09[48] | Staines (N) | 7-11 | Dorking (S) | The Reeves, Hanworth, Greater London | ||||||||||
2009-10[49] | Civil Service (N) | 31-14 | Dover (S) | King's House Sports Ground, Chiswick, Greater London | ||||||||||
2010-11[50] | London Irish Wild Geese (S) | 21-14 | Sidcup (N) | Hazelwood, Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey | 1,000 | |||||||||
2011-12[51] | Old Elthamians (S) | 16-8 | Colchester (N) | Foxbury Avenue, Chislehurst, Greater London | 600 | |||||||||
2012-13[52] | Basingstoke (S) | 27-3 | Eton Manor (N) | Down Grange, Basingstoke, Hampshire | ||||||||||
2013-14[53] | Chichester (S) | 25-16 | Eton Manor (N) | Oaklands Park, Chichester, West Sussex | ||||||||||
2014-15[54] | Eton Manor (N) | 17-14 | Chobham (S) | The New Wilderness, Redbridge, London | 400 | |||||||||
2015-16[55] | Tring (N) | 21-26 | Guildford (S) | Cow Lane, Tring, Hertfordshire | 700 | |||||||||
2016–17[56] | Chingford (N) | 33-35 (AET) | Tunbridge Wells (S) | Lea Valley Playing Fields, Chingford, London | 500 | |||||||||
2017-18[57] | Chingford (N) | 21-17 | Medway (S) | Lea Valley Playing Fields, Chingford, London | 500[58] | |||||||||
2018-19[59] | Colchester (N) | 26-33 | Brighton (S) | Mill Road Playing Fields, Colchester, Essex | ||||||||||
2019–20 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Westcombe Park (S) - promoted instead. | |||||||||||||
2020–21 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. | |||||||||||||
2021–22 | Not contested due to a restructuring of the league system including a reduction of this division from 14 to 12 under the RFU Adult Competition Review. | |||||||||||||
Green background is the promoted team. N = London 1 North (formerly London 2 North) and S = London 1 South (formerly London 2 South). |