The 2017–18 National League 2 North is the ninth season (31st overall) of the fourth tier (north) of the English domestic

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

competitions since the professionalised format of the

second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

was introduced. On 21 April 2018

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

became the first side to be relegated after losing heavily to promotion chasing

Sedgley Park Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford and south of Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury. Historic counties of Eng ...

away from home. This meant that Sheffield would equal the unwanted record set by

Morley Morley may refer to: Places England * Morley, Norfolk, a civil parish * Morley, Derbyshire, a civil parish * Morley, Cheshire, a village * Morley, County Durham, a village * Morley, West Yorkshire, a suburban town of Leeds and civil parish * M ...

of being the most demoted side in tier 4 (north) history with what was their third relegation from this level since the leagues started in 1987. The championship took a little longer to decide when on 28 April 2018 Sale FC clinched the title by winning 37-5 away to

Leicester Lions Leicester Lions are a speedway team which originally operated from 1968 until 1983.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. The club returned to speedway for the 2011 Premier League season, moving up to the Elite League ...

, with a (rescheduled) game to spare. Sale FC were deserving winners, although runners up

kept the title race going to the wire thanks to their outstanding bonus points tally of 30 (a divisional record), helping Park to the runners up spot and a place in the promotion playoff game. On the same day the second relegation spot was sealed when

Blaydon Blaydon is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, and historically in County Durham. Blaydon, and neighbouring Winlaton, which Blaydon is now contiguous with, form the postal town of Blaydon-on-Tyne. The Blay ...

suffered their second successive relegation, losing a tight game 36-40 at

Kingston Park Kingston Park is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, about north west of the city centre. It is home to several large retailers, the largest being one of Tesco's flagship stores—at 11,055 square metres (119,000 sq ft) which was also t ...

Hinckley Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England. It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in the administrative county of Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughbor ...

. Runners up Sedgley Park failed to join Sale FC in the

2018–19 National League 1 The 2018–19 National League 1, known for sponsorship reasons as the SSE National League 1, is the tenth season of the third tier of the English rugby union system, since the professionalised format of the second tier RFU Championship was intro ...

after they lost 30-41 away to

2017–18 National League 2 South The 2017–18 National League 2 South is the ninth season (31st overall) of the fourth tier (south) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. On 7 April 2018 Broads ...

runners up

Chinnor Chinnor is a large village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in South Oxfordshire about southeast of Thame, close to the border with Buckinghamshire. The village is a spring line settlement on the Icknield Way below the Chiltern Hills ...

in the promotion play-off game played on 5 May 2018. Due to poor weather causing delays to the end of the season it took till 12 May 2018 to determine the final relegation spot with

Luctonians Luctonians Sports Club is an English sports club based in Kingsland, Herefordshire. The rugby union team currently plays in National League 2 West, the fourth tier of the English rugby union system, following their promotion from the Midlands ...

losing 21-22 to champions Sale FC at home in their re-arranged fixture, condemning the Herefordshire side to the drop, 3 points below 13th placed

Wharfedale Wharfedale ( ) is the valley of the upper parts of the River Wharfe and one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated within the districts of Craven and Harrogate in North Yorkshire, and the cities of Leeds and Bradford in West Yorkshire. It is ...

, who could have gone down instead had Luctonians won via a bonus point.

Structure

The league consists of sixteen teams with all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis to make a total of thirty matches each. There is one automatic promotion place, one play-off place and three relegation places. The champions are promoted to the

and the runners up play the second-placed team in the

with the winner also being promoted. The last three teams are relegated to either

North Premier North Premier was a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the fourteen teams drawn from across Northern England. The other leagues at this level were London & South East Premier, Midlands Premier and South West Premier. The ...

Midlands Premier Regional 1 Midlands (until 2022–23 known as Midlands Premier and up until 2016–17 known as National League 3 Midlands) is a level five semi-professional league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. When ...

depending on the geographical location of the team (in some cases teams may join the southern regional leagues). 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.

Participating teams and locations

Eleven of the teams listed below participated in the

2016–17 National League 2 North The 2016–17 National League 2 North is the eighth season (30th overall) of the fourth tier (north) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. New teams to the divisio ...

season. The 2016–17 champions,

Caldy Caldy is a small, affluent village on the Wirral Peninsula, England, south-east of West Kirby. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is in the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West. At the ...

, were promoted into the

2017–18 National League 1 The 2017–18 National League 1, known for sponsorship reasons as the SSE National League 1 is the ninth season of the third tier of the English rugby union system, since the professionalised format of the second tier RFU Championship was introduc ...

, replacing

and

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

who were relegated from the

2016–17 National League 1 The 2016–17 National League 1, known for sponsorship reasons as the SSE National League 1 was the eighth season of the third tier of the English rugby union system, since the professionalised format of the second tier RFU Championship was introd ...

. The three teams relegated last season were

Preston Grasshoppers Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team from Preston, Lancashire. The men's senior team play in the RFU National League 2 North, a level 4 league in the RFU league pyramid. History The club was founded on 28 Se ...

and

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

(both to

) and

Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town and unparished area in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative centre. Scunthorpe had an estimated total population of 82,334 in 2016. A pre ...

(

). The promoted teams are

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

, who were promoted as champions of

National League 3 North North Premier was a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the fourteen teams drawn from across Northern England. The other leagues at this level were London & South East Premier, Midlands Premier and South West Premier. The ...

(now North Premier) and

(play-offs) who came up from

National League 3 Midlands National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(now Midlands Premier). Broadstreet (champions of National League 3 Midlands) would have usually have come into this division but due to an imbalance of teams they were instead level transferred to the

as they were considered the most southerly team in the division.

League table

Results

Round 1

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Round 2

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Round 3

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Round 4

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Round 5

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Round 6

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Round 7

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Round 8

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Round 9

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Round 10

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Round 11

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Round 12

*Postponed due to bad weather. Game rescheduled for 24 February 2018. ----

Round 13

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Round 14

*Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game rescheduled to 24 February 2018. *Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game rescheduled to 24 February 2018. *Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game rescheduled to 17 March 2018. ----

Round 15

*Postponed due to unplayable pitch caused by recent bad weather. Game rescheduled to 24 February 2018. *Postponed due to unplayable pitch caused by bad weather. Game rescheduled to 17 March 2018. *Postponed due to frozen pitch caused by bad weather. Game rescheduled to 24 February 2018. ----

Round 16

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Round 17

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Round 18

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Round 19

*Postponed due to snow. Game rescheduled for 31 March 2018. ----

Round 20

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Round 21

*Postponed due to unplayable pitch caused by heavy rain. Game to be rescheduled for 5 May 2018. *Game postponed due to unplayable pitch caused by rain. Game to be rescheduled for 17 March 2018. ----

Round 22

*Postponed due to semi-frozen and waterlogged pitch caused by bad weather (rain and snow). Game to be rescheduled for 31 March 2018. ----

Round 23

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Rounds 12, 14 & 15 (rescheduled games)

*Game rescheduled from 16 December 2017. *Game rescheduled from 9 December 2017. *Game rescheduled from 9 December 2017. *Game rescheduled from 16 December 2017. *Game rescheduled from 25 November 2017. ----

Round 24

*Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 31 March 2018. *Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 12 May 2018. *Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 17 March 2018. *Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 17 March 2018. *Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 5 May 2018. *Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 31 March 2018. *Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 17 March 2018. *Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 29 March 2018. ----

Round 25

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Rounds 14, 15, 21 & 24 (rescheduled games)

*Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Game rescheduled from 3 February 2018. *Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Game originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 but postponed again due to waterlogged pitch caused by heavy rain. Game to be rescheduled for 31 March 2018. *Game rescheduled from 9 December 2017. *Game rescheduled from 16 December 2017. ----

Round 26

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Rounds 19, 22 & 24 (rescheduled games)

*Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Game rescheduled from 20 January 2018. *Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Game originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 & then 17 March 2018 when it was postponed again. *Game rescheduled from 10 February 2018. *Originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 but postponed again due to a waterlogged pitch caused by heavy rain. Game to be rescheduled for 5 May 2018. ----

Round 27

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Round 28

*Postponed due to waterlogged pitch. Game to be rescheduled for 5 May 2018. ----

Round 29

*Sheffield are relegated. ----

Round 30

*Blaydon are relegated. *Sale FC are champions. ----

Rounds 21 & 24 & 28 (rescheduled games)

*Game rescheduled from 3 February 2018. *Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018 but cancelled as result would not adversely affect league standings. *Game originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 and then again from 31 March 2018. Would eventually be cancelled as result would not adversely affect league standings. *Game rescheduled from 14 April 2018 but cancelled as result would not adversely affect league standings. ----

Round 24 (rescheduled game)

*Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018. Luctonians are relegated.

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in the

National League 2 North National League 2 North is one of three, level four leagues in the English rugby union system and provides semi-professional competition for teams in the northern half of England, the North. The remainder of England is covered by the two counte ...

and National League 2 South participate in a play-off for promotion to

National Division 1 The National Division 1 is the third tier of rugby league in France, below the Elite Two Championship and above the National Division 2. The season runs from September to April. From season 2012–13 the league was split into regions ''East'' a ...

were runners up in the

, and because they had a better record than the 2017–18 National League 2 North runners up,

, they host the play-off match.

Attendances

* Does not include promotion play-off.

Individual statistics

* Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals. Appearance figures also include coming on as substitutes (unused substitutes not included). Does not include promotion play-off.

Top points scorers

Top try scorers

Season records

Team

;Largest home win — 72 points 89 – 17 Stourbridge at home to Blaydon on 27 January 2018 ;Largest away win — 37 points (3) 40 – 3 Leicester Lions away to Luctonians on 14 October 2017
47 – 10 Sale FC away to Sheffield on 13 January 2018
37 – 0 Sale FC away to Macclesfield on 31 March 2018 ;Most points scored — 89 points 89 – 17 Stourbridge at home to Blaydon on 27 January 2018 ;Most tries in a match — 14 Stourbridge at home to Blaydon on 27 January 2018 ;Most conversions in a match — 10 (2) Sedgley Park at home to Sheffield on 21 April 2018
Sedgley Park at home to Sheffield Tigers on 28 April 2018 ;Most penalties in a match — 6 (2) South Leicester at home to Tynedale on 21 October 2017
Huddersfield at home to Sedgley Park on 2 December 2017 ;Most drop goals in a match — 2 Wharfedale at home to Luctonians on 6 January 2018

Attendances

;Highest — 1,820 Sheffield at home to Sheffield Tigers on 23 December 2017 ;Lowest — 57 Sedgley Park at home to Otley on 17 March 2018 ;Highest average attendance — 542 Hinckley ;Lowest average attendance — 115 South Leicester

Player

;Most points in a match — 35

Stephen Collins Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American former actor and writer. He is known for playing Eric Camden on the television series '' 7th Heaven'' from 1996 to 2007. Afterwards, Collins played the roles of Dayton King on the ABC t ...

for Sedgley Park at home to Sheffield Tigers on 28 April 2018 ;Most tries in a match - 5 Myles Bean for South Leicester at home to Blaydon on 21 April 2018 ;Most conversions in a match - 10

for Sedgley Park at home to Sheffield Tigers on 28 April 2018 ;Most penalties in a match — 6 (2) Rickie Aley for South Leicester at home to Tynedale on 21 October 2017
Harry Davey for Huddersfield at home to Sedgley Park on 2 December 2017 ;Most drop goals in a match — 2 Tom Barrett for Wharfedale at home to Luctonians on 6 January 2018

Notes

References

External links

NCA Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:National2 2017–18 4N

Structure

Participating teams and locations

League table

Results

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Round 20

Round 21

Round 22

Round 23

Rounds 12, 14 & 15 (rescheduled games)

Round 24

Round 25

Rounds 14, 15, 21 & 24 (rescheduled games)

Round 26

Rounds 19, 22 & 24 (rescheduled games)

Round 27

Round 28

Round 29

Round 30

Rounds 21 & 24 & 28 (rescheduled games)

Round 24 (rescheduled game)

Promotion play-off

Attendances

Individual statistics

Top points scorers

Top try scorers

Season records

Team

Attendances

Player

Notes

See also

References

External links