Regional 1 South East (up until 2022-23 known as London & South East Premier and up until 2016-17 known as National League 3 London & South East) is a level five league in the

English rugby union system Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England cons ...

. It is one of six leagues at this level. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London Division 1. The format of the league was changed at the beginning of the 2009–10 season following re-organisation by the Rugby Football Union while the name change from National League 3 to Premier was introduced for the 2017–18 season to make it more obvious that it is a regional league. London & South East Premier is the highest regional rugby union league covering

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

south east England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshi ...

. 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: * 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 The first-placed team at the end of season wins promotion to

National League 2 East National League 2 East is a new 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 East of England. The remainder of England is covered b ...

. Three teams are relegated into a mixture of Regional 2 South East, Regional 2 Anglia and Regional 2 Thames.

2022–23

Six of the twelve teams participated in the 2021-22 competition. They are joined by Shelford, Sudbury,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

and Harpenden all promoted from

London 1 North London 1 North is an English level 6, rugby union league for clubs in London and the south-east of England including sides from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, north Greater London, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk. Wh ...

together with Medway and Bedford Athletic promoted from

London 1 South London 1 South was 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 Essex, south Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex. When this ...

and

Midlands 1 East Regional 2 East Midlands is an English level 6 rugby union regional league for rugby clubs in the eastern region of the Midlands, including sides from Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and occasion ...

respectively. Sutton & Epsom, Maidenhead,

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England between Portsmouth and Chichester. Its borough (population: 125,000) comprises the town (45,826) and its suburbs including the resort of Hayling Island as well as Rowland's Cast ...

, Wimbledon and Brighton were level transferred into

Regional 1 South Central Regional 1 South Central is a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the twelve teams drawn from across southern and South East England. The other level five leagues are Regional 1 Midlands, Regional 1 North West, Regional ...

. Teams leaving the division included Dorking,

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...

and

North Walsham North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England, within the North Norfolk district. Demography The civil parish has an area of and in the 2011 census had a population of 12,634. For the purposes of local government, the pa ...

who were promoted into

. There was no relegation from the league at the end of season 2021-22.

Participating teams

2021–22

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in the 2019-20 competition. They are joined by Sutton & Epsom who were relegated from

National League 2 South National League 2 South (known before September 2009 as National Division Three South) was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, ...

, along with three promoted sides;

and

Westcombe Park Westcombe Park is a largely residential area in Blackheath in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, South East London, England. It is bounded by the main London-Dartford railway line to the north, the Blackwall Tunnel southern approach to the east, ...

. Maidenhead who played in South West Premier in 2019-20 were level transferred into London & South East Premier as the nearest club geographically to address an imbalance of teams in the league. Teams leaving the division included Rochford Hundred who were promoted into

as champions along with Guernsey Raiders who won the virtual promotion play-off against

Weston-super-Mare RFC Weston-super-Mare Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. The club runs five senior teams, including a colts and veterans side and the full range of junior teams The first XV play in South West ...

, while teams relegated from the league included Bedford Athletic (

), Guildford (

) and London Irish Wild Geese (

). 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.

Participating teams

Final league table

2020–21

On 30th October the RFU announced that due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (

National League 1 National One (last season known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Leagu ...

and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning London & South East Premier was not contested.

2019–20

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by Guernsey and London Irish Wild Geese who were relegated from

, along with three promoted sides; Brighton, Rochford Hundred and

. Teams leaving the division included Sutton & Epsom who were promoted into National League 2 South as champions and

Westcliff Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff) is an inner city area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 m ...

who won the promotion playoff, while teams relegated from the league included Brentwood,

Chingford Chingford is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The town is approximately north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walthamstow t ...

and Shelford (all

Participating teams

Final league table

On 4 April, the Rugby Football Union confirmed the final table for the season.

2018–19

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by Wimbledon who were relegated from

, along with four promoted sides; Bedford Athletic, Brentwood,

and

CS Rugby 1863 Civil Service Rugby, mostly known as CS Rugby 1863, currently CS STAGS 1863, an English rugby union team based in Chiswick, Greater London. The club runs three senior sides and the first XV currently plays in London & South East Premier follo ...

. Bedford Athletic had initially been promoted into

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 ...

but were level transferred into London & South East Premier as the nearest club geographically to address an imbalance of teams in the league. Teams leaving the division included Barnes who were promoted into National League 2 South as champions along with Guernsey who won the promotion playoff, while teams relegated from the league included Southend Saxons (

), Towcestrians (

) and

(

Participating teams

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in the London & South East Premier (National League 3 London & South East) and South West Premier (formerly National League 3 South West) participate in a play-off for the third promotion place to National League 2 South. The team with the best playing record, in this case Westcliff, hosted the match and beat their opponents Barnstaple 44 – 5 to win promotion to National League 2 South for the first time. This was Westcliff's first appearance in the play-offs and Barnstaple's second; in 2016 Barnstaple beat Tonbridge Juddians 31 – 30 at Tonbridge. The home team have won fifteen out of nineteen play-off matches and the south-east team have won the play-off thirteen times. ----

2017–18

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by Barnes who were relegated from

along with three promoted teams

Sidcup Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the ...

Tring Tring is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated in a gap passing through the Chiltern Hills, classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from Central London. Tring is linked to ...

and

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...

. Tonbridge Juddians were promoted into National League 2 South as champions along with Wimbledon who won the promotion playoff. Teams relegated from the league included Amersham & Chiltern and

(

) and

Chichester Chichester () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publi ...

(

). To address an imbalance of teams, Towcestrians were level transferred into the league from the

, as they were the nearest team geographically.

Participating teams

Final league table

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in the London & South East Premier, and South West Premier participate in a play-off for promotion to National League 2 South. The team with the best playing record, in this case Guernsey RFC, hosted the match and beat their opponents Bournemouth 38 – 23 to win promotion.

2016–17

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by Dorking and Southend Saxons who were relegated from National 2 South while three promoted teams, Amersham & Chiltern, Guildford and Sutton & Epsom were promoted into the league. London Irish Wild Geese were promoted to National League 2 South as champions while

Eton Manor Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre is a sports and leisure venue located in Leyton, London Borough of Waltham Forest, to the north of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is regularly used for international field hockey fixtures by both the Great ...

and Gravesend were relegated to

and

respectively. Originally,

were supposed to go down as the 14th placed team, but they were granted a reprieve when East Grinstead (who had finished 3rd) decided to take voluntary relegation, due to the loss of a key sponsor and dropped five leagues to Sussex Spitfire 1. Finally Bracknell were level transferred back to

National League 3 South West Regional 1 South West (formerly South West Premier and National League 3 South West) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. When this division began in 1987 it was known as South West D ...

after just one season to address an imbalance in teams after having finished 11th. Current results see:
National League 3 London & South East results

Participating teams

Final league table

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in the National League 3 London and SE, and

participate in a play-off for promotion to National League 2 South. The team with the best playing record, in this case

Wimbledon RFC Wimbledon Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from Wimbledon, London. The club was a founding member of the Rugby Football Union and were at that time known as the Wimbledon Hornets. The first team currently play in London & South East Pre ...

, hosted the match and beat their opponents Dings Crusaders RFC 55 – 5 to win promotion. ----

2015–16

Participating clubs

* Bracknell (from 3rd ( National League 3 South-West) *

(promoted from

(champions)) * East Grinstead *

(promoted from

(play-off)) * Gravesend * Guernsey * Hertford * London Irish Wild Geese * Shelford (relegated from

2014–15 National League 2 South The 2014–15 National League 2 South is the sixth season (28th overall) of the fourth tier (south) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. New teams to the divisio ...

) * Tonbridge Juddians *

* Wimbledon (promoted from

(champions))

Final league table

Promotion play-off

The runners-up in the National League 3 London and SE, and National League 3 South West participate in a play-off for promotion to National League 2 South. The team with the best playing record, in this case Tonbridge Juddian, host the match and their opponents are Barnstaple. Juddians lost the match 31 – 30 to a penalty in the last minute of the match and will stay in National 3 London and SE for next season. ---- ----

2014–15

Participating clubs

* Amersham & Chiltern (transferred from National 3 South West) * Barnes * Bury St Edmunds *

(promoted from

) *

* East Grinstead * Gravesend (promoted from

) * Guernsey * Hertford * London Irish Wild Geese (relegated from National 2 South) * Tonbridge Juddians *

(promoted from

) *

Final league table

Promotion play-off

The runners-up in the National League 3 London and SE, and National League 3 South West participate in a play-off for promotion to National League 2 South. The team with the best playing record, in this case Exmouth, hosts the match; their opponents were Barnes and the match was played on 25 April 2015. At the end of full-time the match score was 22 – 22, and Barnes scored the only points in extra-time, to win the match 27– 22. ---- After extra time (80 mins: 22 – 22) ----

2013–14

Participating clubs

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

(relegated from

) * Barnes * Basingstoke (promoted from

) * Bury St Edmunds (promoted from

) *

* Dorking * East Grinstead (promoted from

) * Guernsey * Hertford * Old Elthamians *

Thurrock Thurrock () is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The ...

* Tonbridge Juddians *

Final league table

2012–13

Participating clubs

* Barnes (relegated from

) * Bishop's Stortford *

* Dorking * Gravesend * Guernsey (promoted from

) * Hertford * Old Elthamians (promoted from

) * Staines *

(promoted from

) * Tonbridge Juddians *

Results

*1 Bishop's Stortford Promoted *2 Dorking *3

*4 Barnes *5 Tonbridge Juddians *6 Old Elthamians *7

*8 Guernsey *9 Hertford *10

*11

*12 Gravesend Relegated *13

Relegated *14 Staines Relegated

2011–12

Participating clubs

Ampthill Ampthill () is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population estimate of 8,100 (Mid year estimate 2017 from the ONS). It is administered bAmpthill Town Council The ward of Ampthill which also i ...

* Bishop's Stortford * Bracknell *

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

(relegated from

) *

* Dorking * Gravesend *

* London Irish Amateur (promoted from

) *

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable a ...

* Staines * Tonbridge Juddian (promoted from

) *

(promoted from

)

Results

Promoted *2 Tonbridge Juddian *3

Transferred *4 Bishop's Stortford *5 Dorking *6

*8 Staines *9 London Irish Amateur *10

*11 Gravesend *12 Bracknell Relegated *13

Relegated *14

Relegated

2010–11

Participating clubs

* Barnes (relegated from

) * Basingstoke * Bishop's Stortford * Bracknell * Civil Service (promoted from

) * Diss * Dorking * Gravesend (promoted from

) *

* Hertford *

* Staines (promoted from

) *

2009–10

Participating clubs

First season as a national league * Basingstoke * Bishop's Stortford * Bracknell * Diss * Dorking *

* Haywards Heath * Hertford *

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...

* Old Albanians *

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

* Sutton & Epson *

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as London 1) contained the following teams: * Dartfordians * Ealing *

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up ...

* Guildford & Godalming *

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

* Lewes * Old Gaytonians *

Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, and in the historic county of Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...

* Sutton & Epsom *

Upper Clapton Clapton is a district of East London, England, in the London Borough of Hackney. Clapton is divided into Upper Clapton, in the north, and Lower Clapton to the south. Clapton railway station lies north-east of Charing Cross. Geography and origi ...

* United Services Portsmouth

London & South East Premier honours

In the first season of the English rugby union league pyramid, sponsored by Courage, there was four, tier five leagues. These were London Division 1, Midland Division 1, North Division 1 and South West Division 1. In 1987 the geographical area for teams in the south-east of England was known as the ''London and South East Division'' and covered the counties of

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, Suffolk, Surrey and Sussex. The league was also known as London League 1 and London 1. There were eleven teams in the league and they played each team once, giving each team ten matches. This system prevailed for five seasons, and in 1992–93 the number of teams increased from eleven to thirteen. The following season (1993–94) the league was reorganised and the four tier five leagues became two; National 5 North and National 5 South. After three seasons, in 1996–97, a further reorganisation occurred, and there was a return to four, tier five leagues; with London Division One covering the same area as before. This system prevailed until 2009–10 when the number of teams was increased from twelve to fourteen and renamed National League Three London & South East. The league name changed once more for the 2017–18, when it was renamed to London & South East Premier.

London Division One (1987–93)

The original London Division One was a tier five league with promotion up to Area League 2 South and relegation down to either London 2 North or

London 2 South {{Use British English, date=May 2015 London 2 South is an English league of Rugby Union teams, representing the second level in the Rugby Football Union's London & South East Division, making it a Level 6 league in the RFU's league hierarchy. The ...

London Division One

The top six teams from London Division One and the top six from South West Division One were combined to create National 5 South. London Division 1 was now the name of a tier six league and was one of two feeder leagues for National 5 South.

London Division One

For the end of the 1995–96 season National 5 South was discontinued and London Division One returned to being a tier five league. Promotion was up to National 4 South (renamed to National 3 South in 2000–01), while relegation continued to London 2 North and

National League 3 London & SE

The division was renamed National League 3 London & SE following a restructuring of the national leagues which led to changes at all levels. It continued as a tier 5 league with promotion to

(formerly National 3 South) and relegation to either

(formerly London 2 North and London 2 South).

London & South East Premier

The division was renamed London & South East Premier in order to make it more obvious that it was a regional league and the pinnacle of the London & South East region. It continued to be a tier 5 league with promotion to

and relegation to

Promotion play-offs

Since season 2000–01 there has been a play-off between the runners-up of London & South East Premier and South West Premier for the third and final promotion place to

. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the London and south-east teams have been the most successful with thirteen wins to the south-west teams six; and the home team has won promotion on fifteen occasions compared to the away teams four.

Number of league titles

* Barnes (2) * Basingstoke (2) *

(2) *

(1) * Bishop's Stortford (1) * Bury St Edmunds (1) * Camberley (1) *

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

(1) * Charlton Park (1) * Dorking (1) * Ealing (1) *

(1) *

(1) * London Irish Wild Geese * London Scottish (1) *

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seaso ...

(1) *

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

(1) * Old Colfeians (1) * Richmond (1) * Rochford Hundred (1) *

(1) * Shelford (1) *

(1) *

Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

(1) * Sutton & Epsom (1) *

Tabard A tabard is a type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleeves or shoulder pieces. In its more develope ...

(1) * Tonbridge Juddians (1) *

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:London1 5 Recurring sporting events established in 1987 Sports leagues established in 1987

2022–23

Participating teams

2021–22

Participating teams

Final league table

2020–21

2019–20

Participating teams

Final league table

2018–19

Participating teams

Promotion play-off

2017–18

Participating teams

Final league table

Promotion play-off

2016–17

Participating teams

Final league table

Promotion play-off

2015–16

Participating clubs

Final league table

Promotion play-off

2014–15

Participating clubs

Final league table

Promotion play-off

2013–14

Participating clubs

Final league table

2012–13

Participating clubs

Results

2011–12

Participating clubs

Results

2010–11

Participating clubs

2009–10

Participating clubs

Original teams

London & South East Premier honours

London Division One (1987–93)

London Division One

London Division One

National League 3 London & SE

London & South East Premier

Promotion play-offs

Number of league titles

Notes

See also

References