Western Counties North (known as Tribute Western Counties North for sponsorship purposes) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 it ...

league. Originally a single division called Western Counties, in 1996 the division split into two regional leagues called Western Counties North and

Western Counties West Counties 1 Western West (formerly known as Western Counties West for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league. Originally a single division called Western Counties, in 1996 the division split into two regional leagues called Wester ...

. Western Counties North is currently a seventh tier league for clubs based in the south-west of England; mainly

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

and

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. The champions are promoted to

South West 1 West Regional 2 South West, (formerly known as South West 1 West) is an English, level six, rugby union league for clubs based in the south-west of England; i.e. Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. It is one of twelve leagues at this level in Eng ...

and the runner-up plays the second team in Western Counties West, with the winning team gaining promotion. The number of teams relegated depends on feedback following promotion and relegation in the leagues above, but is usually two or three to

Gloucester Premier Gloucester Premier is an English rugby union league which sits at the eighth level of league rugby union in England with teams largely being based in the county of Gloucestershire and Bristol. Originally a single division called Gloucestershire ...

and

Somerset Premier Somerset Premier (known as Tribute Somerset Premier for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league which sits at the eighth level of league rugby union in England involving teams based in the county of Somerset as well as some teams ...

. Although 2nd XV rugby is part of the Somerset regional league system, only 1st XV teams are allowed in Tribute Western Counties North. The current champions are Matson and they are promoted to Regional 2 Tribute Severn. Due to the reorganisation of the leagues, Cheltenham, Chosen Hill Former Pupils, Gordano and Winscome are also promoted. There is no relegation and the eight remaining teams, along with four promoted teams form the new level 7 Counties 1 Tribute Western North. Teams also participate in the

RFU Intermediate Cup The RFU Intermediate Cup is a rugby union national knockout cup competition in England run by the Rugby Football Union. It is contested by teams at level 7 of the English rugby union system. While the competition is a national one, it is howeve ...

– a national competition for clubs at level 7 - with all clubs affiliated with the Gloucestershire RFU involved and a representative being sent from the Somerset RFU.

Format

The champions are promoted to South West 1 West and the second-placed team plays the runner-up from Western Counties West with the winner also promoted. The teams finishing in last two or three places are relegated to the

. The season runs from September to April and comprises twenty-six rounds of matches, with each club playing each of its rivals, home and away. 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.

2021–22

Participating teams

League table

2020–21

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic the season was cancelled.

2019–20

Participating teams

2018–19

Participating teams

Promotion play-off

In the play-off for promotion, Midsomer Norton played Crediton from

for promotion to South West 1 West. Midsomer Norton had the best playing record and hosted the match, losing 15 – 19. This was the first time either team had participated in the play-offs, at this level, and Crediton's win was the sixth time the away team had won match. Teams from Western Counties North lead 10–9 in the nineteen play-off matches played since 2001.

2017–18

The season started on 2 September and the final league matches were due to be completed by 21 April 2018, with the promotion play-off the following week.

Participating teams

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in Western Counties West and Western Counties North, participate in a play-off for promotion to South West 1 West. The team with the best playing record, in this case Chew Valley, host the match, and for the second successive season they lost, this time to Devonport Services 12 – 22. It is the first time Devonport Services are promoted to a level six league. This match was the eighteenth play-off for promotion; the northern sides lead with ten victories to the west's eight and the home teams are leading thirteen to five.

2016–17

Participating teams

League table

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in Western Counties North and Western Counties West, participate in a play-off for promotion to South West 1 West. The team with the best playing record, in this case Chew Valley, host the match and they lost to their opponents Cullompton 12 – 29.

2015–16

The 2015–16 Tribute Western Counties North consists of fourteen teams; six from

, four from

, three from

and one from

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. The season started on 5 September 2015 and is finishes on 30 April 2016.

Participating teams and location

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. The 2014–15 champions Coney Hill and runners up

Newent Newent (; originally called "Noent") is a market town and civil parish about 10½ miles (17 km) north-west of Gloucester, England. Its population was 5,073 at the 2001 census, rising to 5,207 in 2011, The population was 6,777 at the 2021 Census. ...

(who won their playoff game) were promoted to

Tribute South West 1 West Regional 2 South West, (formerly known as South West 1 West) is an English, level six, rugby union league for clubs based in the south-west of England; i.e. Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. It is one of twelve leagues at this level in Eng ...

while Bristol Saracens and North Bristol were relegated to the

and Stothert & Pitt to the

Tribute Somerset Premier Somerset Premier (known as Tribute Somerset Premier for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league which sits at the eighth level of league rugby union in England involving teams based in the county of Somerset as well as some teams ...

Participating teams 2014–15

*Avon *Barton Hill *Bristol Harlequins *Bristol Saracens (promoted from

) *Burnham-on-Sea *Cheltenham *Chew Valley *Chosen Hill Former Pupils * Coney Hill (relegated from

) *Keynsham * Old Bristolians *Newent (promoted from

) *North Bristol *Stothert & Pitt

Participating teams 2013–14

*Avon *Barton Hill * Berry Hill *Bristol Harlequins *Chew Valley (promoted from

) *Chosen Hill Former Pupils *

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

Drybrook Drybrook is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England. Location It lies in the North West edge of the Royal Forest, bordering with Herefordshire, about three miles from Cinderford, and about two miles ...

(promoted from

) *Keynsham (promoted from

) *Matson *Midsomer Norton *North Bristol * Old Bristolians *Oldfield Old Boys (relegated from

)

Participating teams 2012–13

*Avon *Barton Hill * Berry Hill *Bristol Harlequins *Burnham-on-Sea *Chosen Hill Former Pupils *

* Hornets *Matson *North Bristol * Old Bristolians *Wells *Yatton

Participating teams 2011–12

*Barton Hill *Bristol Harlequins *Burnham-on-Sea * Chard *

*Gordon League * Hornets *Keynsham *Matson *North Bristol *

Old Centralians Old Centralians Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based at Saintbridge Sports Center in Gloucester. The club operates three senior sides with the first XV playing in South West Premier, a level five league in the English rugby u ...

*Stroud *Whitehall *Yatton

Participating teams 2010–11

*Barton Hill * Berry Hill *Bristol Harlequins *

*Gordon League *Keynsham *Matson *North Bristol *

*Stroud *St Mary's Old Boys (SW) *Thornbury *Yatton

Participating teams 2009–10

*Barton Hill * Berry Hill *Burnham on Sea *

*Gordon League * Hornets *Keynsham *North Bristol *

Old Redcliffians Old Redcliffians Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Brislington, a suburb of Bristol. The club runs four senior sides and a sevens team as well as a ladies side and the full range of junior teams. The first XV currently ...

*Southmead *Stroud *Thornbury *Widden Old Boys

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as Western Counties) contained the following teams: * Avon & Somerset Police *

Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 ...

* Gordon League * Matson *

Newquay Hornets Newquay ( ; kw, Tewynblustri) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, in the south west of England. It is a civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries, spaceport and a fishing port on the North Atlantic coast of ...

Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based in the town (east and west) ...

Sidmouth Sidmouth () is a town on the English Channel in Devon, South West England, southeast of Exeter. With a population of 12,569 in 2011, it is a tourist resort and a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. A large part of the town h ...

* Tiverton *

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro ...

Western Counties North honours

Western Counties (1987–1993)

Originally Western Counties North and

was a single division called Western Counties (sponsored by Courage), involving teams based in the south-west of England including

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

and

. Each team played one match against each of the other teams with the winning team awarded two points; there was one point for each team in a drawn match. It was a tier 7 league with promotion up to South West 2 and relegation to either Cornwall/Devon or Gloucestershire/Somerset.

Western Counties (1993–1996)

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 Western Counties dropped from a tier 7 league to a tier 8 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion continued to South West 2 and relegation down to either Cornwall/Devon or Gloucestershire/Somerset. The league continued to be sponsored by Courage.

Western Counties North (1996–2000)

Major restructuring by the

RFU The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It pro ...

at the end of the 1995–96 season saw Western Counties split into two separate leagues, Western Counties North and

, which reverted to tier 7 leagues due to the cancellation of National 5 South. Promotion from Western Counties North was to the new South West 2 West division (formerly South West 2) while relegation was to Gloucestershire/Somerset.

Western Counties North (2000–2009)

Western Counties North remained a tier 7 league, with promotion continuing to South West 2 West. Relegation was to either

following the cancellation of Gloucestershire/Somerset at the end of the 1999–00 season. From the 2008–09 season the league sponsor was

Tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...

Western Counties North (2009–present)

Despite widespread league restructuring by the

, Western Counties North continues as a tier 7 league, with promotion to

(formerly South West 2 West) and relegation to either

continue to sponsor the league.

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a one-off promotion play-off game played between the league runners-up of Western Counties North and

for the third and final promotion place to

, with the team with the superior league record having home advantage in the tie. As of the end of the 2018–19 season the northern sides have been the more successful with ten victories to the west's nine while the home team has won thirteen times compared to the away teams six.

Number of league titles

* Coney Hill (4) * Matson (3) * Gordon League (2) * Hornets (2) * Keynsham (2) *

Avonmouth Old Boys Avonmouth Old Boys Rugby Football Club is an England, English rugby union team based in Shirehampton in Bristol. The club run three men senior teams, a vets side, a ladies team, a colts side and a youth section featuring the full range of age-gro ...

(1) * Berry Hill (1) * Chard (1) * Cheltenham North (1) *

Chew Valley The Chew Valley is an affluent area in North Somerset, England, named after the River Chew, which rises at Chewton Mendip, and joins the River Avon at Keynsham. Technically, the area of the valley is bounded by the water catchment area of ...

(1) * Cleve (1) *

(1) * Coombe Down (1) * Dings Crusaders (1) *

(1) * Gloucester Old Boys (1) *

Hartpury College Hartpury University and Hartpury College, formerly Hartpury College, is a provider of further and higher education which describes itself as specialising in the "agriculture, animal, equine, sport and veterinary nursing" sectors. The university a ...

(1) * Launceston (1) * Old Patesians (1) *

(1) * Penryn (1) * St Mary's Old Boys (1) * Stroud (1) *

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

(1) *

Yatton Yatton is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located south-west of Bristol. Its population in 2011 was 7,552. The parish includes Clav ...

(1)

Sponsorship

The Western Counties League and South West 2 were part of the Courage Clubs Championship and was sponsored by

Courage Brewery Courage Brewery was an English brewery, founded by John Courage in 1787 in London, England. History Courage & Co Ltd was started by John Courage at the Anchor Brewhouse in Horsleydown, Bermondsey in 1787. He was a Scottish shipping agent of Fr ...

from the first season, 1987–88 to season 1996–97. The league was unsponsored until season 2007–08 when

St Austell Brewery St Austell Brewery is a brewery founded in 1851 by Walter Hicks in St Austell, Cornwall, England. History Originally named ''Walter Hicks & Co: brewers and wine merchants'', the brewery company was renamed St Austell Brewery and significa ...

sponsored South-west based leagues under the Tribute Ale label.

Notes

References

{{Rugby union in England 7 Rugby union in Bristol Rugby union in Gloucestershire Rugby union in Somerset Sports leagues established in 1987 Recurring sporting events established in 1987

Format

2021–22

Participating teams

League table

2020–21

2019–20

Participating teams

2018–19

Participating teams

Promotion play-off

2017–18

Participating teams

Promotion play-off

2016–17

Participating teams

League table

Promotion play-off

2015–16

Participating teams and location

Participating teams 2014–15

Participating teams 2013–14

Participating teams 2012–13

Participating teams 2011–12

Participating teams 2010–11

Participating teams 2009–10

Original teams

Western Counties North honours

Western Counties (1987–1993)

Western Counties (1993–1996)

Western Counties North (1996–2000)

Western Counties North (2000–2009)

Western Counties North (2009–present)

Promotion play-offs

Number of league titles

Sponsorship

See also

Notes

References