Counties 2 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 2 is an English
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 ...
league at the eighth tier of the domestic competition for teams from
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically promoted to
Yorkshire 1
Yorkshire Division One is an English rugby union division, the seventh tier of the domestic competition, and the top level for local rugby union in parts of Yorkshire. The champions are automatically promoted to North 1 East, a division with a ...
and the bottom two teams are relegated to
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
. Each season a team from Yorkshire 2 is picked to take part in the
RFU Senior Vase
The RFU Senior Vase is a rugby union national knockout cup competition in England run by the Rugby Football Union, which has been competed for since the 2006–07 season. It is contested for by teams at level 8 of the English rugby union system ...
- a national competition for clubs at level 8.
Participating clubs 2021–22
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.
Season 2020–21
On 30 October 2020 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 Yorkshire 2 was not contested.
Participating clubs 2019–20
Participating clubs 2018–19
Participating clubs 2017–18
Participating clubs 2016–17
*Barnsley
*Leodiensian
*Moortown
*Old Crossleyans (relegated from
Yorkshire 1
Yorkshire Division One is an English rugby union division, the seventh tier of the domestic competition, and the top level for local rugby union in parts of Yorkshire. The champions are automatically promoted to North 1 East, a division with a ...
)
*Old Grovians
*Old Rishworthians
*Pontefract
*
Ripon
Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...
*Roundhegians
*Sheffield Medicals
*Thornensians (promoted from
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
)
*Wath-upon-Dearne
*West Park Leeds (relegated from
Yorkshire 1
Yorkshire Division One is an English rugby union division, the seventh tier of the domestic competition, and the top level for local rugby union in parts of Yorkshire. The champions are automatically promoted to North 1 East, a division with a ...
)
*Wetherby (promoted from
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
)
Participating clubs 2015–16
*Barnsley
*Castleford (promoted from
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
)
*Keighley
*Knottingley
*Leodiensian
*Moortown
*Old Grovians (promoted from
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
)
*Old Rishworthians
*Pontefract (relegated from
Yorkshire 1
Yorkshire Division One is an English rugby union division, the seventh tier of the domestic competition, and the top level for local rugby union in parts of Yorkshire. The champions are automatically promoted to North 1 East, a division with a ...
)
*
Ripon
Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...
*Roundhegians
*Sheffield Medicals
*Wath-upon-Dearne (relegated from
Yorkshire 1
Yorkshire Division One is an English rugby union division, the seventh tier of the domestic competition, and the top level for local rugby union in parts of Yorkshire. The champions are automatically promoted to North 1 East, a division with a ...
)
*West Leeds
Participating clubs 2014–15
*Barnsley
*Bradford Salem
*Goole (promoted from
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
)
*Keighley (relegated from
Yorkshire 1
Yorkshire Division One is an English rugby union division, the seventh tier of the domestic competition, and the top level for local rugby union in parts of Yorkshire. The champions are automatically promoted to North 1 East, a division with a ...
)
*Knottingley
*Leeds Medics and Dentists (promoted from
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
)
*Leodiensian
*Moortown
*Old Rishworthians
*
Ripon
Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...
*Roundhegians
*Sheffield Medicals
*West Leeds
*West Park Leeds
Participating clubs 2013–14
*Baildon (promoted from
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
)
*Barnsley (relegated from
Yorkshire 1
Yorkshire Division One is an English rugby union division, the seventh tier of the domestic competition, and the top level for local rugby union in parts of Yorkshire. The champions are automatically promoted to North 1 East, a division with a ...
)
*Bradford Salem
*Hullensians
*Knottingley
*Leodiensian
*Moortown
*Old Rishworthians (promoted from
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
)
*
Ripon
Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...
*Roundhegians
*Sheffield Medicals
*West Leeds
*West Park Leeds
*Yarnbury
Participating clubs 2012–13
*Bradford Salem
*Castleford
*Doncaster Phoenix
*Hullensians
*Leodiensian
*Moortown
*
Ripon
Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...
*Roundhegians
*Selby
*Sheffield Medicals
*Skipton
*West Leeds
*West Park Leeds
*Yarnbury
Original teams
When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
*
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
*
Huddersfield Y.M.C.A.
*
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the ...
*
Ionians
The Ionians (; el, Ἴωνες, ''Íōnes'', singular , ''Íōn'') were one of the four major tribes that the Greeks considered themselves to be divided into during the ancient period; the other three being the Dorians, Aeolians, and Achaea ...
*
Leodiensian
*
Malton & Norton
*
North Ribblesdale
*
Old Otliensians
*
Sheffield Tigers
The Sheffield 'Tru Plant' Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team based in Sheffield, England. They currently race in the British SGB Premiership, and their home meetings take place at Owlerton Stadium. The Tigers traditionally hold their race n ...
*
Wath upon Dearne
Wath upon Dearne (shortened to Wath or often hyphenated) is a town south of the River Dearne in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, north of Rotherham and almost midway between Barnsley and Doncaster. It had a po ...
*
Wheatley Hills
Wheatley Hills is a suburb of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is situated around north-east of the city centre. The Wheatley Hills & Intake ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster had a population of 17,733 at the 2011 cens ...
Yorkshire 2 honours
Yorkshire 2 (1987–1993)
The original Yorkshire 2 was a tier 10 league with promotion up to
Yorkshire 1
Yorkshire Division One is an English rugby union division, the seventh tier of the domestic competition, and the top level for local rugby union in parts of Yorkshire. The champions are automatically promoted to North 1 East, a division with a ...
and relegation down to
Yorkshire 3
Counties 3 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 3, is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically ...
.
Yorkshire 2 (1993–2000)
The creation of
National 5 North for the 1993–94 season meant that Yorkshire 2 dropped to become a tier 11 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995–96 season, which included the cancellation of National 5 North and the addition of
North East 3
North East 3 was an English Rugby Union league which was at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North East England. Promoted teams moved up to North East 2 while relegated teams dropped to either Yorkshire ...
at tier 9, saw Yorkshire 2 remain at tier 11.
Yorkshire 2 (2000–present)
Northern league 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 1999–2000 season saw the cancellation of
North East 1
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
,
North East 2
North East 2 (not to be confused with North 2 East) was an English Rugby Union league was at the eighth tier of the domestic competition when it was founded in 1987 and was available to teams in North East England. Promoted teams moved up to ...
and
North East 3
North East 3 was an English Rugby Union league which was at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North East England. Promoted teams moved up to North East 2 while relegated teams dropped to either Yorkshire ...
(tiers 7–9). This meant that Yorkshire 2 became a tier 8 league.
Number of league titles
*
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
(3)
*
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
(2)
*
Bradford Salem (2)
*
Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. (2)
*
North Ribblesdale (2)
*
Selby
Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...
(2)
*
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...
(1)
*
Bridlington
Bridlington is a coastal town and a civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is about north of Hull and east of York. The Gypsey Race enters the North Sea at its harbour. The 2011 Cen ...
(1)
*
Castleford
Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins th ...
(1)
*
Dinnington (1)
*
Goole
Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire.
According to the 2011 UK census, Goole parish had a population of 19,518, an increa ...
(1)
*
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
(1)
*
Malton & Norton (1)
*
Moortown (1)
*
Northallerton
Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increase ...
(1)
*
Old Brodleians
Old Brodleians RUFC (or ''Brods'', as they are known) are an English rugby union club from Hipperholme, near Halifax, West Yorkshire. The club currently operates three senior men's teams in the past there was a strong veterans side whose regular ...
(1)
*
Old Otliensians (1)
*
Pocklington
Pocklington is a market town and civil parish situated at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded its population as 8,337. It is east of York and northwest of Hull.
The town's sk ...
(1)
*
Pontefract
Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
(1)
*
Roundhegians (1)
*
Sheffield Tigers
The Sheffield 'Tru Plant' Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team based in Sheffield, England. They currently race in the British SGB Premiership, and their home meetings take place at Owlerton Stadium. The Tigers traditionally hold their race n ...
(1)
*
Wath upon Dearne
Wath upon Dearne (shortened to Wath or often hyphenated) is a town south of the River Dearne in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, north of Rotherham and almost midway between Barnsley and Doncaster. It had a po ...
(1)
*
West Leeds (1)
*
Wheatley Hills
Wheatley Hills is a suburb of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is situated around north-east of the city centre. The Wheatley Hills & Intake ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster had a population of 17,733 at the 2011 cens ...
(1)
*
Wibsey
Wibsey (population 14,530 – 2001 UK census) is a ward within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, West Yorkshire, England. The population had increased to 14,671 at the 2011 Census. Wibsey is named after Wibsey village which m ...
(1)
*
Yarnbury (1)
See also
*
Yorkshire RFU
*
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 ...
*
Rugby union in England
Rugby union in England is one of the leading professional and recreational team sports. In 1871 the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for rugby union in England, was formed by 21 rugby clubs, and the first international match, which involv ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yorkshire 2
8
Rugby union competitions in Yorkshire