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

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. On 7 April 2018 Broadstreet became the first club to be relegated, a 12–16 defeat away to fellow strugglers

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from ...

condemning them to the drop with three games to go. On 21 April

Cinderford Cinderford is a town and civil parish on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The population was 8,777 at the 2021 Census. The town came into existence in the 19th century, following the rapid expansion of the ...

became champions with a game to go following a narrow 21–19 win away to

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

. Cinderford were easily the best team in the division, finishing 12 points clear of second place

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

, who on most other seasons would have been good enough to finish champions but instead had to settle for the promotion playoff game. In winning the league title Cinderford set several National League 2 South records including winning the most games (29) and gaining the most points (143). The battle for the final two relegation spots was one of the most keenest in several years with three teams threatened by the drop on the last day of the season. In the end it was

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

and

who went down on the 28 April, despite Barum getting a 17–14 win at home against the Londoners, as Old Redcliffians managed to win at home to

Redruth Redruth ( , ) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. According to the 2011 census, the population of Redruth was 14,018 In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, ...

. Old Reds had looked dead certs for relegation earlier in the season but turned it around with eight wins in the second half (compared to just 2 before Christmas) of the season to stay safe by 3 points, even leapfrogging 13th placed London Irish Wild Geese who had secured safety the week before. Wimbledon also did well in the second half of the season getting eight wins (compared to one in the first half) but were ultimately left with two much to do and were 7 points from safety after their defeat at Pottingham Road. Barnstaple, by contrast, had looked safe earlier in the season but endured a torrid second half with just four wins after Christmas (for a total of ten overall). Injuries, along with poor try scoring and improvements from the teams around them, were primary contributors to Barum's downfall. On 5 May 2018

would join Cinderford in the 2018–19 National League 1 after they defeated

2017–18 National League 2 North The 2017–18 National League 2 North is the ninth season (31st overall) of the National League 2 North, fourth tier (north) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the RFU Championship, second divisi ...

runners up

Sedgley Park Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester, north of Salford and south of Bury. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ...

40–31 in the promotion play-off game played at Kingsey Road.

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 2018–19 National League 1 and the runners-up play the second-placed team in the

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

London & South East Premier Regional 1 South East (formerly known as London & South East Premier and National League 3 London & South East) 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 ...

South West Premier 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 ...

depending on the geographical location of the team (in some cases teams may join the Midlands 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

Twelve of the teams listed below participated in the

2016–17 National League 2 South The 2016–17 National League 2 South was the eighth season (30th 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 div ...

season. The 2016–17 champions

Bishop's Stortford Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is in the London metropolitan area, London commuter belt, near the border with Essex, just west of the ...

and play-off winners Old Elthamians, who won the promotion play-off against Sale FC, were promoted into the 2017–18 National League 1, while no sides located in the south were relegated. The two relegated sides from National League 2 South are

Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort situated on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe, southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of settl ...

(who drop to

) and

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People *Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom * Barnes, London, England ** Barnes railway station **Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes High Stree ...

(who drop to

). Usually three sides are relegated but when

RFU Championship The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men's English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when Eng ...

side

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club () 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 seasons, after gaining promotion from ...

went into liquidation in the spring of 2017 it granted a reprieve for the 14th placed side in either National League 2 North or National League 2 South depending on comparable points, which in the end turned out to be

. The promoted teams are Old Redcliffians who finished as champions of National League 3 South West (now South West Premier), while Tonbridge Juddians (champions) and

(playoffs) came up from

National League 3 London & SE Regional 1 South East (formerly known as London & South East Premier and National League 3 London & South East) 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 ...

(now London & South East Premier). Broadstreet were also included in the division when they were level transferred from

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 Northern England. The remainder of England is covered by the two counterpart leagues National L ...

having been promoted as champions of

National League 3 Midlands Regional 1 Midlands (until 2021–22 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 ...

(now Midlands Premier). Broadstreet's inclusion came due to an imbalance of teams as both Bishop's Stortford and Old Elthamians had gone up into National League 1 coupled with no teams coming down the opposite way, and as the most southerly club, Broadstreet were deemed the most suitable for a level transfer.

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

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Round 13

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Round 14

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Round 15

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Round 16

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Round 17

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Round 18

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Round 19

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Round 20

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Round 21

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Round 22

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Round 23

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Round 24

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

Round 25

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Round 24 (rescheduled games)

*Rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Rescheduled from 3 March 2018. *Game originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 but postponed again due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 30 March 2018. ----

Round 26

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Round 24 (rescheduled game)

*Game originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 & then 18 March 2018 when it was postponed again. ----

Round 27

*Broadstreet are relegated. ----

Round 28

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Round 29

*Cinderford are champions. ----

Round 30

*Barnstaple and Wimbledon are both relegated.

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in the

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

National League 1 National One, up until 2023 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 Lea ...

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

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 playoff.

Top points scorers

Top try scorers

Season records

Team

;Largest home win — 67 points 81 - 14 Taunton Titans at home to Worthing Raiders on 8 October 2017 ;Largest away win — 73 points 90 - 17 Cinderford away to Henley Hawks on 16 September 2017 ;Most points scored — 90 90 - 17 Cinderford away to Henley Hawks on 16 September 2017 ;Most tries in a match — 14 Cinderford away to Henley Hawks on 16 September 2017 ;Most conversions in a match — 10 Cinderford away to Henley Hawks on 16 September 2017 ;Most penalties in a match — 5 (2) Clifton at home to Canterbury on 11 November 2017
Old Redcliffians at home to Worthing Raiders on 7 April 2018 ;Most drop goals in a match — 2 Broadstreet away to Wimbledon on 9 December 2017

Attendances

;Highest — 1,016 Chinnor at home to Henley Hawks on 9 September 2017 ;Lowest — 89 Clifton at home to Bury St Edmunds on 17 March 2018 ;Highest average attendance — 774 Redruth ;Lowest average attendance — 157 Clifton

Player

;Most points in a match — 30 Ollie Rice for Taunton Titans at home to Wimbledon on 13 January 2018 ;Most tries in a match — 6 Ollie Rice for Taunton Titans at home to Wimbledon on 13 January 2018 ;Most conversions in a match — 10 James Moffat for Cinderford away to Henley Hawks on 16 September 2017 ;Most penalties in a match — 5 (2) Bradley Barnes for Clifton at home to Canterbury on 11 November 2017
Kieran Hill for Old Redcliffians at home to Worthing on 7 April 2018 ;Most drop goals in a match — 2 Clifford Hodgson for Broadstreet away to Wimbledon on 9 December 2017

Notes

References

External links

NCA Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:National2 2017-18 4S

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

Round 24

Round 25

Round 24 (rescheduled games)

Round 26

Round 24 (rescheduled game)

Round 27

Round 28

Round 29

Round 30

Promotion play-off

Attendances

Individual statistics

Top points scorers

Top try scorers

Season records

Team

Attendances

Player

Notes

See also

References

External links