The 2019–20 National League 2 North was the eleventh season (33rd overall) of the fourth tier (north) 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 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 22 February

Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town in Lincolnshire, England, and the county's third most populous settlement after Lincoln, England, Lincoln and Grimsby, with a population of 81,286 in 2021. It is the administrative centre and largest settleme ...

were the first side to be relegated after suffering a massive 109–12 defeat against

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

, going down with eight games still to play. Although it was a miserable season on the pitch for Scunthorpe, comfortably the weakest side in the division in terms of results, the loss of their player James Walker, who died earlier in the season was a far keener felt blow. On 7 March

Caldy Caldy (historically spelt Calday) is a small, affluent village on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, south-east of West Kirby. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward (country subdivision), Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wi ...

became champions with a resounding 49–5 win away to relegation threatened

Preston Grasshoppers Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club is an England, 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 founde ...

to seal an instant return 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 ...

and claim their second National League 2 North title. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

, the Rugby Football Union officially cancelled the season on 20 March 2020, after an initial postponement of all rugby in England including training. After the cancellation was announced the RFU used a best playing record formula to decide the final table. With Caldy already promoted, Fylde claimed the runners up spot but missed out on promotion as the

2019–20 National League 2 South The 2019–20 National League 2 South was the eleventh season (33rd overall) of the fourth tier (south) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. Due to the COVID-19 ...

runner up, Tonbridge Juddian had a better comparative league record and went up instead (the playoff had been cancelled). Joining Scunthorpe in the relegation spots were Preston Grasshoppers and

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 2011 c ...

. Although Preston were as good as down by the time the leagues were suspended, Otley were in a real battle against Luctonians, and will feel hard done by. Scunthorpe will drop to

Midlands Premier 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 ...

while Otley and Preston Grasshoppers will drop to

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. Th ...

. For Otley, once a second tier club, the drop to the regional leagues will be the lowest level they have played at since the 1990s. The league was an interesting one in terms of National League 2 North records, included records that might have been achieved had the full 30 games been played. For instance, Caldy, with 25 wins out of 25 were looking to break the record of 28 wins (out of 30) set by

Hull Ionians Hull Ionians RUFC is a rugby union club in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The first team play in English rugby's National League 2 North, the fourth tier of the English rugby union system, following their relegation from National Leagu ...

in the 2012–13 season. They may also have shattered the 134 point record set by Ionians during the 2014–15 season with a maximum of 144 achievable. A club record that were achieved despite the premature ending were the 4 draws achieved by

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees 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 confl ...

(breaking the record of 3 set by numerous teams), while Caldys Gavin Roberts, in finishing as league top scorer for the second time in his career, tied a record set by a number of other players such as the prolific Chris Johnson. Stourbridge's Dan Rundle, finishing as top try scorer with 30 tries would likely have beating the existing record of 32 tries in a season (set several times by Nick Royle). While Caldy had been looking to break records, Scunthorpe were looking to avoid making any of their own. Although the early end of the season meant they wouldn't equal the 30 games lost by

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and

Dudley Kingswinford Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union football club based in Kingswinford in the West Midlands. The club currently participate in the fifth tier of English club rugby, Regional 1 Midlands, following their relegatio ...

in the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

and 2013–14 seasons respectively, the club's relegation was their third from the division - equalling Morley and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

. A final record that was set was the league average league attendance which reached an all time divisional high of 348, helped by good regular attendances at the likes of Fylde,

Hinckley Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England, administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughborough, and is about halfway between L ...

and

Wharfedale Wharfedale ( ) is one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated at source in North Yorkshire and then flows into West Yorkshire and forms the upper valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale (downstream, from west to east) includ ...

. This was the first time in recent seasons that the National League North average attendances trumped those in National League South.

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 2020–21 National League 1 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

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 2018–19 National League 2 North season. The 2018–19 champions,

, were promoted into the

2019–20 National League 1 The 2019–20 National League 1, known for sponsorship reasons as the SSE National League 1, was the 11th season of the National League 1, third tier of the English rugby union system, since the professionalised format of the second tier RFU Champ ...

, replacing

and Loughborough Students who were relegated from 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 ...

. The three teams relegated from National League 2 North the previous season were Peterborough Lions and South Leicester (both

) and

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

(

). The promoted teams include

(champions) and Luctonians (play-offs) from Midlands Premier, while

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

come up as champions of North Premier. In order to address an imbalance of teams,

Leicester Lions Leicester Lions are a speedway team which originally operated from 1968 until 1983Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. and again from 2011. The team race at the Beaumont Park Stadium (or Hydroscand Arena for sponsorsh ...

have been level transferred to the

as the most appropriate located team in terms of access to the southern sides.

Tables

At the date the leagues were suspended, the National League 2 North table read as follows: On 4 April, the Rugby Football Union confirmed the final table for the season.

Fixtures & 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

*Postponed due to adverse weather conditions (wind/rain). Game to be rescheduled for 22 February 2020. ----

Round 9

*Postponed out of respect for James Walker - a Scunthorpe 1st XV player - who died on the morning before the game. Game to be rescheduled for 22 February 2020. ----

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

*Postponed. Game to be rescheduled for 22 February 2020. *Postponed. Game to be rescheduled for 22 February 2020. *Postponed. Game to be rescheduled for 14 March 2020. *Postponed. Game to be rescheduled for 14 March 2020. *Postponed. Game to be rescheduled for 22 February 2020. ----

Rounds 8, 9 & 23 (rescheduled games)

*Game originally rescheduled from 15 February 2020 but postponed again due to bad weather. Game to be rescheduled for 14 March 2020. *Game originally rescheduled from 15 February 2020 but postponed again due to bad weather. Game to be rescheduled for 14 March 2020. *Game rescheduled from 26 October 2019. *Game rescheduled from 2 November 2019. Scunthorpe are relegated. *Game originally rescheduled from 15 February 2020 but postponed again due to bad weather. Game to be rescheduled for 14 March 2020. ----

Round 24

*Postponed due to bad weather. Game to be rescheduled for 11 April 2020. ----

Round 25

*Caldy are champions. ----

Round 23 (rescheduled games)

*Game originally rescheduled from 15 February 2020 and then again from 22 February 2020. *Game rescheduled from 15 February 2020. *Game rescheduled from 15 February 2020. *Game originally rescheduled from 15 February 2020 and then again from 22 February 2020. *Game originally rescheduled from 15 February 2020 and then again from 22 February 2020. ----

Round 26

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Round 27

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Round 28

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Round 24 (rescheduled game)

*Game rescheduled from 29 February 2020. ----

Round 29

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Round 30

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).

Top points scorers

Top try scorers

Season records

Team

;Largest home win — 103 points 103 – 0 Caldy at home to Scunthorpe on 29 February 2020 ;Largest away win — 61 points (2) 68 – 7 Caldy away to Scunthorpe on 9 November 2019
76 – 15 Stourbridge away to Scunthorpe on 1 February 2020 ;Most points scored — 109 points 109 – 12 Chester at home to Scunthorpe on 22 February 2020 ;Most tries in a match — 17 (2) Chester at home to Scunthorpe on 22 February 2020
Caldy at home to Scunthorpe on 29 February 2020 ;Most conversions in a match — 12 Chester at home to Scunthorpe on 22 February 2020 ;Most penalties in a match — 6 Sheffield Tigers away to Otley on 7 March 2020 ;Most drop goals in a match — 1 (2) Sedgley Park away to Hull on 16 November 2019
Sedgley Park at home to Stourbridge on 18 January 2020

Attendances

;Highest — 1,059 Fylde at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 14 September 2019 ;Lowest — 110 (3) Scunthorpe at home to Luctonians on 23 November 2019
Scunthorpe at home to Loughborough Students on 7 March 2020
Scunthorpe at home to Chester on 14 March 2020 ;Highest average attendance — 679 Fylde ;Lowest average attendance — 186 Hull

Player

;Most points in a match — 38 Ben Jones for Caldy away to Scunthorpe on 9 November 2019 ;Most tries in a match — 4 (3) Nick Royle for Caldy at home to Luctonians on 5 October 2019
Ben Jones for Caldy away to Scunthorpe on 9 November 2019
Nick Royle for Caldy at home to Scunthorpe on 29 February 2020 ;Most conversions in a match — 12 Dan Pemberton for Chester at home to Scunthorpe on 23 February 2020 ;Most penalties in a match — 6 Mark Ireland for Sheffield Tigers away to Otley on 7 March 2020 ;Most drop goals in a match — 1 (2) Callum McShane for Sedgley Park away to Hull on 16 November 2019

Stephen Collins Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American former actor. He is known for playing Eric Camden on the WB/ CW television series '' 7th Heaven'' from 1996 to 2007. Afterwards, Collins played the roles of Dayton King on the ABC ...

for Sedgley Park at home to Stourbridge on 18 January 2020

Notes

References

External links

NCA Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:National2 2019–20 4N

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 ...

Structure

Participating teams and locations

Tables

Fixtures & 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 8, 9 & 23 (rescheduled games)

Round 24

Round 25

Round 23 (rescheduled games)

Round 26

Round 27

Round 28

Round 24 (rescheduled game)

Round 29

Round 30

Attendances

Individual statistics

Top points scorers

Top try scorers

Season records

Team

Attendances

Player

Notes

See also

References

External links