London 2 North West is an English rugby union league which is at the seventh tier of club rugby union in England and is made up of teams predominantly from north-west London and Hertfordshire. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 3 North West, changing to its current name ahead of the 2009–10 season.
Current season or competition: 2019–20 London 2 North West | |
Sport | Rugby union |
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Instituted | 1987 | (as London 3 North West)
Number of teams | 12 |
Country | England |
Holders | London Welsh (1st title) (2019–20) (promoted to London 1 South) |
Most titles | Hertford, Tabard (3 titles) |
Website | englandrugby.com |
Promotion is usually to London 1 North with the league champions going up automatically and the runners up entering a promotion playoff against the league runners up from London 2 North East, however those clubs based in London rather than the Home Counties are sometimes promoted to London 1 South. Relegated teams typically drop into London 3 North West. Each year all clubs in the division also take part in the RFU Intermediate Cup - a level 7 national competition.
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.
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On 30 October the RFU announced [1] that a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning London 2 North West was not contested.
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When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as London 3 North West) contained the following teams:
Originally known as London 3 North West, this division was a tier 7 league with promotion up to London 2 North and relegation down to either Hertfordshire 1 or Middlesex 1.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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1987–88 | 11 | Bishop's Stortford | Hendon | Old Paulines, Twickenham | ||||||||||
1988–89 | 11 | Finchley | Tabard | Letchworth Garden City, Hendon, Harrow | ||||||||||
1989–90 | 11 | Tabard | Fullerians | Twickenham, Bacavians | ||||||||||
1990–91 | 11 | Letchworth Garden City | Hertford | Mill Hill, Uxbridge | ||||||||||
1991–92 | 11 | Upper Clapton | Lensbury | St. Mary's Hospital, Hemel Hempstead | ||||||||||
1992–93 | 13 | Verulamians | Letchworth Garden City | Harpenden, Old Millhillians | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
At the end of the 1992–93 season, the top six teams from London 1 and the top six from South West 1 were combined to create National 5 South. This meant that London 3 North West dropped from a tier 7 league to a tier 8 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion continued to London 2 North, while relegation was to the newly introduced Herts/Middlesex.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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1993–94 | 13 | Staines | Letchworth Garden City | Old Meadonians, Fullerians | ||||||||||
1994–95 | 13 | Hertford | Grasshoppers | London New Zealand, Upper Clapton | ||||||||||
1995–96 | 13 | Old Albanian | Old Gaytonians | Mill Hill, Old Elizabethans | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
The cancellation of National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that London 3 North West reverted to being a tier 7 league. Promotion continued to London 2 North, while relegation was to Herts/Middlesex 1 (formerly Herts/Middlesex).
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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1996–97 | 13 | Old Merchant Taylors' | Welwyn[c] | No relegation[d] | ||||||||||
1997–98 | 17 | Harpenden | Hertford | Hackney, Haringey Rhinos | ||||||||||
1998–99[2] | 17 | London Nigerian | Hertford | Harlequin Amateurs | ||||||||||
1999–00[3] | 17 | Hertford | Ealing Trailfinders | Multiple teams[e] | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
London 3 North West continued to be a tier 7 league with promotion up to London 2 North. However, the introduction of London 4 North West ahead of the 2000–01 season meant that clubs were now relegated into this new division instead of into Herts/Middlesex 1.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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2000–01[4] | 10 | Hertford | Twickenham | Welwyn | ||||||||||
2001–02[5] | 10 | Bank of England | Letchworth Garden City | Old Merchant Taylors' Lambs,[f] Finchley | ||||||||||
2002–03[6] | 10 | London Scottish | Ealing Trailfinders | Ruislip, Metropolitan Police | ||||||||||
2003–04[7] | 9 | Civil Service | St Albans | West London | ||||||||||
2004–05[8] | 12 | St Albans | Bank of England | Cheshunt, Verulamians | ||||||||||
2005–06[9] | 12 | Woodford | Tring | Fullerians, Barnet Elizabethans | ||||||||||
2006–07[10] | 12 | Ruislip | Welwyn | Bank of England, Haringey Rhinos | ||||||||||
2007–08[11] | 12 | Stevenage Town | Imperial Medicals | Vauxhall Motors, Datchworth | ||||||||||
2008–09[12] | 12 | Harpenden | Hampstead | No relegation due to league restructure[g] | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Nationwide league restructuring by the RFU ahead of the 2009–10 season saw London 3 North West renamed as London 2 North West. It remained at level 7 with promotion to London 1 North (formerly London 2 North) and relegation to London 3 North West (formerly London 4 North West).
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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2009–10[13] | 12 | Tabard | Hammersmith & Fulham | Finchley, London Nigerian | ||||||||||
2010–11[14] | 12 | Hammersmith & Fulham | Harpenden | West London, London New Zealand | ||||||||||
2011–12[15] | 12 | Old Haberdashers | Stevenage Town | Welwyn, Imperial Medicals | ||||||||||
2012–13[16] | 12 | Tabard | Hemel Hempstead | Fullerians, Grasshoppers | ||||||||||
2013–14[17] | 12 | Old Priorians | Twickenham | London Nigerian, UCS Old Boys | ||||||||||
2014–15[18] | 12 | Harrow | Chiswick | Hemel Hempstead, St Albans | ||||||||||
2015–16[19] | 12 | Fullerians | Hammersmith & Fulham | Old Merchant Taylors', Staines | ||||||||||
2016–17[20] | 12 | Old Haberdashers | H.A.C. | Stockwood Park, Welwyn | ||||||||||
2017–18[21] | 12 | H.A.C. | Hampstead | Tabard, Harrow | ||||||||||
2018–19[22] | 11[h] | Belsize Park | Harpenden | Enfield Ignatians | ||||||||||
2019–20[23] | 12 | London Welsh | Hammersmith & Fulham | Luton, Welwyn | ||||||||||
2020–21 | 12 | |||||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of London 2 North East and London 2 North West for the third and final promotion place to London 1 North. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the London 2 North East and London 2 North West teams are tied on nine wins apiece, and the home team has won promotion on fourteen occasions compared to the away teams five.
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Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attendance | |||||||||
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2000–01[24] | Twickenham (NW) | 44-8 | Rochford Hundred (NE) | Parkfields, Hampton, Greater London | ||||||||||
2001–02[25] | Letchworth Garden City (NW) | 31-22 | Basildon (NE) | Baldock Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire | ||||||||||
2002–03[26] | Ealing Trailfinders (NW) | 36-12 | Saffron Walden (NE) | Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing, London | ||||||||||
2003–04[27] | St Albans (2nd XV) (NW) | 5-22 | Hadleigh (NE) | Oaklands Land, St Albans, Hertfordshire | ||||||||||
2004–05[28] | Bank of England (NW) | 39-0 | Romford and Gidea Park (NE) | Bank Lane, Roehampton, Greater London | ||||||||||
2005–06[29] | Tring (NW) | 19-5 | Diss (NE) | Cow Lane, Tring, Hertfordshire | ||||||||||
2006–07[30] | Welwyn (NW) | 19-6 | Harlow (NE) | Hobbs Way, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire | ||||||||||
2007–08[31] | Diss (NE) | 50-15 | Imperial Medicals (NW) | Mackenders, Roydon, Norfolk | ||||||||||
2008–09[32] | Brentwood (NE) | 23-15 | Hampstead (NW) | King George's Playing Fields, Brentwood, Essex | ||||||||||
2009–10[33] | Hammersmith & Fulham (NW) | 22-29 | Colchester (NE) | Hurlingham Park, Fulham, London | ||||||||||
2010–11[34] | Braintree (NE) | 24-14 | Harpenden (NW) | Robbs Wood, Braintree, Essex | 300 | |||||||||
2011–12[35] | Basildon (NE) | 38-13 | Stevenage (NW) | Gardiners Close, Basildon, Essex | ||||||||||
2012–13[36] | Hemel Hempstead (NW) | 13-16 (aet) | Woodford (NE) | Chaulden Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire | 500 | |||||||||
2013–14[37] | Twickenham (NW) | 44-43 | Saffron Walden (NE) | Parkfields, Hampton, Greater London | ||||||||||
2014–15[38] | Diss (NE) | 13-16 | Chiswick (NW) | Mackenders, Roydon, Norfolk | ||||||||||
2015–16[39] | Sudbury (NE) | 22-18 | Hammersmith & Fulham (NW) | Whittham Field, Sudbury, Suffolk | ||||||||||
2016–17[40] | H.A.C. (NW) | 48-7[i] | South Woodham Ferrers (NE) | Dukes Meadows, Chiswick, London | ||||||||||
2017–18[42] | Hampstead (NW) | 7-37 | Sudbury (NE) | Parliament Hill Fields, Highgate, Camden, London | ||||||||||
2018–19[43] | Harpenden (NW) | 60-6 | Romford and Gidea Park (NE) | Redbourn Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire | ||||||||||
2019–20 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Hammersmith & Fulham (NW) - promoted instead. | |||||||||||||
2020–21 | ||||||||||||||
Green background is the promoted team. NE = London 2 North East (formerly London 3 North East) and NW = London 2 North West (formerly London 3 North West) |