2017–18 National League 2 North

2017–18 National League 2 North
Countries	England
Date	2 September 2017 – May 2018
Champions	Sale FC (1st title)
Runners-up	Sedgley Park (not promoted)
Relegated	Sheffield, Blaydon, Luctonians
Matches played	237
Attendance	76,227 (average 322 per match)
Highest attendance	1,820 Sheffield v Sheffield Tigers 23 December 2017
Lowest attendance	57 Sedgley Park v Otley 17 March 2018
Top point scorer	(South Leicester) 343 points
Top try scorer	(South Leicester) 27 tries
← 2016–17 2018–19 →

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

On 21 April 2018 Sheffield became the first side to be relegated after losing heavily to promotion chasing Sedgley Park away from home.^[1] This meant that Sheffield would equal the unwanted record set by Morley of being the most demoted side in tier 4 (north) history with what was their third relegation from this level since the leagues started in 1987. The championship took a little longer to decide when on 28 April 2018 Sale FC clinched the title by winning 37-5 away to Leicester Lions, with a (rescheduled) game to spare. Sale FC were deserving winners, although runners up Sedgley Park kept the title race going to the wire thanks to their outstanding bonus points tally of 30 (a divisional record), helping Park to the runners up spot and a place in the promotion playoff game. On the same day the second relegation spot was sealed when Blaydon suffered their second successive relegation, losing a tight game 36-40 at Kingston Park to Hinckley.^[2]

Runners up Sedgley Park failed to join Sale FC in the 2018–19 National League 1 after they lost 30-41 away to 2017–18 National League 2 South runners up Chinnor in the promotion play-off game played on 5 May 2018.^[3] Due to poor weather causing delays to the end of the season it took till 12 May 2018 to determine the final relegation spot with Luctonians losing 21-22 to champions Sale FC at home in their re-arranged fixture, condemning the Herefordshire side to the drop, 3 points below 13th placed Wharfedale, who could have gone down instead had Luctonians won via a bonus point.^[4]

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 2017–18 National League 2 South with the winner also being promoted. The last three teams are relegated to either North Premier or Midlands Premier 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 2016–17 National League 2 North season. The 2016–17 champions, Caldy, were promoted into the 2017–18 National League 1, replacing Blaydon and Macclesfield who were relegated from the 2016–17 National League 1.^[5][6][7] The three teams relegated last season were Preston Grasshoppers and Harrogate (both to North Premier) and Scunthorpe (Midlands Premier).

The promoted teams are Huddersfield, who were promoted as champions of National League 3 North (now North Premier) and Sheffield (play-offs) who came up from National League 3 Midlands (now Midlands Premier).^[8][9] Broadstreet (champions of National League 3 Midlands) would have usually have come into this division but due to an imbalance of teams they were instead level transferred to the 2017–18 National League 2 South as they were considered the most southerly team in the division.^[10]

League table[]

2017–18 National League 2 North table
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Try bonus	Losing bonus	Points
1	Sale FC (C)	30	27	1	2	1010	356	654	20	1	131
2	Sedgley Park	30	24	0	6	1111	674	437	26	4	126
3	Stourbridge	30	20	1	9	909	723	186	23	2	107
4	Tynedale	29[a 2]	20	0	9	997	658	339	21	6	107
5	Hinckley	29[a 3]	20	0	9	877	553	324	20	5	105
6	Huddersfield	30	15	1	14	732	758	-26	12	3	77
7	Chester	29[a 4]	15	0	14	599	646	-47	10	3	73
8	Macclesfield	29[a 5]	13	0	16	663	711	-48	12	4	68
9	South Leicester	29[a 6]	12	3	14	744	834	-90	9	5	68
10	Sheffield Tigers	30	11	0	19	622	942	-320	9	6	59
11	Otley	30	11	1	18	615	838	-223	8	4	58
12	Leicester Lions	30	10	1	19	557	720	-163	10	6	58
13	Wharfedale	30	11	0	19	631	755	-124	7	5	56
14	Luctonians (R)	30	9	0	21	640	829	-189	8	9	53
15	Blaydon (R)	30	8	0	22	684	1019	-335	16	5	53
16	Sheffield (R)	29[a 7]	7	0	22	465	840	-375	2	7	37
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place. Blue background is the play-off place. Pink background are relegation places. Updated: 12 May 2018 Source: "National League 2 North". NCA Rugby.

Results[]

Round 1[]

^[12]

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Round 2[]

^[13]

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Round 3[]

^[14]

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Round 4[]

^[15]

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Round 5[]

^[16]

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Round 6[]

^[17]

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Round 7[]

^[18]

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Round 8[]

^[19]

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Round 9[]

^[20]

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Round 10[]

^[21]

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Round 11[]

^[22]

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Round 12[]

• Postponed due to bad weather. Game rescheduled for 24 February 2018.^[23]

^[24]

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Round 13[]

^[26]

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Round 14[]

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game rescheduled to 24 February 2018.^[27]

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game rescheduled to 24 February 2018.^[28]

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game rescheduled to 17 March 2018.^[29]

^[30]

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Round 15[]

• Postponed due to unplayable pitch caused by recent bad weather. Game rescheduled to 24 February 2018.^[31]

• Postponed due to unplayable pitch caused by bad weather. Game rescheduled to 17 March 2018.^[32]

• Postponed due to frozen pitch caused by bad weather. Game rescheduled to 24 February 2018.^[33]

^[34]

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Round 16[]

^[37]

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Round 17[]

^[38]

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Round 18[]

^[39]

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Round 19[]

• Postponed due to snow. Game rescheduled for 31 March 2018.^[40]

^[41]

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Round 20[]

^[42]

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Round 21[]

• Postponed due to unplayable pitch caused by heavy rain. Game to be rescheduled for 5 May 2018.

• Game postponed due to unplayable pitch caused by rain. Game to be rescheduled for 17 March 2018.^[43]

^[44]

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Round 22[]

• Postponed due to semi-frozen and waterlogged pitch caused by bad weather (rain and snow). Game to be rescheduled for 31 March 2018.^[45]

^[46]

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Round 23[]

^[47]

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Rounds 12, 14 & 15 (rescheduled games)[]

• Game rescheduled from 16 December 2017.

• Game rescheduled from 9 December 2017.

• Game rescheduled from 9 December 2017.

• Game rescheduled from 16 December 2017.

• Game rescheduled from 25 November 2017.

^[48]

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Round 24[]

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 31 March 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 12 May 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 17 March 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 17 March 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 5 May 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 31 March 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 17 March 2018.

• Postponed due to bad weather (snow). Game to be rescheduled for 29 March 2018.

^[49]

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Round 25[]

^[50]

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Rounds 14, 15, 21 & 24 (rescheduled games)[]

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

• Game rescheduled from 3 February 2018.

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

• Game originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 but postponed again due to waterlogged pitch caused by heavy rain. Game to be rescheduled for 31 March 2018.^[51]

• Game rescheduled from 9 December 2017.

• Game rescheduled from 16 December 2017.

^[52]

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Round 26[]

^[53]

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Rounds 19, 22 & 24 (rescheduled games)[]

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

• Game rescheduled from 20 January 2018.

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018.

• Game originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 & then 17 March 2018 when it was postponed again.

• Game rescheduled from 10 February 2018.

• Originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 but postponed again due to a waterlogged pitch caused by heavy rain. Game to be rescheduled for 5 May 2018.^[54]

^[55]

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Round 27[]

^[56]

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Round 28[]

• Postponed due to waterlogged pitch. Game to be rescheduled for 5 May 2018.^[57]

^[58]

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Round 29[]

• Sheffield are relegated.^[1]

^[59]

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Round 30[]

• Blaydon are relegated.^[2]

• Sale FC are champions.^[2]

^[60]

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Rounds 21 & 24 & 28 (rescheduled games)[]

• Game rescheduled from 3 February 2018.

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018 but cancelled as result would not adversely affect league standings.

• Game originally rescheduled from 3 March 2018 and then again from 31 March 2018. Would eventually be cancelled as result would not adversely affect league standings.

• Game rescheduled from 14 April 2018 but cancelled as result would not adversely affect league standings.

^[61]

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Round 24 (rescheduled game)[]

• Game rescheduled from 3 March 2018. Luctonians are relegated.^[4]

^[62]

Promotion play-off[]

Each season, the runners-up in the National League 2 North and National League 2 South participate in a play-off for promotion to National Division 1. Chinnor were runners up in the 2017–18 National League 2 South, and because they had a better record than the 2017–18 National League 2 North runners up, Sedgley Park, they host the play-off match.

Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Try bonus	Loss bonus	Points
Chinnor (P)	30	26	1	3	1010	679	331	25	0	131
Sedgley Park	30	24	0	6	1111	674	437	26	4	126

^[3]

Attendances[]

• Does not include promotion play-off.

Club	Home games	Total	Average	Highest	Lowest	% Capacity
Blaydon	15	3,733	249	650	125	11%
Chester[a 12]	14	4,835	345	389	236	17%
Hinckley	15	8,126	542	790	235	27%
Huddersfield	15	4,335	289	408	150	19%
Leicester Lions	15	2,057	137	235	80	7%
Luctonians	15	5,678	379	942	268	15%
Macclesfield[a 13]	14	3,782	270	527	145	22%
Otley	15	5,414	361	1,106	183	7%
Sale FC	15	6,147	410	1,500	213	12%
Sedgley Park	15	3,627	242	350	57	8%
Sheffield[a 14]	14	4,388	313	1,820	100	10%
Sheffield Tigers	15	2,673	178	724	81
South Leicester	15	1,727	115	199	75
Stourbridge	15	5,573	372	550	250	11%
Tynedale	15	7,215	481	850	300	24%
Wharfedale	15	6,917	461	830	315	23%

^{[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][24][26][30][34][37][38][39][41][42][44][46][47][48][49][50][52][53][55][56][58][59][60][61][62]}

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 play-off.

Season records[]

Notes[]

See also[]

• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England

References[]

External links[]

• NCA Rugby