2017–18 National League 2 South

2017–18 National League 2 South
Countries	England
Date	2 September 2017 – 5 May 2018
Champions	Cinderford (1st title)
Runners-up	Chinnor (also promoted)
Relegated	Broadstreet, Wimbledon, Barnstaple
Matches played	240
Attendance	86,522 (average 361 per match)
Highest attendance	1,016 Chinnor v Henley Hawks 9 September 2017
Lowest attendance	89 Clifton v Bury St Edmunds 17 March 2018
Top point scorer	Matthew McLean (Worthing Raiders) 295 points
Top try scorer	George Owen (London Irish WG) 27 tries
← 2016–17 2018–19 →

The 2017–18 National League 2 South is the ninth season (31st overall) of the fourth tier (south) of the English domestic rugby union 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 condemning them to the drop with three games to go.^[1] On 21 April Cinderford became champions with a game to go following a narrow 21–19 win away to Bury St Edmunds.^[2] Cinderford were easily the best team in the division, finishing 12 points clear of second place Chinnor, 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 and Barnstaple 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. 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.^[3]

On 5 May 2018 Chinnor would join Cinderford in the 2018–19 National League 1 after they defeated 2017–18 National League 2 North runners up Sedgley Park 40–31 in the promotion play-off game played at Kingsey Road.^[4]

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 North with the winner being promoted. The last three teams are relegated to either London & South East Premier or South West Premier 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.

Twelve of the teams listed below participated in the 2016–17 National League 2 South season. The 2016–17 champions Bishop's Stortford 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.^[5][6] The two relegated sides from National League 2 South are Exmouth (who drop to South West Premier) and Barnes (who drop to London & South East Premier).^[7][8] Usually three sides are relegated but when RFU Championship side London Welsh 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 Barnstaple.^[9][8]

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 Wimbledon (playoffs) came up from National League 3 London & SE (now London & South East Premier).^[10][11][12] Broadstreet were also included in the division when they were level transferred from National League 2 North having been promoted as champions of National League 3 Midlands (now Midlands Premier).^[13] 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.

Team	Stadium	Capacity	City/Area	Previous season
Barnstaple	Pottington Road	2,000 (575 seats)	Barnstaple, Devon	14th[a 1]
Broadstreet	Ivor Preece Field	1,500 (250 seats)	Binley Woods, Coventry, West Midlands	Promoted from National 3 Midlands (champions)[a 2]
Bury St Edmunds	The Haberden	3,000 (135 seats)	Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk	11th
Canterbury	The Marine Travel Ground	1,500 (75 seats)	Canterbury, Kent	8th
Chinnor	Kingsey Road	2,000	Thame, Oxfordshire	3rd
Cinderford	Dockham Road	2,500	Cinderford, Gloucestershire	7th
Clifton	Station Road	2,500 (400 seats)	Cribbs Causeway, Patchway, Bristol	10th
Henley Hawks	Dry Leas	4,000	Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire	9th
London Irish Wild Geese	Hazelwood	2,000	Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey	13th
Old Redcliffians	Scotland Lane	1,000	Brislington, Bristol	Promoted from National 3 South West (champions)
Redingensians Rams	Old Bath Road	1,250	Sonning, Reading, Berkshire	6th
Redruth	The Recreation Ground	3,500 (580 seats)	Redruth, Cornwall	5th
Taunton Titans	Hyde Park	2,000 (198 seats)	Taunton, Somerset	4th
Tonbridge Juddians	The Slade	1,500	Tonbridge, Kent	Promoted from National 3 London & SE (champions)
Wimbledon	Beverley Meads	1,000	Raynes Park, Merton, London	Promoted from National 3 London & SE (play-off)
Worthing Raiders	Roundstone Lane	1,500 (100 seats)	Angmering, West Sussex	12th

2017–18 National League 2 South table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Cinderford (C)	30	29	0	1	1070	493	+577	27	0	143	Promoted
2	Chinnor (P)	30	26	1	3	1010	679	+331	25	0	131	Promotion play-off
3	Redingensians Rams	30	21	1	8	927	611	+316	21	5	112
4	Taunton Titans	30	20	0	10	988	745	+243	18	3	101
5	Redruth	30	16	0	14	846	708	+138	18	7	89
6	Tonbridge Juddians	30	17	1	12	749	649	+100	11	5	86
7	Worthing Raiders	30	14	0	16	824	970	−146	19	6	81
8	Bury St Edmunds	30	14	0	16	803	786	+17	14	7	77
9	Henley Hawks	30	12	2	16	755	882	−127	14	7	73
10	Canterbury	30	13	1	16	722	733	−11	12	6	72
11	Clifton	30	11	1	18	666	858	−192	12	5	63
12	Old Redcliffians	30	9	2	19	708	915	−207	12	6	58
13	London Irish Wild Geese	30	9	0	21	777	948	−171	15	6	57
14	Barnstaple (R)	30	10	1	19	608	848	−240	7	6	55	Relegated
15	Wimbledon (R)	30	9	0	21	660	943	−283	10	4	50
16	Broadstreet (R)	30	5	0	25	572	917	−345	8	7	35

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• 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.

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• 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.^[41]

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

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• Broadstreet are relegated.^[1]

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• Cinderford are champions.^[2]

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• Barnstaple and Wimbledon are both relegated.^[3]

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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 League 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.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TB	LB	Pts
Chinnor (P)	30	26	1	3	1010	679	+331	25	0	131
Sedgley Park	30	24	0	6	1111	674	+437	26	4	126

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• Does not include promotion play-off.

Club	Home games	Total	Average	Highest	Lowest	% Capacity
Barnstaple	15	8,367	558	850	350	28%
Broadstreet	15	3,718	248	365	127	17%
Bury St Edmunds	15	7,372	491	759	250	16%
Canterbury	15	4,669	311	587	132	21%
Chinnor	15	6,280	419	1,016	109	21%
Cinderford	15	4,343	290	449	154	12%
Clifton	15	2,359	157	393	89	6%
Henley Hawks	15	6,035	402	940	180	13%
London Irish Wild Geese	15	3,263	218	308	99	11%
Old Redcliffians	15	2,542	169	284	95	17%
Redingensians Rams	15	3,998	267	589	168	21%
Redruth	15	11,615	774	920	545	22%
Taunton Titans	15	7,792	519	692	325	26%
Tonbridge Juddians	15	3,708	247	351	122	16%
Wimbledon	15	3,747	250	407	90	25%
Worthing Raiders	15	6,714	448	582	205	30%

^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]}

• 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.

• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England

• NCA Rugby Archived 2015-07-01 at the Wayback Machine