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 |
|---|---|
| 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.
Teams for 2021–22
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.
Season 2020–21
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.
Participating Clubs 2019–20
Participating Clubs 2018–19
Participating Clubs 2017–18
Participating Clubs 2016-17
- Belsize Park (promoted from London 3 North West)
- Enfield Ignatians
- H.A.C.
- Hammersmith & Fulham
- Hampstead
- Harpenden
- Harrow (relegated from London 1 North)
- London Nigerian (promoted from London 3 North West)
- Old Haberdashers
- Stockwood Park
- Tabard
- Welwyn
Participating Clubs 2015-16
- Enfield Ignations (transferred from London 2 North East)
- Fullerians (promoted from London 3 North West)
- H.A.C.
- Hammersmith & Fulham
- Hampstead
- Harpenden
- Old Haberdashers
- Old Merchant Taylors'
- Staines
- Tabard
- Welwyn (promoted from London 3 North West)
- Woodford (relegated from London 1 North)
Participating Clubs 2014-15
- Chiswick
- H.A.C.
- Hammersmith & Fulham
- Hampstead
- Harpenden
- Harrow (promoted from London 3 North West)
- Hemel Hempstead
- Old Haberdashers
- Old Merchant Taylors' (promoted from London 3 North West)
- St Albans
- Staines
- Tabard (relegated from London 1 North)
Participating Clubs 2013-14
- Beaconsfield (relegated from London 1 North)
- Chiswick
- H.A.C.
- Hammersmith & Fulham
- Hampstead
- Harpenden
- Hemel Hempstead
- London Nigerian
- Old Priorians (promoted from London 3 North West)
- St Albans
- Twickenham
- U.C.S. Old Boys
Participating Clubs 2012-13
- Chiswick
- Fullerians
- Grasshoppers
- H.A.C.
- Hammersmith & Fulham (relegated from London 1 North)
- Hampstead
- Harpenden
- Hemel Hempstead
- London Nigerian
- St Albans
- Tabard
- U.C.S. Old Boys
Original teams
When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as London 3 North West) contained the following teams:
- Bacavians
- Bishop's Stortford
- Fullerians
- Harrow
- Hendon
- Kingsburians[b]
- Letchworth Garden City
- Mill Hill
- Old Paulines
- Tabard
- Twickenham
London 2 North West Honours
London 3 North West (1987–1993)
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.
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | ||||||||||||||
London 3 North West (1993–1996)
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.
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | ||||||||||||||
London 3 North East (1996–2000)
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).
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (2000–2009)
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.
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | ||||||||||||||
London 2 North East (2009–present)
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).
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | ||||||||||||||
Promotion play-offs
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.
| ||||||||||||||
| Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attendance | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | ||||||||||||||
Number of league titles
- Hertford (3)
- Tabard (3)
- Harpenden (2)
- Old Haberdashers (2)
- Bank of England (1)
- Belsize Park (1)
- Bishop's Stortford (1)
- Civil Service (1)
- Finchley (1)
- Fullerians (1)
- Hammersmith & Fulham (1)
- Harrow (1)
- H.A.C. (1)
- Letchworth Garden City (1)
- London Nigerian (1)
- London Scottish (1)
- London Welsh (1)
- Old Albanian (1)
- Old Merchant Taylors' (1)
- Old Priorians (1)
- Ruislip (1)
- St Albans (1)
- Staines (1)
- Stevenage Town (1)
- Upper Clapton (1)
- Verulamians (1)
- Woodford (1)