London 2 South East was an English level 7 Rugby Union League. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 3 South East, changing to its latest name ahead of the 2009–10 season. The division was made up of teams predominantly from south-east London, Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September through to April. Each year the clubs also took part in the RFU Intermediate Cup – a level 7 national competition.
Teams were promoted to London 1 South with the league champions being promoted automatically and the runner-up playing the runner-up from London 2 South West for the second promotion place. London 3 South East was the main destination for relegated teams
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.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ashford Kinney's Field Ashford, Kent Promoted from London 3SE (champions) Beccehamian Sparrow's Den West Wickham, London 9th Beckenham Balmoral Avenue Beckenham, London Relegated from London 1 South (14th) Charlton Park Broad Walk 1,500 (300 seats) Kidbrooke, London 4th Crowborough Steel Cross Crowborough, East Sussex 5th Dartfordians Bourne Road Bexley, London Relegated from London 1 South (13th) Deal & Betteshanger The Drill Field Deal, Kent 8th Folkestone New Burlington Ground Newington, Folkestone, Kent Promoted from London 3SE (2nd) Gravesend Rectory Field Gravesend, Kent 6th Old Alleynians Dulwich Common Dulwich, London 3rd Old Colfeians Lee Lee, London 2nd Thanet Wanderers St Peter's Recreation Ground Broadstairs, Kent 10th
2020–21 On 30 October the RFU announced that a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020–21 season meaning London 2 South East was not contested.
2019–20
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Beccehamian Sparrow's Den West Wickham, London Promoted from London 3 SE (2nd) Charlton Park Broad Walk 1,500 (300 seats) Kidbrooke, London 3rd Crowborough Steel Cross Crowborough, East Sussex Promoted from London 3 SE (champions) Deal & Betteshanger The Drill Field Deal, Kent 7th Dover Crabble Athletic Ground Dover, Kent 9th Gravesend Rectory Field Gravesend, Kent 6th Haywards Heath Whitemans Green Cuckfield, West Sussex 4th Hove Hove Recreation Ground Hove, East Sussex Relegated from London 1 South (14th) Maidstone William Davey Memorial Ground 2,000 (100 seats) Maidstone, Kent 10th Old Alleynians Dulwich Common Dulwich, London Level transfer from London 2 SW (4th) Old Colfeians Lee Lee, London 5th
2018–19
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Aylesford Bulls Jack Williams Ground Aylesford, Kent Promoted from London 3 SE (champions) Beckenham Balmoral Avenue Beckenham, London 6th Charlton Park Broad Walk 1,500 (300 seats) Kidbrooke, London 3rd Deal & Betteshanger The Drill Field Deal, Kent 9th Dover Crabble Athletic Ground Dover, Kent 5th Gravesend Rectory Field Gravesend, Kent Relegated from London 1 South (14th) Haywards Heath Whitemans Green Cuckfield, West Sussex 7th Heathfield & Waldron Hardy Roberts Recreational Ground Cross In Hand, Heathfield, East Sussex 10th Horsham Coolhurst Ground Horsham, West Sussex 5th Maidstone William Davey Memorial Ground 2,000 (100 seats) Maidstone, Kent Relegated from London 1 South (12th) Old Colfeians Lee Lee, London Relegated from London 1 South (13th) Thanet Wanderers St Peter's Recreation Ground Broadstairs, Kent Promoted from London 3 SE (2nd)
2017–18
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Barking Goresbrook 1,000 Becontree, London Relegated from London 1 North (14th) Beckenham Balmoral Avenue Beckenham, London 5th Charlton Park Broad Walk 1,500 (300 seats) Kidbrooke, London 4th Dartfordians Bourne Road Bexley, London 3rd Deal & Betteshanger The Drill Field Deal, Kent 8th Dover Crabble Athletic Ground Dover, Kent Relegated from London 1 South (13th) Haywards Heath Whitemans Green Cuckfield, West Sussex Promoted from London 3 South East (2nd) Heathfield & Waldron Hardy Roberts Recreational Ground Cross In Hand, Heathfield, East Sussex 10th Horsham Coolhurst Ground Horsham, West Sussex 7th Hove Hove Recreation Ground Hove, East Sussex 6th Old Alleynians Dulwich Common Dulwich, London 9th Pulborough Freelands Pulborough, West Sussex Promoted from London 3 South East (champions)
2016-17 Beckenham Bromley (promoted from London 3 South East) Charlton Park (relegated from London 1 South) Crowborough Dartfordians Deal & Betteshanger Heathfield & Waldron (promoted from London 3 South East) Horsham Hove Medway (relegated from London 1 South) Old Alleynians Old Colfeians
2015–16 Ashford Beckenham Crowborough Dartfordians (promoted from London 3 South East) Deal & Betteshanger Horsham (promoted from London 3 South East) Hove (relegated from London 1 South) Old Alleynians (transferred from London 2 South West) Old Colfeians Sevenoaks Thanet Wanderers Tunbridge Wells
2014–15 Ashford (promoted from London 3 South East) Aylesford Bulls Beckenham (relegated from London 1 South) Crowborough Deal & Betteshanger Haywards Heath (relegated from London 1 South) withdrew from league prior to the season, now playing in Sussex 2 Maidstone Medway Old Colfeians Sevenoaks Thanet Wanderers (promoted from London 3 South East) Tunbridge Wells
2013–14 Aylesford Bulls Charlton Park Crowborough Deal & Betteshanger Heathfield & Waldron Lewes Maidstone (promoted from London 3 South East) Medway Old Colfeians (relegated from London 1 South) Sevenoaks Tunbridge Wells (promoted from London 3 South East) Warlingham
2012–13 Aylesford Bulls Brighton Football Club Crowborough Charlton Park Deal & Betteshanger Heathfield & Waldron Lewes Medway Old Dunstonians Sevenoaks Thanet Wanderers Warlingham
2011–12 Aylesford Bulls Brighton Football Club Charlton Park Deal & Betteshanger East Grinstead Heathfield & Waldron Lewes Old Dunstonians Old Mid-Whitgiftian Sevenoaks Tunbridge Wells Warlingham
2010–11 Aylesford Bulls Brighton Football Club Deal & Betteshanger East Grinstead Lewes Maidstone Old Dunstonians Old Elthamians Old Mid-Whitgiftian Purley John Fisher Sevenoaks Warlingham
2009–10 Bromley Deal & Betteshanger Eastbourne Hove KCS Old Boys Lewes Old Dunstonians Old Reigatian Purley John Fisher Sevenoaks Tonbridge Juddian Warlingham
Original teams When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as London 3 South East) contained the following teams:
Beccehamian Beckenham Canterbury Crawley East Grinstead Gillingham Anchorians Horsham Old Colfeians Old Dunstonians Tunbridge Wells Westcombe Park
London 2 South East honours London 3 South East (1987–93) Originally known as London 3 South East, this division was a tier 7 league with promotion to London 2 South and relegation to either Kent 1 or Sussex 1.
London 3 South EastSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners-upRelegated teams1987–88 11 Tunbridge Wells Beckenham Canterbury, Gillingham Anchorians 1988–89 11 Old Colfeians Westcombe Park Old Dunstonians 1989–90 11 Westcombe Park Old Juddian East Grinstead 1990–91 11 Old Juddian Beckenham Bognor, Park House, Gillingham Anchorians 1991–92 11 Charlton Park Thanet Wanderers Hastings & Bexhill 1992–93 13 Horsham Brighton Crawley, Dartfordians Green backgrounds are promotion places.
London 3 South East (1993–96) At the end of the 1992–93 season, the top six teams from London 1 and the top six from South West 1 combined to create National 5 South. This meant that London 3 South East 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 South, and relegation to either Kent 1 or Sussex 1.
London 3 South EastSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated teams1993–94 13 Gravesend Beckenham Hove, Tunbridge Wells, Gillingham Anchorians 1994–95 13 Old Brockleians Beckenham Erith, East Grinstead 1995–96 13 Beckenham Brighton Heathfield & Waldron, Uckfield Green backgrounds are promotion places.
London 3 South East (1996–2000) The cancellation of National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that London 3 South East reverted to being a tier 7 league. Promotion continued to London 2 South and relegation to either Kent 1 or Sussex 1.
London 3 South EastSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated teams1996–97 13 Lewes Sevenoaks No relegation 1997–98 17 Canterbury Worthing Bognor 1998–99 16 Maidstone Brighton Uckfield 1999–00 17 Brighton Worthing Multiple teams Green backgrounds are promotion places.
London 3 South East (2000–09) London 3 South East continued to be a tier 7 league with promotion up to London 2 South. However, the introduction of London 4 South East ahead of the 2000–01 season meant that clubs were now relegated to this new division instead of Kent 1 or Sussex 1.
London 3 South EastSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated teams 2000–01 10 Tunbridge Wells Sidcup Askean, Cranbrook 2001–02 10 Worthing Sidcup Crawley, Old Dunstonians 2002–03 10 Sidcup Dartfordians Betteshanger, East Grinstead, Eastbourne 2003–04 10 Dartfordians Lewes No relegation 2004–05 12 Maidstone Sevenoaks Cobham, Charlton Park 2005–06 12 Tunbridge Wells Purley John Fisher Brighton, Dartfordians 2006–07 12 Sidcup Purley John Fisher Folkestone, Bognor 2007–08 12 Gravesend Dover Tonbridge Juddians, Old Mid-Whitgiftian 2008–09 12 Old Elthamians Aylesford Bulls Lordswood Green backgrounds are promotion places.
London 2 South East (2009–21) Nationwide league restructuring by the RFU ahead of the 2009–10 season saw London 3 South East renamed as London 2 South East. It remained at level 7 with promotion to London 1 South (formerly London 2 South) and relegation to London 3 South East (formerly London 4 South East).
London 2 South EastSeasonNo of teamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated teams 2009–10 12 Tonbridge Juddians Hove Eastbourne, Bromley 2010–11 12 Old Elthamians Aylesford Bulls Maidstone, Purley John Fisher 2011–12 12 East Grinstead Charlton Park Old Mid-Whitgiftian, Tunbridge Wells 2012–13 12 Brighton Charlton Park Thanet Wanderers, Old Dunstonians 2013–14 12 Charlton Park Maidstone Heathfield & Waldron, Lewes, Warlington 2014–15 11 Maidstone Medway Aylesford Bulls 2015–16 12 Tunbridge Wells Sevenoaks Ashford, Thanet Wanderers 2016–17 12 Medway Old Colfeians Crowborough, Bromley 2017–18 12 Dartfordians Hove Barking, Pulborough 2018–19 12 Beckenham Horsham Heathfield & Waldron, Aylesford Bulls 2019–20 12 Haywards Heath Old Colfeians Maidstone, Dover 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 South East and London 2 South West for the third and final promotion place to London 1 South. The team with the superior league record had home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the London 2 South West teams have been the most successful with ten wins to the London 2 South East teams nine, and the home team has won promotion on eleven occasions compared to the away teams eight.