North East Counties 2 (North)/(South) formerly known as Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland, and before that Durham/Northumberland 2, is an English rugby union league at the eighth tier of the domestic competition for teams from North East England. The champions and runner-up are promoted to Counties 1 Durham & Northumberland and the bottom two clubs are relegated to Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland. Each season two teams from Durham/Northumberland 2 are picked to take part in the RFU Senior Vase (a national competition for clubs at level 8) - one affiliated with the Durham County RFU, the other with the Northumberland RFU. Ponteland won their fourth title in 2020 with Sunderland also promoted.
Participating clubs 2026-27
Ahead of the new season the league was rebranded North East Counties 2 and split into North and South divisions with reserve teams entered into the competition for the first time.
Departing were champions Barnard Castle and runners-up Houghton, promoted to North East Counties 1 while Blyth (12th) were relegated to North East Counties 3 (North).
North
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Alnwick II Greensfield 1,200 (200 in stand) Alnwick, Northumberland New entry Ashington The Recreation Ground Ashington, Northumberland 9th Blaydon II Crow Trees 2,000 (400 seats) Swalwell, Tyne and Wear New entry Gosforth Broadway West Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear Promoted from DN3 (runners-up) Jarrovians Community Centre Hebburn, Tyne and Wear 5th Morpeth II Grange House Field 1,000 Morpeth, Northumberland New entry Northern II McCracken Park 1,000 Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear New entry Novocastrians II Sutherland Park 1,150 Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear New entry North Shields Preston Playing Fields Preston, North Shields, Tyne and Wear 8th South Shields Westoe Grosvenor Road South Shields, Tyne and Wear 4th Wallsend Battle Hill Playing Field Wallsend, Tyne and Wear Promoted from DN3 (champions) Whitley Bay Rockcliff Lovaine Avenue Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear 3rd
South
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Acklam Talbot Park Acklam, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire Relegated from DN1 (12th) Billingham Lions Greenwood Road 1,500 (100 seats) Billingham, County Durham New entry Darlington Mowden Park II The Darlington Arena 25,500 Darlington, County Durham New entry Hartlepool Rovers New Friarage Hartlepool, County Durham 6th Middlesbrough II Acklam Park 5,000 (159 seats) Acklam, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire New entry Peterlee and Horden II Eden Lane Park Peterlee, County Durham New entry Redcar Mackinlay Park Redcar, North Yorkshire 10th Sedgefield Sedgefield Cricket Club Sedgefield, County Durham 7th Stockton II The Grangefield Ground Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham New entry Sunderland Shipwrights Ashbrooke Sports Club Ashbrooke, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear New entry West Hartlepool Stags Brinkburn 2,000 (76 seats) Hartlepool, County Durham New entry Yarm Wass Way Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham 11th
Participating clubs 2025–26
Departing were Durham University and Gateshead, promoted to Counties 1 Durham & Northumberland as champions and runners-up respectively. DMP Elizabethans (12th) would have been relegated to Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland but instead withdrew from league competition.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ashington The Recreation Ground Ashington, Northumberland 5th Barnard Castle Birch Road Barnard Castle, County Durham 6th Blyth Plessey Road Blyth, Northumberland 11th Hartlepool Rovers New Friarage Hartlepool, County Durham 4th Houghton Dairy Lane Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear 3rd Jarrovians Community Centre Hebburn, Tyne and Wear Promoted from DN3 (champions) North Shields Preston Playing Fields Preston, North Shields, Tyne and Wear 7th Redcar Mackinlay Park Redcar, North Yorkshire 9th Sedgefield Sedgefield Cricket Club Sedgefield, County Durham 10th South Shields Westoe Grosvenor Road South Shields, Tyne and Wear 8th Whitley Bay Rockcliff Lovaine Avenue Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear Relegated from DN1 (12th) Yarm Wass Way Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham Promoted from DN3 (runners-up)
Participating clubs 2024–25
Departing were Horden and Peterlee and Darlington, promoted to DN1 as champions and runners-up respectively. Whitby (11th) and Seaham (12th) were relegated to DN3.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ashington The Recreation Ground Ashington, Northumberland 3rd Barnard Castle Birch Road Barnard Castle, County Durham 7th Blyth Plessey Road Blyth, Northumberland Promoted from DN3 (runners-up) DMP Elizabethans Northern Echo Arena Darlington, County Durham 8th Durham University Hollow Drift Durham, County Durham Promoted from DN3 (champions) Gateshead Eastwood Gardens Gateshead, Tyne and Wear 5th Hartlepool Rovers New Friarage Hartlepool, County Durham Relegated from DN1 (11th) Houghton Dairy Lane Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear 6th North Shields Preston Playing Fields Preston, North Shields, Tyne and Wear 9th Redcar Mackinlay Park Redcar, North Yorkshire 4th Sedgefield Sedgefield Cricket Club Sedgefield, County Durham 10th South Shields Westoe Grosvenor Road South Shields, Tyne and Wear Relegated from DN1 (12th)
Participating clubs 2023–24
Departing were Ryton and Bishop Auckland, promoted to DN1 as champions and runners-up respectively. Winlaton Vulcans (11th) and Wallsend (12th) were relegated to DN3.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ashington The Recreation Ground Ashington, Northumberland 4th Barnard Castle Birch Road Barnard Castle, County Durham 6th Darlington Blackwell Meadows 3,000 Darlington, County Durham Relegated from DN1 (11th) DMP Elizabethans Northern Echo Arena Darlington, County Durham Promoted from DN3 (runners-up) Gateshead Eastwood Gardens Gateshead, Tyne and Wear 3rd Horden and Peterlee Eden Lane Park Peterlee, County Durham Relegated from DN1 (12th) Houghton Dairy Lane Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear Promoted from DN3 (champions) North Shields Preston Playing Fields Preston, North Shields, Tyne and Wear 7th Redcar Mackinlay Park Redcar, North Yorkshire 5th Seaham Seaham Leisure Centre Seaham, County Durham 8th Sedgefield Sedgefield Cricket Club Sedgefield, County Durham 9th Whitby Recreation Ground Whitby, North Yorkshire 10th
Participating clubs 2022–23
This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ashington The Recreation Ground Ashington, Northumberland 7th Bishop Auckland West Mills Playing Fields Bishop Auckland, County Durham 4th Barnard Castle Birch Road Barnard Castle, County Durham 11th Gateshead Eastwood Gardens Gateshead, Tyne and Wear 5th North Shields Preston Playing Fields Preston, North Shields, Tyne and Wear 10th Redcar Mackinlay Park Redcar, North Yorkshire 9th Ryton Main Road Ryton, Tyne and Wear 6th Seaham Seaham Leisure Centre Seaham, County Durham 8th Sedgefield Sedgefield Cricket Club Sedgefield, County Durham 13th Wallsend Battle Hill Playing Field Wallsend, Tyne and Wear Promoted from DN3N Whitby Recreation Ground Whitby, North Yorkshire 12th Winlaton Vulcans Axwell View Winlaton, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear 14th
Participating clubs 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 Ashington The Recreation Ground Ashington, Northumberland 7th Bishop Auckland West Mills Playing Fields Bishop Auckland, County Durham 9th Barnard Castle Birch Road Barnard Castle, County Durham Relegated from DN1 (14th) Darlington Blackwell Meadows 3,000 Darlington, County Durham 10th Gateshead Eastwood Gardens Gateshead, Tyne and Wear Relegated from DN1 (12th) Guisborough Belmangate Guisborough, North Yorkshire 3rd Hartlepool Mayfield Park Hartlepool, County Durham 4th North Shields Preston Playing Fields Preston, North Shields, Tyne and Wear Relegated from DN1 (13th) Redcar Mackinlay Park Redcar, North Yorkshire Promoted from DN3 (champions) Ryton Main Road Ryton, Tyne and Wear 6th Seaham Seaham Leisure Centre Seaham, County Durham Promoted from DN3 (runners-up) Sedgefield Sedgefield Cricket Club Sedgefield, County Durham 11th Whitby Recreation Ground Whitby, North Yorkshire 8th Winlaton Vulcans Axwell View Winlaton, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear 5th
Season 2020–21
On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning DN2 was not contested.
Participating clubs 2019-20
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Ashington The Recreation Ground Ashington, Northumberland 6th Bishop Auckland West Mills Playing Fields Bishop Auckland, County Durham 8th Blyth Plessey Road Blyth, Northumberland Promoted from DN3 (runners up) Darlington Blackwell Meadows 3,000 Darlington, County Durham 11th Gosforth Broadway West Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear 7th Guisborough Belmangate Guisborough, North Yorkshire Relegated from Yorkshire 1 (14th) (level transfer) Hartlepool Mayfield Park Hartlepool, County Durham 3rd Ponteland Ponteland Leisure Centre Ponteland, Tyne and Wear Relegated from DN1 (13th) Ryton Main Road Ryton, Tyne and Wear 9th Seaton Carew Hornby Park Seaton Carew, County Durham Promoted from DN3 (champions) Sedgefield Sedgefield Cricket Club Sedgefield, County Durham 10th Sunderland Ashbrooke Sports Club Ashbrooke, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear 4th Whitby Recreation Ground Whitby, North Yorkshire Relegated from DN1 (14th) Winlaton Vulcans Axwell View Winlaton, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear 5th
Original teams When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
Bishop Auckland Consett Hartlepool Hartlepool B.B.O.B. Houghton North Durham Medicals Mowden Park Seaham Sunderland Wallsend
Durham/Northumberland 2 honours
Durham/Northumberland 2 (1987–1993)
The original Durham/Northumberland 2 was a tier 10 league with promotion up to Durham/Northumberland 1 and relegation down to Durham/Northumberland 3.
Durham/Northumberland 2SeasonNo of TeamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams 1987–88 11 Mowden Park Hartlepool Houghton 1988–89 11 Whitby Sunderland Hartlepool B.B.O.B. 1989–90 11 Bishop Auckland Darlington Railway Athletic North Shields, Wallsend 1990–91 11 Consett Hartlepool Billingham 1991–92 11 Percy Park Guisborough No relegation 1992–93 13 North Durham North Shields Barnard Castle, Billingham Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Durham/Northumberland 2 (1993–2000)
The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season meant that Durham/Northumberland 2 dropped to being a tier 11 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995–96 season saw Durham/Northumberland 2 remain at tier 11.
Durham/Northumberland 2SeasonNo of TeamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams 1993–94 12 Ponteland Wallsend Newton Aycliffe, Seaton Carew 1994–95 13 Winlaton Vulcans Medicals Seaton Carew, Seghill 1995–96 13 Hartlepool Guisborough Multiple teams 1996–97 10 Consett North DurhamWensleydale, Darlington Railway Athletic 1997–98 10 Billingham Novocastrians Seaton Carew 1998–99 9 Houghton Seghill Guisborough 1999–00 10 Gosforth Hartlepool Richmondshire, Chester-Le-Street, Barnard Castle Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Durham/Northumberland 2 (2000–present)
Northern league restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1999–2000 season saw the cancellation of North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3 (tiers 7–9). This meant that Durham/Northumberland 2 became a tier 8 league.