The 2016–17 National League 2 North is the eighth season (30th overall) of the fourth tier (north) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. New teams to the division include Wharfedale who were relegated from National League 1 while Sheffield Tigers were promoted as champions of National League 3 North along with Scunthorpe (champions) and Hinckley (play-off) from National League 3 Midlands.
Caldy were crowned champions on the 8 April 2017 with two games to go, after beating second place Sale 28–26 in front of a crowd of 1,432 at Paton Field (the biggest in the league that season) to make sure that the Heywood Road side could not catch them. It was the first time Caldy had won National League 2 North and the highest level they have reached in the club's history. Up until the last few games, Sale had been neck and neck with Caldy but in the end two defeats to the Wirral-based club meant that they finished 9 points adrift in second place. However, a strong finish by Sale meant that they would go into the promotion play-off against the runner-up from the 2016–17 National League 2 South, Old Elthamians, with home advantage as they gained more league points (124) than the southern based side (122). Despite home advantage Sale were unable to join Caldy in the 2017–18 National League 1 as they lost a close game 14–19 to Old Elthamians in front of a crowd of 1,297 at Heywood Road.
The liquidation of London Welsh in January 2017, and their expulsion from the RFU Championship, meant that there were only five teams relegated from National League 2 South and National League 2 North this season – meaning that one league would have three teams going down and the other having just two depending on league points at the end of the season. On the same day that Caldy won the league title, Preston Grasshoppers were the first team to be relegated, losing 32–48 to relegation rivals Harrogate and ending the club's 12-year stay in the division.
The battle for the other relegation places was much closer as on the last day of the season three sides could still go down. In the end it was Harrogate and newly promoted Scunthorpe who were relegated as both teams lost their matches, while another newly promoted side, Sheffield Tigers, won theirs. With regards to the Tigers, who at one point looked likely to go down, they had an absolute fantastic finish to the season, winning four out of five games to remain in National League 2 North. There had been some hope that the 14th placed team might have been kept safe but the equivalent side in the 2016–17 National League 2 South, Barnstaple, escaped relegation as they gained more points (51) than their northern counterparts (47). Following their relegation, Preston Grasshoppers and Harrogate will start next season in National League 3 North, while Scunthorpe will drop back down to National League 3 Midlands.
There were other points to contemplate at the end of the campaign. Attendances in National League 2 North were very good this season - up to 78,160 (or 326 per game) from 65,338 (273 per game) the previous year - which was the best support since the 2013-14 campaign when sides such as Darlington Mowden Park were taking part. This was mostly due to the consistent support which went to watch Wharfedale, Tynedale and Hinckley (two of whom were new to the division), along with several good individual attendances at both Caldy and Sale who benefited from being involved in a tightly contested title battle. A second point of note went to Nick Royle of Caldy who had another record breaking campaign. Firstly, his 32 tries equaled a season best for the division (Gareth Collins and Royle himself had previously achieved this), and secondly he finished as the top try scorer in the division for the third time in his career - a National League 2 North record. Finally, another record was equaled in the division by Wharfedale's Tom Barrett, who scored 3 drop kicks in a game - twice during the season.
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 2017–18 National League 1 and the runner-up play the second-placed team in the 2016–17 National League 2 South with the winner also being promoted. The last three teams are relegated to either National League 3 North or National League 3 Midlands 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 2015–16 National League 2 North season; Wharfedale were relegated from the 2015–16 National League 1 while Sheffield Tigers were promoted as champions of National League 3 North and Scunthorpe (champions) and Hinckley came up from National League 3 Midlands.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season Caldy Paton Field 4,000 Thurstaston, Wirral, Merseyside 5th Chester Hare Lane 2,000 (500 seats) Chester, Cheshire 11th Harrogate Rudding Lane 2,000 Harrogate, North Yorkshire 7th Hinckley Leicester Road 2,000 Hinckley, Leicestershire Promoted from National League 3 Midlands (play-off winner) Leicester Lions Westleigh Park 2,000 Blaby, Leicestershire 3rd Luctonians Mortimer Park 2,500 (300 seats) Kingsland, Herefordshire 6th Otley Cross Green 7,000 (852 seats) Otley, Leeds, West Yorkshire 8th Preston Grasshoppers Lightfoot Green 2,250 (250 seats) Preston, Lancashire 9th Sale Heywood Road 3,387 Sale, Greater Manchester 13th Scunthorpe Heslam Park 1,212 (212 seats) Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire Promoted from National League 3 Midlands (champions) Sedgley Park Park Lane 3,000 Whitefield, Bury, Greater Manchester 2nd (lost play-off) Sheffield Tigers Dore Moor 1,000 Sheffield, South Yorkshire Promoted from National League 3 North (champions) South Leicester Welford Road Ground Leicester, Leicestershire 12th Stourbridge Stourton Park 3,500 (499 seats) Stourbridge, West Midlands 4th Tynedale Tynedale Park 2,000 (400 seats) Corbridge, Northumberland 10th Wharfedale The Avenue 2,000 Threshfield, North Yorkshire Relegated from National League 1 (14th)
League table
Results
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Postponed due to frozen pitch. Game to be rescheduled for 25 February 2017.
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Postponed due to frozen pitch. Game to be rescheduled for 25 February 2017.
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
Round 23
Rounds 13 & 18 (rescheduled games)
Game rescheduled from 14 January 2017.
Game rescheduled from 26 November 2016.
Round 24
Round 25
Round 26
Round 27
Round 28
Preston Grasshoppers are relegated.
Caldy are champions.
Round 29
Round 30
Scunthorpe are relegated.
Harrogate are relegated.
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. Sale finished second in the 2016–17 National League 2 North and because they had a better record than the 2016–17 National League 2 South runners-up, Old Elthamians, they hosted the play-off match.
Attendances Does not include promotion play-off. ClubHomeGamesTotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity Caldy 15 4,792 319 1,432 135 8% Chester 15 5,376 358 462 244 18% Harrogate 15 4,865 324 750 200 16% Hinckley 15 7,152 477 750 250 24% Leicester Lions 15 1,795 120 189 80 6% Luctonians 15 5,279 352 462 274 14% Otley 15 5,999 400 673 206 6% Preston Grasshoppers 15 4,759 317 487 109 14% Sale 15 5,832 389 706 217 11% Scunthorpe 15 2,736 182 500 110 15% Sedgley Park 15 3,235 216 344 150 7% Sheffield Tigers 15 4,445 296 410 200 30% South Leicester 15 1,487 99 200 50 Stourbridge 15 5,683 379 550 237 11% Tynedale 15 7,335 489 700 375 24% Wharfedale 15 7,390 493 847 287 25%
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 playoff.
Top points scorers Rank Player Team Appearances Points 1 Jack Lavin Caldy 26 378 2 Rickie Aley South Leicester 30 329 3 Luke McGovern Sale 30 327 4 Lewis Allen Preston Grasshoppers 28 240 5 Louis Silver Luctonians 29 213 6 Tom Hodson Otley 28 209 7 Luke White Stourbridge 29 201 8 Ashley Smith Tynedale 23 190 9 Stephen Collins Sedgley Park 22 188 10 Nick Royle Caldy 30 160
Top try scorers Rank Player Team Appearances Tries 1 Nick Royle Caldy 30 32 2 Johnny Matthews Sedgley Park 29 28 3 Jamie Broadley Sheffield Tigers 28 24 Andrew Riley Sedgley Park 28 24 4 Jack Lavin Caldy 26 21 5 Devon Constant Leicester Lions 24 20 6 Oliver Walker Tynedale 25 18 Jack Moorhouse Sale 29 18 7 Peter Swatkins Sheffield Tigers 25 17 9 Jesiah Dickinson Caldy 29 16
Season records
Team Largest home win — 53 points 67 – 14 Sedgley Park at home to Scunthorpe on 3 December 2016 Largest away win — 54 points 61 - 7 Sale away to Scunthorpe on 4 March 2017 Most points scored — 76 points 76 - 35 Sedgley Park at home to Luctonians on 15 October 2016 Most tries in a match — 12 Sedgley Park at home to Luctonians on 15 October 2016 Most conversions in a match — 9 Sale at home to Wharfedale on 11 March 2017 Most penalties in a match — 6 Scunthorpe away to Harrogate on 22 October 2016 Most drop goals in a match — 3 (x2) Wharfedale at home to Scunthorpe on 19 November 2016 Wharfedale at home to Luctonians on 28 January 2017
Player Most points in a match — 37 Jack Lavin for Caldy at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 14 January 2017 Most tries in a match — 5 (x3) Johnny Matthews for Sedgley Park at home to Luctonians on 15 October 2016 Andrew Riley for Sedgley Park at home to Scunthorpe on 3 December 2016 Jack Lavin for Caldy at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 14 January 2017 Most conversions in a match — 9 Luke McGovern for Sale at home to Wharfedale on 11 March 2017 Most penalties in a match — 6 Steve Johnson for Scunthorpe away to Harrogate on 22 October 2016 Most drop goals in a match — 3 (x2) Tom Barrett for Wharfedale at home to Scunthorpe on 19 November 2016 Tom Barrett for Wharfedale at home to Luctonians on 28 January 2017
Attendances Highest — 1,432 Caldy at home to Sale on 8 April 2017 Lowest — 50 South Leicester at home to Caldy on 22 October 2016 Highest Average Attendance — 493 Wharfedale Lowest Average Attendance — 99 South Leicester
See also English rugby union system Rugby union in England
References
External links NCA Rugby