Counties 3 Kent (formerly Kent 1 known as Shepherd Neame Kent 1 for sponsorship reasons) is an English level 9
Rugby Union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
League and is made up of teams predominantly from south-east
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. The teams play home and away matches from September through to April. The league champions move up to
Counties 2 Kent
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
. Relegated teams drop down to
Counties 4 Kent. Following the RFU's Adult Competition Review, from season 2022-23 it adopted its current name Counties 3 Kent.
Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the
RFU Junior Vase
The RFU Junior Vase is a rugby union national knockout cup competition in England run by the Rugby Football Union, which has been competed for since 1990. It is mostly contested by 1st XV teams at level 9 of the English rugby union system, altho ...
- a level 9-12 national competition.
Teams for 2025-26
Departing were
Tonbridge Juddians II and
Beckenham II, both promoted to
Counties 2 Kent
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
.
Teams for 2024–25
Departing were
Old Elthamians
Old Elthamians Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Chislehurst in SE London. Due to financial difficulties they withdrew from National League One, the third tier of English club rugby, in August, 2021.
Upon returning ...
and
Old Alleynians II, both promoted to
Counties 2 Kent
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
. Faversham (10th) were relegated to
Counties 4 Kent.
Joining were Old Dunstonians relegated from
Counties 2 Kent
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
together with
Beckenham II, Brockleians and Old Gravesendians, all promoted from
Counties 4 Kent
Teams for 2023–24
Departing were Dartford Valley and
Medway II, both promoted to
Counties 2 Kent
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
.
King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is a major teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Denmark Hill, Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH". It is managed by ...
(9th) and
Footscray (10th) were relegated to
Counties 4 Kent.
Joining were Hastings & Bexhill relegated from
Counties 2 Kent
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
together with Sittingbourne promoted from
Counties 4 Kent and
Tonbridge Juddians III who upon joining this league were rebranded as
Tonbridge Juddians II.
Teams for 2022–23
This was the first season following the
RFU
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It prom ...
Adult Competition Review with the league adopting its new name of Counties 3 Kent.
Returning were 4 of the 9 teams who competed in the previous season's league.
Departing were Hastings & Bexhill and Park House, both promoted to
Counties 2 Kent
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
. Old Williamsonians (3rd), Cliffe Crusaders (7th), Brockleians (9th) dropped to
Counties 4 Kent.
Joining were Dartford Valley and Whitstable, promoted from
Kent 2. New to the league were Gravesend II,
Old Elthamians
Old Elthamians Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Chislehurst in SE London. Due to financial difficulties they withdrew from National League One, the third tier of English club rugby, in August, 2021.
Upon returning ...
,
Old Alleynians II and
Medway II.
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.
Despite finishing 7th in season 2019–20, HSBC did not return to the league for the current season.
Season 2020–21
On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced
that due to the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (
National League 1
National One, up until 2023 known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Lea ...
and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning Kent 1 was not contested.
Participating clubs 2019-20
Participating clubs 2018-19
Participating clubs 2017-18
Participating clubs 2016-17
*Beccehamaian
*Brockleians
*Hastings & Bexhill
*HSBC
*
King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is a major teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Denmark Hill, Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH". It is managed by ...
*Lordswood
*New Ash Green
*Old Gravesendians
*Sittingbourne (promoted from
Kent 2)
*Southwark Lancers
*Snowdon C.W. (promoted from
Kent 2)
*Vigo
Participating clubs 2015-16
*Beccehamaian
*Brockleians (promoted from
Kent 2)
*Hastings & Bexhill (relegated from
London 3 South East
Counties 2 Kent (formerly London 3 South East) is an English level 8 Rugby Union League involving club sides from Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and the south-east London. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September to April. F ...
)
*HSBC
*
King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is a major teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Denmark Hill, Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH". It is managed by ...
*Lordswood
*New Ash Green (promoted from
Kent 2)
*Old Gravesendians
*Old Williamsonians
*Sheppey
*Southwark Lancers
*Vigo
Participating clubs 2014-2015
*Beccehamian (relegated from
London 3 South East
Counties 2 Kent (formerly London 3 South East) is an English level 8 Rugby Union League involving club sides from Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and the south-east London. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September to April. F ...
)
*Bexley (promoted from
Kent 2)
*
Cranbrook
*HSBC
*
King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is a major teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Denmark Hill, Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH". It is managed by ...
*Lordswood
*Old Gravesendians
*Old Williamsonians
*Sheppey (relegated from
London 3 South East
Counties 2 Kent (formerly London 3 South East) is an English level 8 Rugby Union League involving club sides from Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and the south-east London. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September to April. F ...
)
*Sittingbourne
*Southwark Lancers
*Vigo
Participating clubs 2010-2011
*Ashford
*Beccehamian
*
Cranbrook
*Dartfordians
*Erith
*Gillingham Anchorians.
*
Guys' Kings' & St Thomas' Hospital
*Hastings and Bexhill
*HSBC
*New Ash Green
*Old Gravesendians
*Shooters Hill
*Sittingbourne
*Vigo
*Whitstable
Original teams
When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
*
Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...
*
Charlton Park
*
Erith
Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north ...
*
Medway
Medway is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent in South East England. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of City of Roche ...
*
NatWest Bank
National Westminster Bank, trading as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, it became ...
*
Old Elthamians
Old Elthamians Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Chislehurst in SE London. Due to financial difficulties they withdrew from National League One, the third tier of English club rugby, in August, 2021.
Upon returning ...
*
Old Shootershillians
*
Park House
*
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506, situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lo ...
*
Thanet Wanderers
Thanet Wanderers RUFC was founded in 1886, and are based in Broadstairs. They currently play in Counties 2 Kent.
The club runs 4 senior teams (one being veterans) plus a junior section for boys and girls.
Honors
* Kent 1 champions: 1990–91
*L ...
*
Tonbridge
Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...
Kent 1 honours
Kent 1 (1987–1993)
The original Kent 1 was a tier 8 league with promotion up to
London 3 South East
Counties 2 Kent (formerly London 3 South East) is an English level 8 Rugby Union League involving club sides from Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and the south-east London. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September to April. F ...
and relegation down to
Kent 2.
Kent 1 (1993–1996)
The creation of
National 5 South meant that Kent 1 dropped from a tier 8 league to a tier 9 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion and relegation continued to
London 3 South East
Counties 2 Kent (formerly London 3 South East) is an English level 8 Rugby Union League involving club sides from Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and the south-east London. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September to April. F ...
and
Kent 2 respectively.
Kent 1 (1996–2000)
The cancellation of
National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that Kent 1 reverted to being a tier 8 league. Promotion and relegation continued to
London 3 South East
Counties 2 Kent (formerly London 3 South East) is an English level 8 Rugby Union League involving club sides from Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and the south-east London. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September to April. F ...
and
Kent 2 respectively.
Kent 1 (2000–2009)
The introduction of
London 4 South East ahead of the 2000–01 season meant Kent 1 dropped to become a tier 9 league with promotion to this new division. Relegation continued to
Kent 2.
Kent 1 (2009–present)
Kent 1 remained a tier 9 league despite national restructuring by the
RFU
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It prom ...
. Promotion was to
London 3 South East
Counties 2 Kent (formerly London 3 South East) is an English level 8 Rugby Union League involving club sides from Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and the south-east London. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September to April. F ...
(formerly London 4 South East) and relegation to
Kent 2.
Promotion play-offs
Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of Kent 1 and
Sussex 1
Sussex 1 (known as Harvey's of Sussex 1 due to sponsorship reasons) is an English level 9 Rugby Union League. It is made up of teams predominantly from Sussex. Teams play home and away matches from September through to April. The league champi ...
for the third and final promotion place to
London 3 South East
Counties 2 Kent (formerly London 3 South East) is an English level 8 Rugby Union League involving club sides from Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and the south-east London. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September to April. F ...
. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the Kent 1 teams have been the most successful with fourteen wins to the Sussex 1 teams five; and the home team has won promotion on eleven occasions compared to the away teams eight.
Number of league titles
*
Park House (4)
*
Dartfordians (3)
*
Ashford (2)
*
Beccehamian (2)
*
Cranbrook (2)
*
Gillingham Anchorians (2)
*
Aylesford Bulls (1)
*
Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...
(1)
*
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
(1)
*
Charlton Park (1)
*
Dover
Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
(1)
*
Erith
Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north ...
(1)
*
Folkestone
Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...
(1)
*
Guys' Kings' & St Thomas' Hospital (1)
*
Hastings & Bexhill (1)
*
Lordswood (1)
*
Medway
Medway is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent in South East England. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of City of Roche ...
(1)
*
Old Dunstonians (1)
*
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506, situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lo ...
(1)
*
Sheppey (1)
*
Southwark Lancers (1)
*
Thanet Wanderers
Thanet Wanderers RUFC was founded in 1886, and are based in Broadstairs. They currently play in Counties 2 Kent.
The club runs 4 senior teams (one being veterans) plus a junior section for boys and girls.
Honors
* Kent 1 champions: 1990–91
*L ...
(1)
*
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...
(1)
*
Whitstable
Whitstable () is a town on the north coast of Kent, England, at the convergence of the The Swale, Swale and the Greater Thames Estuary, north of Canterbury and west of Herne Bay, Kent, Herne Bay.
The town, formerly known as Whitstable-on-Se ...
(1)
Notes
See also
*
London & SE Division RFU
*
Kent RFU
*
English rugby union system
Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system.
Women's Rugby union in England consi ...
*
Rugby union in England
Rugby union in England is one of the leading professional and recreational team sports. In 1871 the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for rugby union in England, was formed by 21 rugby clubs, and the first international match, which invol ...
References
External links
Kent Rugby Football Union
{{Rugby union in England
9
Rugby union in Kent