Counties 2 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 2 is an English

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 at the eighth tier of the domestic competition for teams from

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire and the bottom two teams are relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire. Each season a team from Yorkshire 2 is picked to take part in the RFU Senior Vase - a national competition for clubs at level 8.

Participating clubs 2025-26

Departing were Dinnington and Yarnbury, promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire. Hemsworth were relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire.

Participating clubs 2024-25

Departing were North Ribblesdale and Wath-upon-Dearne, promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire. Leeds Corinthians were relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire.

Participating clubs 2023–24

Departing were Wensleydale and Harrogate Pythons, promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire. Northallerton (10th), Wheatley Hills (11th) and Barnsley (12th) were relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire.

Participating clubs 2022–23

This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review. The league was substantially similar to Yorkshire 2 with teams ranked 4th to 12th returning (1st to 3rd were 'promoted' to Counties 1 Yorkshire and the bottom two 'relegated' to Counties 3 Yorkshire) and supplemented by top 3 from Yorkshire 3 and so with five departing but only three arriving the league was reduced from 14 teams to 12.

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.

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 Yorkshire 2 was not contested.

Participating clubs 2019–20

Participating clubs 2018–19

Participating clubs 2017–18

Participating clubs 2016–17

*Barnsley *Leodiensian *Moortown *Old Crossleyans (relegated from Yorkshire 1) *Old Grovians *Old Rishworthians * Pontefract *Ripon *Roundhegians *Sheffield Medicals *Thornensians (promoted from Yorkshire 3) *Wath-upon-Dearne *West Park Leeds (relegated from Yorkshire 1) *Wetherby (promoted from Yorkshire 3)

Participating clubs 2015–16

*Barnsley *Castleford (promoted from Yorkshire 3) *Keighley *Knottingley *Leodiensian *Moortown *Old Grovians (promoted from Yorkshire 3) *Old Rishworthians * Pontefract (relegated from Yorkshire 1) *Ripon *Roundhegians *Sheffield Medicals *Wath-upon-Dearne (relegated from Yorkshire 1) *West Leeds

Participating clubs 2014–15

*Barnsley *Bradford Salem *Goole (promoted from Yorkshire 3) *Keighley (relegated from Yorkshire 1) *Knottingley *Leeds Medics and Dentists (promoted from Yorkshire 3) *Leodiensian *Moortown *Old Rishworthians *Ripon *Roundhegians *Sheffield Medicals *West Leeds *West Park Leeds

Participating clubs 2013–14

*Baildon (promoted from Yorkshire 3) *Barnsley (relegated from Yorkshire 1) *Bradford Salem *Hullensians *Knottingley *Leodiensian *Moortown *Old Rishworthians (promoted from Yorkshire 3) *Ripon *Roundhegians *Sheffield Medicals *West Leeds *West Park Leeds *Yarnbury

Participating clubs 2012–13

*Bradford Salem *Castleford *Doncaster Phoenix *Hullensians *Leodiensian *Moortown *Ripon *Roundhegians * Selby *Sheffield Medicals *Skipton *West Leeds *West Park Leeds *Yarnbury

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams: *

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

* Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. * Ilkley * Ionians * Leodiensian * Malton & Norton * North Ribblesdale * Old Otliensians * Sheffield Tigers * Wath upon Dearne * Wheatley Hills

Yorkshire 2 honours

Yorkshire 2 (1987–1993)

The original Yorkshire 2 was a tier 10 league with promotion up to Yorkshire 1 and relegation down to Yorkshire 3.

Yorkshire 2 (1993–2000)

The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season meant that Yorkshire 2 dropped to become a tier 11 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995–96 season, which included the cancellation of National 5 North and the addition of North East 3 at tier 9, saw Yorkshire 2 remain at tier 11.

Yorkshire 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 Yorkshire 2 became a tier 8 league.

Number of league titles

* Scarborough (3) *

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

(2) * Bradford Salem (2) * Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. (2) * North Ribblesdale (2) * Selby (2) * Beverley (1) *

Bridlington Bridlington (previously known as Burlington) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is on the Holderness part (Flamborough Head to the Humber estuary) of the Yorkshire Coast by the North Sea. The town is ...

(1) * Castleford (1) * Dinnington (1) * Goole (1) * Keighley (2) * Malton & Norton (1) * Moortown (1) * Northallerton (1) * Old Brodleians (1) * Old Otliensians (1) * Pocklington (1) * Pontefract (1) * Roundhegians (1) * Sheffield Tigers (1) * Wath upon Dearne (1) * West Leeds (1) * Wheatley Hills (1) * Wibsey (1) * Yarnbury (1)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yorkshire 2 8 Rugby union competitions in Yorkshire