Current season or competition:![]() | |
Sport | Rugby union |
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Instituted | 1987 |
Number of teams | 14 |
Country | ![]() |
Holders | Keighley (1st title) (2021–22) (promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire) |
Most titles | Scarborough (3 titles) |
Website | England RFU |
Counties 2 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 2 is an English rugby union league at the eighth tier of the domestic competition for teams from Yorkshire. 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.
Departing were Dinnington and Yarnbury, promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire. Hemsworth were relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire.
| Locations of the 2025-26 Counties 2 Yorkshire teams in Greater Leeds area |
Departing were North Ribblesdale and Wath-upon-Dearne, promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire. Leeds Corinthians were relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire.
| Locations of the 2024-25 Counties 2 Yorkshire teams in Greater Leeds area Locations of the 2024–25 Counties 2 Yorkshire teams |
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.
| Locations of the 2023-24 Counties 2 Yorkshire teams in Greater Leeds area |
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.
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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.
| Locations of the 2021–22 Yorkshire 2 teams in Greater Leeds area |
On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced [1] 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.
| Locations of the 2019–20 Yorkshire 2 teams in Leeds |
| Locations of the 2018–19 Yorkshire 2 teams in Leeds |
| Locations of the 2017–18 Yorkshire 2 teams in Leeds |
When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
The original Yorkshire 2 was a tier 10 league with promotion up to Yorkshire 1 and relegation down to Yorkshire 3.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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1987–88 | 11 | North Ribblesdale | Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. | Leodiensian, Old Otliensians | ||||||||||
1988–89 | 11 | Bridlington | Doncaster | Ionians, Marist | ||||||||||
1989–90 | 11 | Malton & Norton | York Railway Institute | Sheffield Tigers | ||||||||||
1990–91 | 11 | Old Otliensians | Leodiensian | Wath upon Dearne | ||||||||||
1991–92 | 11 | Bradford Salem | Goole [b] | No relegation [c] | ||||||||||
1992–93 | 13 | Wath upon Dearne | Ilkley | Knottingly | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
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.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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1993–94 | 13 | Barnsley | Castleford | Leeds CSSA | ||||||||||
1994–95 | 13 | Wibsey | Halifax Vandals | York Railway Institute | ||||||||||
1995–96 | 13 | Northallerton | Moortown | Multiple teams [d] | ||||||||||
1996–97 | 10 | Castleford | Dinnington | Phoenix Park | ||||||||||
1997–98 | 9 | Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. | West Leeds | Old Modernians | ||||||||||
1998–99 [3] | 10 | Scarborough | Hemsworth | Stanley Rodillians, Barnsley, Moortown | ||||||||||
1999–00 [4] | 10 | Dinnington | Sheffield Tigers | Bramley Phoenix, Hullensians, Old Otliensians | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
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.