Nottingham Outlaws are a rugby league club from the city of Nottingham, England. They were founded in 1999 and their first team plays in the Premier Division of the Yorkshire Men's League. They have a junior section and in 2006 launched an academy team. They play their home matches at their own ground at Lenton Lane Nottingham NG7. They are also known as the 'hooded men'.
Loughborough Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Loughborough, United Kingdom that has been in existence since 1929. The club has over 300 players and supported by over 50 volunteers. It has a large minis and juniors section, 2 regular men's teams playing on Saturdays and a women's team that play in the Championship North league on Sundays.
Stourbridge RFC is a rugby union side based in Stourbridge, West Midlands and play in the fifth tier of the English rugby union league system; Regional 1 Midlands. They play their home games at Stourton Park, which was redeveloped in 2003 to provide a larger clubhouse and social area which can also be used for weddings and other functions. The ground is in the hamlet of Stourton set amongst the Staffordshire countryside, on the outskirts of the town of Stourbridge.
Leicester Lions are a rugby union club which currently play in the third tier of the English rugby union system, National League 1, following their promotion from National League 2 West in 2023. The Lions are a leading amateur club in Leicester and along with Loughborough University and Hinckley are the senior clubs in Leicestershire after Premiership Rugby side Leicester Tigers. The club was formed as a result of an amalgamation between two local clubs in 1998, these being Westleigh RFC and Wigston RFC.
Birstall Rugby Football Club is a men's senior rugby union club based in Birstall, Leicestershire. The club currently plays in the RFU Midlands leagues, currently participating in Midlands Counties 1 East (North) following promotion from Midlands 3 East (North) at the end of the 2021-22 season. Birstall won the RFU Junior Vase (midlands) competition in 2020 with the final being the last game before rugby was halted for the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regional 2 East Midlands is an English level 6 rugby union regional league for rugby clubs in the eastern region of the Midlands, including sides from Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and occasionally Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. When this division began in 1987 it was known as Midlands 2 East, and has been restructured several times, most notably as a single division known as Midlands 2 between 1992 and 2000, and Midlands 1 East before regionalising again to its present format as part of England Rugby's Future Competition Structure change at the start of the 2022-23 season.
Midlands 3 East (North) is a level 8 English Rugby Union league and level 3 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the northern part of the East Midlands region including clubs from Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the occasional team from Leicestershire, with home and away matches played throughout the season. When this division began in 1992 it was known as Midlands East 2, until it was split into two regional divisions called Midlands 4 East (North) and Midlands 4 East (South) ahead of the 2000–01 season. Further restructuring of the Midlands leagues ahead of the 2009–10 season, led to the current name of Midlands 3 East (North).
Broadstreet Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England. The club currently play in Regional 1 Midlands; at the fifth tier of the English rugby union system, following their relegation from National League 2 South at the end of the 2017–18 season. The 2014–15 season was the third time the club had played in the fourth tier of English rugby, but the first time it had maintained at that level. Furthermore, the club have also recently enjoyed success, by winning the Warwickshire Cup.
Falkirk Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Falkirk, Scotland. They currently compete in Scottish National League Division One, the second tier of Scottish club rugby. The club play their home matches at Horne Park.
Worthing Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team playing in the fourth tier of the English rugby union league system; National League 2 East. The first XV, nicknamed The Raiders, were runners-up to Henley Hawks in the National League 2 South 2012–13 season and qualified for a play-off against the runners-up of National League 2 North, Stourbridge winning 28 – 26. In doing so, the club became the first club from Sussex to play in the third tier of English rugby. The club also has a number of other teams, and while their 2nd XV is non-league, their 3rd XV currently plays in the Sussex Spitfire 1 league. Worthing also have a successful Ladies 1st XV who are currently in 2nd place in the National Challenge South East South 2 league
Nottingham Moderns Rugby Football Club is an amateur Rugby Union team based in Wilford, a suburb of Nottingham, England. The 1st XV currently compete within the RFU English rugby union system and play in Midlands 3 East (North) following their promotion from Midlands 4 East (North) as runners up at the end of the 2016–17 season. The club plays at their own Ferryfields ground on the banks of the River Trent, close to the Wilford Toll Bridge. The club has been in continuous existence since 1956, enjoying a nomadic existence before settling at their current home in 1975. In the 2010–11 season the club was awarded a prestigious President's XV award from the RFU, recognising the links the club has formed with the local universities. The club has also been awarded a further RFU President's XV award in the 2012–13 season, this time in the Community Engagement category.
Midlands 2 East (North) is a level 7 English Rugby Union league and level 2 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the northern part of the East Midlands region including clubs from Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and the occasional team from Leicestershire, with home and away matches played throughout the season. When this division began in 1992 it was known as Midlands East 1, until it was split into two regional divisions called Midlands 3 East (North) and Midlands 3 East (South) ahead of the 2000–01 season. Further restructuring of the Midlands leagues ahead of the 2009–10 season, led to the current name of Midlands 2 East (North).
Midlands 2 East (South) is a level 7 English Rugby Union league and level 2 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the southern part of the East Midlands region including sides from Bedfordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and occasionally Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire, who play home and away matches throughout the season. When this division began in 1992 it was known as Midlands East 1, until it was split into two regional divisions called Midlands 3 East (North) and Midlands 3 East (South) ahead of the 2000–01 season. Further restructuring of the Midlands leagues ahead of the 2009–10 season, led to the current name of Midlands 2 East (South).
Syston Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Queniborough, Leicestershire. The club runs four senior sides, a vets, colts and all age groups from under-7 to under-19. The first XV currently plays in Regional 1 Midlands, at the fifth tier of the English rugby union system, following their promotion from Midlands 1 East at the end of the 2019–20 season.
The Leicestershire Rugby Union (LRU) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for those counties. The LRU administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in those two counties and administers the Leicestershire county rugby representative teams.
Grimsby Rugby Union Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire. The first XV currently plays in Midlands 3 East (North) following the club's promotion from Midlands 4 East (North) as champions at the end of the 2018–19 season. The club runs three senior sides and five junior sides. They currently hold the record for most titles in Midlands 3 East (North) with two titles.
Gareth Collins is a former English-Welsh rugby union player who is currently head coach at Leicester Lions and Head of Psychology at The King's School Grantham. A Leicester Tigers youth player, Collins was a versatile back who made his name scoring tries, being one of the most prolific finishers in National League 2 North history with 152 tries scored during his time with Rugby Lions and Leicester Lions, which included a joint divisional record 32 tries in a season. As well as playing club rugby he has also represented Warwickshire in the county championships and has captained the England Counties XV.
The Leicestershire County Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Leicestershire Rugby Union. It was first introduced in 1890 with the inaugural winners being South Wigston. The competition was known as the Leicestershire League Cup until 1893 when it was changed to Leicestershire Senior Cup. The first competition was open to the top sides in the county apart from the Leicester FC first XV, who were considered too strong and would instead enter an 'A' team up until 1906. Smaller clubs in the county, as well as senior club second sides, played in the Leicestershire Junior Cup which had its inaugural competition three seasons earlier in 1887.
Leicestershire 1 was a tier 10 English Rugby Union league with teams from Leicestershire taking part. Promoted teams moved up to East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 and relegated teams dropped to Leicestershire 2. The league ran for two spells between 1987–1992 and 1996–1998 before it was permanently cancelled and the majority of teams transferred into either East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 or East Midlands/Leicestershire 2.
National League 2 West is a rugby union league at level four in the English rugby union system and provides semi-professional competition for teams in the Midlands and South West England. The remainder of England is covered by two other regional leagues; National League 2 East and National League 2 North. The champion club is promoted to National One. The last two teams are relegated to either Regional 1 Midlands or Regional 1 South West.
John Ward
