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).
Promoted teams tend to move up to
Midlands 1 East with the champions going up automatically and the runners up having to play a playoff against the runners up from
Midlands 2 East (North) for their place. Demoted teams typically drop to
Midlands 3 East (South). Each year all clubs in the division also take part in the
RFU Intermediate Cup - a level 7 national competition.
After leading the division from matchday 1, Huntingdon & District were pipped to the title by Bugbrooke by way of bonus points on the season's final day. Huntingdon were promoted alongside Bugbrooke to Midlands 1 East following a playoff victory over the second placed team from Midlands 2 East (North),
Oakham. Biggleswade joined Vipers in the relegation places following a final day defeat to Oadby Wyggestonians.
Teams in
Midlands 2 East (North) and Midlands 2 East (South) were originally part of a single division called Midlands 1 East, which contained the following sides when it was introduced in 1992:
The top six teams from Midlands 1 and the top six from
North 1 were combined to create
National 5 North, meaning that Midlands 1 East dropped to become a tier 8 league. Promotion and relegation continued to
Midlands 2 and
Midlands East 2.
At the end of the 1995–96 season
National 5 North was discontinued and Midlands East 1 returned to being a tier 7 league. Promotion and relegation continued to
Midlands 2 and
Midlands East 2.
Restructuring ahead of the 2000–01 season saw Midlands East 1 split into two tier 7 regional leagues -
Midlands 3 East (North) and Midlands 3 East (South). Promotion was now to
Midlands 2 East (formerly Midlands 2) and relegation to
Midlands 4 East (South) (formerly Midlands East 2)[e].
League restructuring by the
RFU meant that Midlands 3 East (North) and Midlands 3 East (South) were renamed as
Midlands 2 East (North) and Midlands 2 East (South), with both leagues remaining at tier 7. Promotion was now to
Midlands 1 East (formerly Midlands 2 East) and relegation to
Midlands 3 East (South) (formerly Midlands 4 East (South)).
Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of
Midlands 2 East (North) and Midlands 2 East (South) for the third and final promotion place to
Midlands 1 East (asides from 2008-09 which was played between the runners up of Midlands 2 West (South) and Midlands 2 East (North) due to RFU restructuring). The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the Midlands 2 East (South) teams have ten wins to the Midlands 2 East (North) teams eight; and the home team has won promotion on thirteen occasions compared to the away teams five.
Midlands 2 East (North) v Midlands 2 East (South) promotion play-off results
Green background is the promoted team. M2EN = Midlands 2 East (North) (formerly Midlands 3 East (North)) and M2ES = Midlands 2 East (South) (formerly Midlands 3 East (South))
^No relegation as the division would be increased from 10 to 12 teams for the following season.
^Due to the RFU restructuring the league system for the 2009-10 season, runners up
Stewarts & Lloyds were automatically promoted as one of the two best runners up of the four Midlands 3 divisions, meaning they did not have to face a playoff.
^The 2008-09 promotion playoffs were different as the RFU was reorganizing the leagues across the country including the Midlands division. Usually the winners of each of the four regional divisions would go up automatically along with two of the runners up who won their respective playoffs, meaning 6 teams were promoted. This year one extra was required to be promoted so the top two runners up by league points -
Bourneville (40) and
Stewarts & Lloyds (40) went up - leaving the other two runners up -
Nuneaton Old Edwardians (34) and
Spalding (38) - to compete for the final promotion spot.[16]