| Counties 2 Sussex | |
| Current Season: | 2024-25 Counties 2 Sussex |
| Teams: | 10 |
| Champion: | Haywards Heath |
| Season: | 2023-24) (promoted to Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex |
| Website: | englandrugby.com |
Counties 2 Sussex is a level 8 English Rugby Union League. It is made up of teams from Sussex with teams playing home and away matches from September through to April. Promoted teams move up to Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex but there is no relegation with no lower league in the Sussex Rugby structure. It was previously known as Sussex 1 prior to the RFU Adult Competition Review. It is administered by Sussex Rugby.[1] and the London & SE RFU.[2]
Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.
The ten teams play home and away matches making a total of eighteen games each. The results contribute points to the league as follows:
Departing the league were Haywards Heath,[3] promoted to Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex whilst Burgess Hill (9th in 2023-24) dropped out the competition. Coming in were Lewes (re-entry after a year away having won Counties 3 Sussex [4]), Hove 2XV (re-entry having last competed in 2021-22) and Ditchling (re-entry after having last competed in season 2019-20).
The London & SE RFU published fixtures for the league in June 2024.[5]
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterhall Playing Fields | 4th | ||||
| Willoughby Fields | 8th | ||||
| Ditchling | Ditchling Recreation Ground | Re-entry (3rd Counties 3 Sussex) | |||
| Hove Recreation Ground | Re-entry | ||||
| Stanley Turner Ground | Re-entry (Champions Counties 3 Sussex) | ||||
| Pulborough | Freelands | 3rd | |||
| Salts Recreation Ground | 6th | ||||
| Shoreham [6] | Buckingham Park | 2nd | |||
| Uckfield | Hempstead Playing Fields | 7th | |||
| Roundstone Lane | 5th |
Departing the league were East Grinstead[7] and Eastbourne,[8] both promoted to Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex. Lewes did not return having finished 10th the previous season. In their place came Brighton 2XV and Worthing 3XV meaning the league ran with 9 sides.
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterhall Playing Fields | New-entry | ||||
| Southway Recreation Ground | 7th | ||||
| Willoughby Fields | 9th | ||||
| 3rd | |||||
| Pulborough | Freelands | 4th | |||
| Salts Recreation Ground | 8th | ||||
| Shoreham | Buckingham Park | 6th | |||
| Uckfield [9] | Hempstead Playing Fields | 5th | |||
| Roundstone Lane | New entry |
This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review. The league was substantially similar to Sussex 1 but was supplemented by two teams from London 3 South East - Crawley and Pulborough - and the addition of Shoreham and Haywards Heath.
Haywards Heath had won London 2 South East in 2019-20 and were scheduled to join London 1 South but with the leagues being abandoned for 2020-21 [10] this did not happen and ahead of the 2021-22 season they withdrew from the league [11]
Despite winning Sussex 1 East Grinstead were not promoted since the league they would have been promoted to, London 3 South East, was disbanded and Counties 2 Sussex was itself a level 8 league as London 3 South East had been. For East Grinstead the achievement was nevertheless significant as they continued their recovery having elected to take voluntary relegation to the Sussex Intermediate League in 2016 due to being left insolvent after their director (and financial backer) pulled out of the club.[12]
Hellingly and Hove 2XV who had finished 7th and 8th respectively in Sussex 1 the previous season did not return.
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southway Recreation Ground | 4th Sussex 1 | ||||
| Willoughby Fields | 12th L3SE | ||||
| Eastbourne | Park Avenue | 3rd Sussex 1 | |||
| Saint Hill | 1st Sussex 1 | ||||
| Re-entry | |||||
| Stanley Turner Ground | 5th Sussex 1 | ||||
| Pulborough | Freelands | 10th L3SE | |||
| Salts Recreation Ground | 6th Sussex 1 | ||||
| Shoreham | Buckingham Park | Re-entry | |||
| Uckfield | Hempstead Playing Fields | 2nd Sussex 1 |