New season, new league, new era - the fixtures are out ! 🗓️🏉🟨🟥
It wouldn’t be the close season without yet another restructuring of the leagues. The initial catalyst for this latest reshuffle was the fact that the D&N3 League effectively fizzled out, ending the 2025/26 season with only 4/5 fully functioning teams.
The initial desire to help those remaining teams at that level, both by the C.B.’s and numerous individual clubs, then led on to a wider debate within both Durham and Northumberland about the admission of clubs’ lower teams into the RFU. league structure.
Following considerable discussion, debate, digression and no little disagreement amongst the clubs of Northumberland and Durham a consensus was eventually arrived at which then subsequently satisfied the RFU. North Regional Organising Committee, the body responsible for running the English Clubs Championship at levels 5-10 on behalf of the RFU. (this committee is made up of elected representatives from all six counties across the North of England - Cheshire, Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire.)
So today we can announce that Rockcliff Rugby Club Men’s First Team will play in the newly formed Counties 2 North East (North) League for the forthcoming 2026/27 season.
The two top teams from last season’s Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland League, Barnard Castle and Houghton have been promoted into the league above, renamed Counties 1 North East.
The bottom side last term, Blyth, has been relegated into one of two newly reconstituted lower leagues, Counties 3 North East (North).
The major change from the league that Rockcliff was in last season will be the admission of lower teams from certain clubs in both counties (in reality those generally considered to currently be the stronger ones, with greater playing numbers) into the competition.
To facilitate this the old Counties 2 league has been split in two, on geographic terms, with four of the more southerly Durham clubs being moved into a new Counties 2 North East (South) league - these teams being Hartlepool Rovers, Sedgefield, Redcar and Yarm -, and five Northumberland clubs being placed into a new Counties 2 North East (North) league - these being ourselves, Ashington, Gosforth, Jarrovians, North Shields and Westoe.
Concentrating solely on the league Rockcliff now finds itself in: those five aforementioned teams will be joined by Wallsend and Gosforth (who finished first and second respectively in last season’s Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland League and have rightly been promoted), and for the very first time in the history of North East league rugby, five clubs’ second teams - Alnwick II’s, Blaydon Georgians, Morpeth II’s, Northern Wanderers and Novocastrians II’s. Just as has been the norm for many years now, this makes a league of 12 teams, with there being 22 fixtures during the season.
Rockcliff open the new league season with a home game against newly promoted Gosforth at Hillheads on Saturday 12th September, followed by the first away game of the campaign, on the following Saturday (19th September) against last season’s surprise package, Jarrovians.
This is then followed by the big league derby against nearest neighbours North Shields at home on 26th September (with the return match coming on 9th January 2027).
Next up, on 3rd October, the Cardinal & Golds have another local derby, away against D&N3 Champions and old friends Wallsend, which will be equally as fiercely contested (the home game takes place on 16th January).
The eyes of the History Society will then focus on Saturday 17th October as it will see a club first, when Rockcliff meet another club’s Second Team - Alnwick II’s - in an RFU. League fixture for the very first time; the North Northumberland team making the journey down to Whitley Bay for that notable occasion.
The Seasiders’ league campaign ends with fixtures against Northern Wanderers at home on 3rd April and the final game against Gosforth at Broadway West on 10th April.
Irrespective of what people’s thoughts are regarding lower teams entering the leagues, Rockcliff will definitely embrace this latest change in a positive manner, and will look forward to welcoming Second Teams from Alnwick, Blaydon and Morpeth to Hillheads, teams they have never met at league level before, and also Northern, a club they have not played in the league since 2nd April 2022 (when the game at Hillheads in Durham & Northumberland One went the way of the visitors by 15-43).
No doubt a fascinating and exciting season lies ahead !
From Rockcliff History Society FB page
It wouldn’t be the close season without yet another restructuring of the leagues. The initial catalyst for this latest reshuffle was the fact that the D&N3 League effectively fizzled out, ending the 2025/26 season with only 4/5 fully functioning teams.
The initial desire to help those remaining teams at that level, both by the C.B.’s and numerous individual clubs, then led on to a wider debate within both Durham and Northumberland about the admission of clubs’ lower teams into the RFU. league structure.
Following considerable discussion, debate, digression and no little disagreement amongst the clubs of Northumberland and Durham a consensus was eventually arrived at which then subsequently satisfied the RFU. North Regional Organising Committee, the body responsible for running the English Clubs Championship at levels 5-10 on behalf of the RFU. (this committee is made up of elected representatives from all six counties across the North of England - Cheshire, Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire.)
So today we can announce that Rockcliff Rugby Club Men’s First Team will play in the newly formed Counties 2 North East (North) League for the forthcoming 2026/27 season.
The two top teams from last season’s Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland League, Barnard Castle and Houghton have been promoted into the league above, renamed Counties 1 North East.
The bottom side last term, Blyth, has been relegated into one of two newly reconstituted lower leagues, Counties 3 North East (North).
The major change from the league that Rockcliff was in last season will be the admission of lower teams from certain clubs in both counties (in reality those generally considered to currently be the stronger ones, with greater playing numbers) into the competition.
To facilitate this the old Counties 2 league has been split in two, on geographic terms, with four of the more southerly Durham clubs being moved into a new Counties 2 North East (South) league - these teams being Hartlepool Rovers, Sedgefield, Redcar and Yarm -, and five Northumberland clubs being placed into a new Counties 2 North East (North) league - these being ourselves, Ashington, Gosforth, Jarrovians, North Shields and Westoe.
Concentrating solely on the league Rockcliff now finds itself in: those five aforementioned teams will be joined by Wallsend and Gosforth (who finished first and second respectively in last season’s Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland League and have rightly been promoted), and for the very first time in the history of North East league rugby, five clubs’ second teams - Alnwick II’s, Blaydon Georgians, Morpeth II’s, Northern Wanderers and Novocastrians II’s. Just as has been the norm for many years now, this makes a league of 12 teams, with there being 22 fixtures during the season.
Rockcliff open the new league season with a home game against newly promoted Gosforth at Hillheads on Saturday 12th September, followed by the first away game of the campaign, on the following Saturday (19th September) against last season’s surprise package, Jarrovians.
This is then followed by the big league derby against nearest neighbours North Shields at home on 26th September (with the return match coming on 9th January 2027).
Next up, on 3rd October, the Cardinal & Golds have another local derby, away against D&N3 Champions and old friends Wallsend, which will be equally as fiercely contested (the home game takes place on 16th January).
The eyes of the History Society will then focus on Saturday 17th October as it will see a club first, when Rockcliff meet another club’s Second Team - Alnwick II’s - in an RFU. League fixture for the very first time; the North Northumberland team making the journey down to Whitley Bay for that notable occasion.
The Seasiders’ league campaign ends with fixtures against Northern Wanderers at home on 3rd April and the final game against Gosforth at Broadway West on 10th April.
Irrespective of what people’s thoughts are regarding lower teams entering the leagues, Rockcliff will definitely embrace this latest change in a positive manner, and will look forward to welcoming Second Teams from Alnwick, Blaydon and Morpeth to Hillheads, teams they have never met at league level before, and also Northern, a club they have not played in the league since 2nd April 2022 (when the game at Hillheads in Durham & Northumberland One went the way of the visitors by 15-43).
No doubt a fascinating and exciting season lies ahead !
From Rockcliff History Society FB page
