| 2023–24 National League 2 East | |
| Countries: | |
| Date: | 2 September 2023 – 27 April 2024 |
| Champions: | Esher |
| Count: | 1 |
| Runnersup: | Barnes |
| Relegated: | North Walsham, Wimbledon |
| Matches: | 182 |
| Highest Attendance: | 1,415 – Esher v Dorking, 13 April 2024 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 41 – Wimbledon v Old Albanian, 10 February 2024 |
| Top Point Scorer: | 283 – Frank Reynolds (Canterbury) |
| Top Try Scorer: | 36 – James Botterill (Esher) |
| Prevseason: | 2022–23 |
| Nextseason: | 2024–25 |
The 2023–24 National League 2 East was the second season of the fourth-tier (east) of the English domestic rugby union competitions; one of three at this level. The others are National League 2 North and National League 2 West.
Esher were crowned champions on 13 April with two games still to play following a home win over Dorking, booking a quick return to 2024–25 National League 1 after a gap of just one season.[1] In the end it was fairly comfortable with Esher who could even afford to lose to runners up Barnes on the last day of the season.
North Walsham were the first side to be relegated, going down with five games remaining following an away defeat to Canterbury on 9 March. It was a miserable season for the Norfolk club, who would achieve just one victory all season. The second relegation spot was much more keenly fought, particularly as one 13th place team in National 2 could stay up, and went down to the last day of the season. In the end Wimbledon would go down, a losing bonus point away to Dorking not enough to keep them in the league, finishing 3 points below 12th place Worthing Raiders and also missing out on being the best ranked 13th placed side to 2023–24 National League 2 North side Hull Ionians by the narrowest of margins (points for against).
Out of the two relegated sides North Walsham would drop to Regional 1 South East while Wimbledon would go into Regional 1 South Central. For Wimbledon it would be an instant return to tier 5, while for North Walsham a gap of two seasons.
The league consists of fourteen teams who play the others on a home and away basis, to make a total of 26 matches each. The champions are promoted to National League 1 and the bottom two teams are relegated to Regional 1 South Central or Regional 1 South East, depending on their location.[2]
Due to the liquidation of RFU Championship side Jersey Reds in September 2023 and the knock on effect on the league system, the best placed 13th placed side in the three National 2 leagues (National League 2 North, National League 2 East, National 2 West) will be saved from relegation.[3] See Relegation (13th placed teams).
The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 2nd | ||||
| The Haberden | 3,000 (135 seats) | 5th | |||
| Marine Travel Ground | 1,500 (75 seats) | 10th | |||
| The Big Field | 1,500 | 3rd | |||
| 3,500 | Relegated from National League 1 (12th) | ||||
| 5,000 (720 seats) | 9th | ||||
| Dry Leas | 4,000 | 6th | |||
| Norwich Road | 1,600 | 12th | |||
| Woollam's Playing Fields | 1,000 | 7th | |||
| Knole Paddock | 1,000 | 11th | |||
| The Slade | 1,500 | 8th | |||
| Goddington Dene | 3,200 (200 seats) | Promoted from Regional 1 South East (1st) | |||
| Beverley Meads[4] | 1,000 | Promoted from Regional 1 South Central (1st) | |||
| Roundstone Lane | 1,500 (100 seats) | 4th |
Fixtures for the season were published by the RFU on 12 June, 2023.[5]
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| Club | Home games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | 13 | 2,989 | 230 | 427 | 73 | 23% |
| Bury St Edmunds | 13 | 6,884 | 530 | 743 | 327 | 18% |
| Canterbury | 13 | 5,039 | 388 | 479 | 300 | 26% |
| Dorking | 13 | 6,695 | 515 | 850 | 325 | 34% |
| Esher | 13 | 7,074 | 544 | 1,415 | 211 | 16% |
| Guernsey Raiders | 13 | 6,669 | 513 | 850 | 311 | 10% |
| Henley Hawks | 13 | 3,931 | 302 | 433 | 211 | 8% |
| North Walsham | 13 | 4,757 | 366 | 476 | 180 | 23% |
| Old Albanian | 13 | 3,579 | 275 | 543 | 197 | 28% |
| Sevenoaks | 13 | 5,264 | 405 | 845 | 300 | 40% |
| Tonbridge Juddians | 13 | 2,797 | 215 | 467 | 50 | 16% |
| Westcombe Park | 13 | 2,875 | 221 | 500 | 110 | 7% |
| Wimbledon | 13 | 2,305 | 177 | 343 | 41 | 18% |
| Worthing Raiders | 13 | 5,111 | 393 | 530 | 267 | 26% |
| Rank | Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Reynolds | Canterbury | 283 |
| 2 | Sam Morley | Esher | 248 |
| 3 | Benjamin Adams | Sevenoaks | 232 |
| 4 | Henry Anscombe | Dorking | 222 |
| 5 | Sam Jones | Old Albanian | 214 |
| 6 | Ciaran Mcgann | Guernsey Raiders | 213 |
| 7 | Edward Morgan | Wimbledon | 189 |
| 8 | James Botterill | Esher | 180 |
| 9 | Benjamin Penfold | Bury St Edmunds | 165 |
| Rank | Player | Team | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Botterill | Esher | 36 |
| 2 | Tobermory McRae | Dorking | 31 |
| 3 | William Holling | Tonbridge Juddians | 24 |
| 4 | Ciaran Mcgann | Guernsey Raiders | 20 |
| Tomasz Posniak | Wimbledon | ||
| 5 | Barney Stone | Seveonaks | 19 |
| 6 | Toby Wallace | Westcombe Park | 17 |
| 7 | Thomas Howe | Dorking | 15 |
| Nathan Morris | Canterbury | ||