Counties 2 Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire 2 is an English rugby union league at the eighth tier of the domestic competition for teams from Yorkshire. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire and the bottom two teams are relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire. Each season a team from Yorkshire 2 is picked to take part in the RFU Senior Vase - a national competition for clubs at level 8.
Departing were Dinnington and Yarnbury, promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire. Hemsworth were relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire.
Departing were North Ribblesdale and Wath-upon-Dearne, promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire. Leeds Corinthians were relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire.
Departing were Wensleydale and Harrogate Pythons, promoted to Counties 1 Yorkshire. Northallerton (10th), Wheatley Hills (11th) and Barnsley (12th) were relegated to Counties 3 Yorkshire.
This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review. The league was substantially similar to Yorkshire 2 with teams ranked 4th to 12th returning (1st to 3rd were 'promoted' to Counties 1 Yorkshire and the bottom two 'relegated' to Counties 3 Yorkshire) and supplemented by top 3 from Yorkshire 3 and so with five departing but only three arriving the league was reduced from 14 teams to 12.
The teams competing in 2021-22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019-20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020-21.
On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced that due to the coronavirus pandemic a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning Yorkshire 2 was not contested.
When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
The original Yorkshire 2 was a tier 10 league with promotion up to Yorkshire 1 and relegation down to Yorkshire 3.
The creation of National 5 North for the 1993âÂÂ94 season meant that Yorkshire 2 dropped to become a tier 11 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995âÂÂ96 season, which included the cancellation of National 5 North and the addition of North East 3 at tier 9, saw Yorkshire 2 remain at tier 11.
Northern league restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1999âÂÂ2000 season saw the cancellation of North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3 (tiers 7âÂÂ9). This meant that Yorkshire 2 became a tier 8 league.