London 1 South


London 1 South is an English level 6 rugby union regional league for rugby clubs in London and the south-east of England including sides from East Sussex, south Essex, south Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex. It is the feeder league for London & South East Premier into which the champion team each season is promoted. The second-placed team enters a play-off against the runner-up of London 1 North. Three teams are relegated into a mixture of London 2 South East and London 2 South West.

Structure and format

The fourteen teams play home and away matches from September through to April, making a total of twenty-six matches each. The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:
There is one automatic promotion place, one play-off place for promotion and three relegation places. The first-placed team at the end of season wins promotion to London & South East Premier while the runner-up plays the second-placed team from London 1 North, with the winner also being promoted. The last three placed clubs are usually relegated to either London 2 South East or London 2 South West depending on location.

Teams 2020–21

TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
Battersea IronsidesBurntwood LaneEarlsfield, LondonPromoted from London 2 SW
CamberleyWatchetts Recreation GroundCamberley, Surrey3rd
ChichesterOaklands ParkChichester, West Sussex8th
CobhamOld Surbitonians Memorial GroundCobham, Surrey5th
FarnhamWilkinson WayFarnham, SurreyPromoted from London 2 SW
GuildfordBroadwater Sports ClubFarncombe, SurreyRelegated from L&SE Premier
Hammersmith & FulhamHurlingham ParkFulham, LondonPromoted from London 2 NW
Haywards HeathWhitemans GreenCuckfield, West SussexPromoted from London 2 SE
HorshamCoolhurst GroundHorsham, West Sussex7th
KCS Old BoysDornan FieldsMotspur Park, London9th
London CornishRichardson Evans Memorial Playing FieldsRoehampton Vale, London11th
London Irish Wild GeeseHazelwood2,000Sunbury-on-Thames, SurreyRelegated from L&SE Premier
London WelshOld Deer Park5,850 Richmond, LondonPromoted from London 2 NW
MedwayPriestfieldsRochester, Kent4th

Teams 2019–20

TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
BeckenhamBalmoral AvenueBeckenham, LondonPromoted from London 2 SE
Belsize ParkRegent's ParkBelsize Park, LondonPromoted from London 2 NW
CamberleyWatchetts Recreation GroundCamberley, Surrey3rd
ChichesterOaklands ParkChichester, West Sussex9th
CobhamOld Surbitonians Memorial GroundCobham, Surrey10th
DartfordiansBourne RoadBexley, London11th
H.A.C.Artillery GroundFinsbury, LondonLevel transfer from London 1 North
HavantHook's Lane1,500Havant, Hampshire6th
HorshamCoolhurst GroundHorsham, West SussexPromoted from London 2 SE
KCS Old BoysDornan FieldsMotspur Park, LondonPromoted from London 2 SW
London CornishRichardson Evans Memorial Playing FieldsRoehampton Vale, London8th
MedwayPriestfieldsRochester, Kent4th
ThurrockOakfieldGrays, Essex5th
Westcombe ParkGoddington Dene3,200 Orpington, London7th

Teams 2018–19

TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
BrightonWaterhall Playing FieldsBrighton, East Sussex6th
CamberleyWatchetts Recreation GroundCamberley, SurreyPromoted from London 2 SW
ChichesterOaklands ParkChichester, West Sussex4th
ChobhamFowlers WellsChobham, Surrey10th
CobhamOld Surbitonians Memorial GroundCobham, Surrey5th
DartfordiansBourne RoadBexley, LondonPromoted from London 2 SE
HavantHook's Lane1,500Havant, Hampshire3rd
HoveHove Recreation GroundHove, East SussexPromoted from London 2 SE
London CornishRichardson Evans Memorial Playing FieldsRoehampton Vale, London8th
MedwayPriestfieldsRochester, KentRunner up
SevenoaksKnole PaddockSevenoaks, Kent9th
ThurrockOakfieldGrays, Essex11th
TottoniansWater LaneTotton, Hampshire7th
Westcombe ParkGoddington Dene3,200 Orpington, LondonRelegated from LSE Premier

Teams 2017–18

TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
BrightonWaterhall Playing FieldsBrighton, East Sussex11th
ChichesterOaklands ParkChichester, West SussexRelegated from National League 3 London & SE
ChobhamFowlers WellsChobham, Surrey10th
CobhamOld Surbitonians Memorial GroundCobham, Surrey6th
CS Rugby 1863King's House Sports GroundChiswick, London5th
GravesendRectory FieldGravesend, Kent8th
HavantHook's Lane1,500Havant, Hampshire3rd
London CornishRichardson Evans Memorial Playing FieldsRoehampton Vale, LondonPromoted from London 2 South West
MaidstoneWilliam Davey Memorial GroundMaidstone, Kent9th
MedwayPriestfieldsRochester, KentPromoted from London 2 South East
Old ColfeiansHorn ParkLee, LondonPromoted from London 2 South East
SevenoaksKnole PaddockSevenoaks, Kent7th
ThurrockOakfieldGrays, EssexLevel transfer from London 1 North
TottoniansWater LaneTotton, Hampshire4th

2016–17

, the current champions were promoted to National 3 London & South East for the 2016–17 season, while the second-placed team, Guildford beat Tring, the runner-up from London 1 North, in a play-off for the second promotion place. Twickenham and Charlton Park are relegated. Medway were also relegated despite finishing third due to an RFU punishment for incorrect registration of, and illegal payments to, players thus granting a reprieve from relegation for Gosport and Fareham.
They were replaced by Gravesend who were relegated from National 3 London & SE. Promoted into the league were national RFU Intermediate Cup champions and unbeaten league winners of London 2 South East, Tunbridge Wells as well as Cobham as champions of London 2 South West and play-off winners Sevenoaks. CS Rugby 1863 were transferred from London 1 North because they were the most southern team in London 1 North due of an imbalace in North and South teams in the leagues.

Participating teams and locations

2015–16

Participating teams and locations

Final league table

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in London 1 South and London 1 North participate in a play-off for promotion to National 3 London & SE. The team with the best playing record, in this case Tring, from London 1 North, was the home team and the away team Guildford, won the match 26 – 21, with a try in the 79th minute.
ClubPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints forPoints againstPoints diffTry bonusLoss bonusPoints
Tring262303987360627170109
Guildford 26200680248132115398

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2014–15

Participating teams and locations

Participating teams and locations

Participating teams and locations

Participating teams and locations

In the first season of the English rugby union league pyramid, sponsored by Courage, there was six, tier six leagues. The initial name was London 2 South and was for teams based in London and the counties of Hampshire, Kent, Sussex and Surrey. There was eleven teams in the league and each team played one match against each of the other teams, giving each team five home matches and five away matches. The winning team was awarded two points, and there was one point for each team in a drawn match.

London 2 South (1987–1993)

London 2 South (1993–1994)

At the end of the 1992–93 season the top six teams from London Division 1 and the top six from South West Division 1 were combined to create National 5 South. This meant that London 2 South dropped from a tier 6 league to a tier 7 league for the years that National 5 South was active.

London 2 South (1996–2009)

After only three seasons the level five National 5 South was split and renamed London Division One and South West Division One. The top four divisions increased in size and London 2 South and London 2 North were once more level six leagues.

London 1 South

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of London 1 North and London 1 South for the third and final promotion place to London & South East Premier. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the London 1 South teams have been the most successful with eleven wins to the London 1 North teams eight; and the home team has won promotion on thirteen occasions compared to the away teams six.

Number of league titles