2012–13 National League 2 North
| 2012–13 National League 2 North | |
|---|---|
| Countries |
 England
|
| Champions | Hull Ionians |
| Runners-up | Stourbridge |
| Relegated | Huddersfield, , Westoe |
| Attendance | 66,326 (average 279 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 1,250 Darlington Mowden Park at home to Bromsgrove on 2 February 2013 |
| Lowest attendance | 90 Westoe at home to Darlington Mowden Park on 22 December 2012 |
| Top point scorer |
Sean Taylor Preston Grasshoppers 341 points |
| Top try scorer |
James Twomey Otley 28 tries |
|
← 2011-12
2013-14 →
|
|
The 2012–13 National League 2 North was the third season (twenty-sixth overall) of the fourth tier (north) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. The league system was 4 points for a win, 2 points for a draw and additional bonus points being awarded for scoring 4 or more tries and/or losing within 7 points of the victorious team. In terms of promotion the league champions would go straight up into National League 1 while the runners up would have a one-game playoff against the runners up from National League 2 South (at the home ground of the club with the superior league record) for the final promotion place.
The league title battle was extremely tight this year with Hull Ionians eventually taking the championship and promotion to the 2013–14 National League 1 ahead of Stourbridge with both sides dead level on points but Ionians having more wins despite Stourbridge having a much better for/against record and more bonus points. As runners up Stourbridge faced the 2012–13 National League 2 South runners up Worthing Raiders in what would be a very close game - losing 26 - 28 to the south coast side - meaning that the Stourton Park-based side would not have an instant return to National League 1. At the other end of the table Huddersfield were easily the weakest team in the division and were the first to be relegated, with the more competitive and Westoe being the other two sides to follow them by the end of the season. All three sides would drop down to National League 3 North for the following season.
Twelve of the teams listed below participated in the 2011–12 National League 2 North season; Stourbridge and Birmingham & Solihull were relegated from the 2011–12 National League 1 while Dudley Kingswinford came up from National League 3 Midlands as playoff winners along with Darlington Mowden Park who were champions of National League 3 North.Rugby Lions had won the National League 3 Midlands title and were expected to join the 2012–13 National League 2 South instead of National League 2 North but went into liquidation over the summer and dropped out of the leagues leaving the southern division with just 15 teams. The season also saw newly demoted Birmingham & Solihull move from ground-sharing with a local football team at Damson Park to their former training base Portway. Another team would switch grounds during the season, with Darlington Mowden Park playing their first game at the 25,000 capacity The Northern Echo Arena (former home of the ill-fated football team Darlington F.C.) on 2 February 2013 against Bromsgrove.
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