2026/27 Previews: National Two East
A new era and some exciting signings make London Welsh a side to watch in National Two East
©Jonathan Knight
After winning promotion from Regional 1 South East in 2024/25, Oundle nearly went back-to-back.
With a squad built around homegrown talent alongside Champ Rugby and National League Rugby experience, Aly Kachra’s side took last year's title race to the final day before ultimately falling short of Bury St Edmunds.
Their second-place finish earned them a place in the National One Accession Final, but Oundle were edged out 19-15 by Birmingham Moseley.
Nevertheless, expectations will be high at Occupation Road this term.
The quality of their recruitment has certainly caught the eye, with former Northampton winger Tom Collins and ex-Saracens centre Oli Morris among the arrivals.
But perhaps the most eye-catching addition is former Leicester Tiger Harry Wells, who has opted to step into National Two East.
Wells will link up with Bristol Bears on a three-month deal before returning to Oundle to continue his playing and coaching journey. There is also a fresh face at the top, with former Leicester Lions boss Gareth Collins now in charge of Oundle.
Collins’ first assignment will be the visit of Esher on Saturday, with the EEEs hoping to make progress this season.
They finished just a single point above the relegation play-off position last term, but with Sporting Director Mike Brown having had a full pre-season with the squad and new head coach Liam Slatem now leading the side at Molesey Road, there is reason for optimism.
The arrivals of Ed Sheperdson from Sevenoaks, Adam Musa from Barnes, and Matt Dalrymple and Darragh Walsh from Blackheath has added further interest around their recruitment.
As mentioned, Esher avoided relegation trouble last season, but Henley had to negotiate a National Two Accession Final to secure their status.
Luke Allen’s side had finished the regular campaign with six wins from their final eight matches and carried that momentum into a 43-7 victory over Tunbridge Wells in the play-offs.
The Hawks begin the new season at Westcombe Park, who will be led this year by head coach Dom Saunders, while experienced and familiar face Andy Pratt joins the backroom staff at Goddington Dene.
Newly promoted Colchester and Jersey RFC will be keen to steer clear of any relegation or ‘bottom two’ talk.
For Colchester, it is a return to familiar surroundings. After just a season away, Mike Haywood’s side wasted no time in securing their promotion, winning 21 of their 22 matches in Regional 1 South East.
They open with a trip to Barnes, who will be looking to improve on last season’s fourth-place finish, while Jersey begin at home to London Welsh.
Saturday’s curtain-raiser at CoinShares Park will be the latest chapter in Jersey’s remarkable story, with Myles Landick’s side having achieved three promotions in the last four seasons.
They came within touching distance of completing Regional 1 South Central unbeaten last term, only for a final-day defeat against Wimbledon to end that prospect.
It may have stung at the time, but Jersey’s rapid rise should give them plenty of confidence heading into a fresh and exciting challenge - one which will include two league derbies against Guernsey for the first time since 1994/95.
But London Welsh will not provide an early ‘settler’.
After finishing ninth and just three points above the relegation play-off spot last season, it feels like a new beginning at Old Deer Park.
Influential figure Cai Griffiths, who helped guide the club back from liquidation, has moved on from his Director of Rugby role, with George Trimmer taking over as Sporting Director.
Welsh’s recruitment, though, perhaps offers the clearest indication of their ambition as this new era begins.
The signings of Tom Marshall from London Scottish, Ollie Moyne (ex-Rams), Ben Howard (ex-Worcester) and Flynn Ward from Darlington Mowden Park, alongside emerging talent from BUCS Super Rugby, make the Exiles one to watch this season.
Elsewhere, Dorking enter the new campaign buoyed by some shrewd recruitment and the news that Director of Rugby Armand Roux has put pen to paper on a new ‘multi-year deal’.
Those at The Big Field will hope the Red and Whites can build on last season’s sixth-place finish, although they face a tricky opening assignment away at Havant, who ended last year in eighth.
Rob Matthews and Will Knight’s side can take huge confidence from the fact they won eight of their 13 matches in the second half of last season and should once again prove difficult to beat at Hooks Lane.
Two sides who finished third and fourth last season meet in one of the opening weekend’s most eye-catching contests, with Canterbury taking on Old Albanian.
OAs were firmly in the title race for much of last season, but a couple of bumps in the road during the final two months of the campaign saw James Osborn’s side miss out on a top-two finish.
And the late kick-off in Round One comes at Westleigh Park, where Leicester Lions welcome Guernsey Raiders.
After three seasons in National One, it wasn’t third time lucky for the Lions, who were relegated last term and have been allocated a place in National Two East for this season.
With Gareth Collins moving on, former Premiership star Tom Varndell has taken over the reins, and the new head coach appears to have a hungry squad at his disposal for the challenge ahead.
As for Guernsey Raiders, boss Jordan Reynolds will be hoping his troops can take a step forward this year.
After another season of peaks and troughs, which ended with the Raiders in 10th, Reynolds has targeted a push towards the top four or five this time around.
The arrivals of Joel Broadhurst from Plymouth Albion and Gwyn Parks from Nottingham are certainly worth keeping an eye on as Guernsey look for more consistency.
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