London Mens League
The London Mens League, is a division in rugby league's tier 5. It was the highest level of amateur rugby league in the South of England until the creation in 2012 of Southern Conference League. It was first contested in 2005 as the South Premier division of the Rugby League Conference but is currently a standalone league run by London Rugby League.
Current season or competition: 2023 London Mens League season | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Formerly known as | Rugby League Conference South Premier Division |
| Instituted | 2005 |
| Country |  England |
| Champions | London Chargers A (2023) |
| Related competition | London Merit League, London & South East Men's League |
Many of the clubs also run juniors in the London Junior League.
History
The Rugby League Conference was born in 1997 as the Southern Conference.
The Premier Division was set up in 2005 for teams who had achieved a certain playing standard and were able to travel further afield to find stronger opposition. The new Premier Divisions included the North Premier, the South Premier, the Central Premier and the Welsh Premier.
Prior to the 2005 season National League Three side South London Storm announced that they were joining the South Premier; the other founder members came from the Conference regional divisions.
After the 2006 season with other teams withdrawing from National League Three, St Albans Centurions also decided to join the Premier South.
In 2012 it became a standalone league and St Albans Centurions returned to playing nationally in National Conference League division three
Clubs
| Team | Founded | Home Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Brixton Bulls | 2004 | Streatham-Croydon RFC |
| Eastern Rhinos A | 1992 | Colchester RFC |
| Elmbridge Eagles | 1985 | Old Cranleighans |
| London Chargers A | 2013 | Chiswick RFC |
| London Skolars A | 1995 | New River Stadium |
| Medway Dragons | 2007 | Garrison Stadium |
| Royal Artillery | ||
| West Warriors A | 2014 | Wasps FC |
Community game pyramid
- National Conference League
- Southern Conference League
- London Mens League
- London Merit League
League Standings
| Teams | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bedford Tigers |
x | x | x | x | 6th | x | x | x | x |
 Eastern Rhinos | 3rd | 2nd | 5th | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 4th |
 Elmbridge Eagles 2 |
x | 5th | 6th | 7th | 9th | x | x | 5th | 6th |
 Essex Eels |
x | DNF | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
 Greenwich Admirals | 6th | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
 Hainault Bulldogs |
x | x | x | x | 8th | 6th | DNF | x | x |
| Hammersmith Hills Hoists | x | x | x | x | x | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st |
| Hemel Stags A | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | 5th |
| Kent Ravens | x | x | 7th | DNF | x | x | x | x | x |
 London Skolars A 3 |
4th | 4th | 3rd | 6th | 7th | 8th | 5th5 | 1st | 3rd |
 Luton Vipers |
5th | DNF | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Portsmouth Navy Seahawks |
x | x | x | 5th | 5th | 7th | x | x | x |
| St Albans Centurions | x | x | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | x | x |
| South London Storm | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 5th | 6th | 4th | x |
| South West London Chargers4 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | 2nd |
| West London Sharks | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | DNF | x |
- 1 competed as Ipswich Rhinos between 2005 and 2009
- 2 competed as Kingston Warriors between 2005 and 2007 and Elmbridge in 2008.
- 3 competed as Haringey Hornets in 2006
- 4 a merger of South London Storm and West London Sharks
- 5 midseason replacements for Hainault Bulldogs
Key
| DNF | Did not complete the season |
| x | Did not participate |
| Divisional winner | |
| Qualified for divisional play-off | |
| Finished bottom | |
2023
| Regular Season | |||||||||
| POS | CLUB | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | DIFF | PTS |
| 1 | Brixton Bulls | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 332 | 194 | 138 | 16 |
| 2 | Medway Dragons | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 260 | 226 | 34 | 14 |
| 3 | Wests Warriors A | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 298 | 248 | 50 | 10 |
| 4 | London Chargers A | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 224 | 238 | -14 | 9 |
| 5 | London Skolars A | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 220 | 280 | -60 | 7 |
| 6 | Elmbridge Eagles | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 160 | 308 | -148 | 1 |
| |||||||||
- Playoffs
Semi Finals
- Brixton Bulls 2 - 4 London Chargers A
- Venue - Streatham & Croydon RFC
- Date - 5th August 2023
- Kick Off - 2:30pm
- Medway Dragons 22 - 20 Wests Warriors A
- Venue - Anchorians Sports Club
- Date - 5th August 2023
- Kick Off - 2:30pm
Final
- Medway Dragons 16 - 38 London Chargers A
- Venue - London Skolars RLFC
- Date - 19th August 2023
- Kick Off - 2:30pm
Grand Finals
| Year | Winner | Defeated | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | South London Storm | West London Sharks | 24–8 | Storm Park |
| 2006 | South London Storm | Ipswich Rhinos | 52–10 | Storm Park |
| 2007 | St Albans Centurions | South London Storm | 18–10 | Twickenham Stoop |
| 2008 | West London Sharks | South London Storm | 24–20 | Grasshoppers RFC |
| 2009 | West London Sharks | South London Storm | 26–16 | Storm Park |
| 2010 | St Albans Centurions | West London Sharks | 54–4 | Cotlandswick |
| 2011 | Hammersmith Hills Hoists | St Albans Centurions | 18-16 | Hemel Hempstead |
| 2012 | Hammersmith Hills Hoists | Eastern Rhinos | 46-8 | |
| 2013 | South West London Chargers | Hammersmith Hills Hoists | 20-10 | Chiswick RFC |
| 2014 | South West London Chargers | Eastern Rhinos | 46-6 | Wasps RFC |
| 2015 | South West London Chargers | London Skolars A | 32-12 | Old Blues RFC |
| 2016 | Brixton Bulls | Richmond Warriors | ||
| 2017 | Hammersmith Hills Hoists | London Chargers | 25-18 | New River Stadium |
| 2018 | Hammersmith Hills Hoists | London Chargers | 20-8 | |
| 2019 | West Warriors A | London Skolars A | 38-22 | New River Stadium |
| 2020 | No competition due to COVID-19 | |||
| 2021 | Medway Dragons | Brixton Bulls | 38-18 | Rosslyn Park RFC |
| 2022 | Brixton Bulls | Elmbridge Eagles | 34-30 | New River Stadium |
| 2023 | London Chargers A | Medway Dragons | 38-16 | London Skolars |
Titles
| Position | Team | Number of Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 = | Hammersmith Hills Hoists | 4 | 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018 |
| 1 = | London Chargers | 4 | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2023 |
| 3 = | Brixton Bulls | 2 | 2016, 2022 |
| 3 = | St Albans Centurions | 2 | 2007, 2010 |
| 3 = | West London Sharks | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
| 3 = | South London Storm | 2 | 2005, 2006 |
| 7 = | Medway Dragons | 1 | 2021 |
| 7 = | West Warriors | 1 | 2019 |
London Cup
- 2013: South West London Chargers
National play-offs
| Year | Team | Opponent | Result | Game | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | South London Storm | Bridgend Blue Bulls | 18–34 | National Semi-final | Cheltenham |
| 2006 | South London Storm | Bridgend Blue Bulls | 32–12 | National Semi-final | Hemel |
| 2006 | South London Storm | East Lancs Lions | 30–0 | Grand Final | Coventry |
| 2007 | St Albans Centurions | Bridgend Blue Bulls | 42–16 | National Semi-final | |
| 2007 | St Albans Centurions | Coventry Bears | 28–20 | Grand Final | |
| 2008 | West London Sharks | Valley Cougars | 32–30 | National Semi-final | |
| 2008 | West London Sharks | Nottingham Outlaws | 8–28 | Grand Final | Derby |