Ben Leng

TRP’s National Two South Team of the Season

A thrilling title race in National League 2 South was cut short with four teams jostling it out for top spot. When the season was officially halted, just six points separated the top four and two of those have been promoted after the RFU adjusted the final table.

Taunton Titans were crowned champions after winning 20 of their 25 matches, while Tonbridge Juddians will join them in National League 1.

Redruth and miss out but will be confident of staging a similar bid next season, while at the bottom Sutton & Epsom and Bournemouth went straight back down and are joined by .

The top four teams make up much of this XV but five others have a representative.

15. Gary Kingdom – Taunton Titans

Kingdom, 37, is still going strong at Hyde Park and continues to provide invaluable leadership and big-game temperament from full-back. He was the league's highest points scorer with 230 – matching Raider Matt McLean as a three-time top scorer – showing his eye for the posts is still razor sharp.

Crusaders' Luke Arscott is unfortunate to miss out after a brilliant campaign, as are Redruth's Matthew Shepherd and McLean himself.

14. Chris Levesley – Clifton

It was a solid fifth-place finish for Clifton and winger Levesley played a major part in their strong campaign. Comfortable on the wing and outside centre, Levesley's turn of pace and ability to sidestep sparked many attacks for the -based side.

Club mate Finlay Sharp and Lions' 13-try Devon Constant just miss the cut.

13. Matt Smith – Dings Crusaders

A silky-smooth midfielder with the pace of a winger, Smith has been the fulcrum of Dings Crusaders' attack this season. Rock solid in the tackle and capable of a lovely outside break, he played a key role in their mid-table finish.

Keep an  eye out for Redruth's Jack Simmons next season after he put together an impressive breakout campaign.

12. Ben Leng – Bury St Edmunds

Bury St Edmunds' powerhouse centre Leng, title picture (credit: Shawn Pearce), takes some stopping when he reaches top gear. The No.12 is an abrasive runner who either scored or set up many of Bury's tries throughout the campaign.

Jermaine Jones, who switched from relegated Old Redcliffians to Taunton midway through the season, just misses out on selection.

11. Hugo Watson – Tonbridge Juddians

The top try-scorer deserves a place in any and Watson took this season's gong by a landslide. The Tonbridge flyer crossed for an incredible 22 tries, six more than his nearest rival, as he pushed Juddians towards a place in National League 1.

With Redruth and Henley making it a four-way promotion battle for much of the season, it's safe to say that without his tries, Tonbridge would not be going up.

10. Fraser Honey – Redruth

An almost unanimous selection, Redruth's Honey gets the keys to No.10 after a stellar campaign. The Cornish side narrowly missed out on promotion but Honey excelled. With Redruth placing a great emphasis on next season, he is expected to mature and become even better.

A prolific goal-kicker, Honey bagged 201 points and only Taunton full-back Kingdom managed to top that. Tonbridge's Will Robinson and Esher's Tristan Roberts both thrived and made it on the short-list.

9. Ewan Fenley – Henley

Fenley – on loan at Henley from – possesses all the skills needed to succeed at scrum-half but it's his ability to run that stands him out from the crowd. Any defence that leaves space around the fringes is playing with fire and the sniping Fenley helped himself to 14 tries, including four against Dings Crusaders in October.

Redruth's Jack Oulton misses out by the barest of margins.

1. Tommy Phillips – Redruth

After a tough couple of seasons ruined by injury, Redruth prop Phillips was back fit and firing in 2019-2020. A mobile loosehead with a high work-rate and immovable at the set-piece, he proved to be a nuisance all season long for opposing sides, while he also chipped in with a couple of valuable tries.

Bury St Edmunds' Ben Cooper, who has plenty of experience higher up the ladder, finished second in the vote.

2. Luke Stratford – Clifton

Clifton swooped to sign former Hartpury and Jersey Reds hooker Stratford last summer, and what a move it's proven to be. Almost unanimously voted as the hooker of the season, Stratford's accuracy at the lineout, willingness to carry and relentless work-rate in defence have seen him make the No.2 jersey his own.

Alex Spurdle was consistently excellent for Taunton, while Tonbridge's Ryan Jackson also received consideration.

3. Isaac Dalton – Taunton Titans

A tighthead prop with a nose for the try line, Isaac ‘The Sniffer' Dalton bagged a remarkable 16 scores for the champions this season – second most in the league. Although a solid scrummager, Dalton makes the cut for how lethal he is from close-range and he was deservedly given the NCA Player of the Season award for National 2 South. His tries will be invaluable in National 1 next year.

Redruth's much-improved tighthead Jess Tompsett and Henley's Charlie Hughes – who scored a hat-trick against Barnes in November – were both in contention.

4. Todd Prisk – Redruth

Both the Prisk brothers – Jamie and Todd – are archetypal Cornish engine-roomers but it's Todd who gets the nod.

A towering presence in the lineout and a bullocking runner in the loose, he impressed as Redruth narrowly missed out on promotion to edge out the likes of Henley's Dave Hyde, Juddians' Dave Irvine – and his own brother Jamie.

5. Ed Sumpter – Leicester Lions

Comfortable in either the boiler room or at ,  Sumpter's destructive performances and 12 tries, which included some spectacular scores, made him a popular choice.

Described by one correspondent as “playing at least two divisions below his potential”, Sumpter is an athletic, ball-winning lineout jumper, a solid defender and is good for at least one line-break per game.

6. Ratu Vakalutukali – Taunton Titans

A standout performer for the champions, ‘Toots' Vakalutukali is on the verge of making his 100th appearance for the Titans and has notched 30 tries. A fan favourite in Taunton, the Fijian-born Royal Marine is a demon over the ball and always on the shoulder of the attacker.

Comfortable on either flank, Toots has signed on to play for the Titans next year and won't look out of place in National 1.

Conor Harbison stood out for strugglers Barnes and Henley's versatile, 14-try skipper Sam Lunnon also impressed.

7. Johnny Murdoch – Leicester Lions

Both flanker spots were hotly contested, with the likes of Taunton's ex- star Julian Salvi and Redruth's Mark Grubb in contention but Murdoch becomes the second Leicester Lion in the Dream XV.

Perhaps the best defender in National 2 South, Murdoch averaged an incredible 17 tackles per game with a 96 per cent success rate and was a force throughout the campaign for the Lions.

8. James Griffiths – Bournemouth

Bournemouth youngster Griffiths was given a chance to shine early in the season and never looked back. Although part of a fairly dismal Bournemouth team, Griffiths was far and away their standout player – displaying a never-say-die attitude and always impressing no matter the scoreline and chipped in with a couple of tries.

Leicester Lion' classy operator Nick Cairns, is unlucky to miss out.

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