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tigerburnie ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 3733 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posted: 11 May 2023 at 15:01 |
National 1 teams for 23/24 season announced, some famous old clubs in there for the Leicester Lions to tangle with.
Birmingham Moseley Bishop’s Stortford Blackheath, Chinnor Cinderford Darlington Mowden Park Leicester Lions Plymouth Albion Rams Richmond Rosslyn Park Sale FC Sedgley Park Taunton Titans |
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workerbee ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 20 May 2009 Location: Wirral Status: Offline Points: 910 |
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If all goes to plan with the RFU, expect decisions by Jan 24 at the earliest so no will know what they are playing for!!
Edited by workerbee - 11 May 2023 at 15:46 |
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WEvans ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 08 Dec 2016 Location: London Status: Offline Points: 1456 |
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Well that would be a three month earlier warning than some clubs had last season
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tigerburnie ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 3733 |
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Would be interested in folks thoughts, will it be the usual suspects at the top? How will the new sides shape up, it's a long old summer this year with a world cup delaying some starting.
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Normanio ![]() British and Irish Lion ![]() ![]() Joined: 28 Oct 2022 Location: Beckenham Status: Offline Points: 185 |
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Watch out for Blackheath this coming season. There is a lot of self-belief in the team and some very talented players, including second team players. If we can strengthen our forwards, thereby winning the majority of set pieces, we have the backs to score many tries.
Edited by Normanio - 25 May 2023 at 19:09 |
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Se7en ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 18 Apr 2023 Location: Not given Status: Offline Points: 497 |
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It should be a very interesting season, not least seeing how the new tackle laws changes the game at Level 3 and below as we know it, sadly i believe for the worse.
I think it'll be a great tussle at the top, especially as this will be the first season in a few years featuring a newly relegated Championship side in Richmond. Clearly much will depend on how much of their squad they can retain, and potentially add to. They will be seen as the boys to beat, but I believe (and hope) Rams can go one better and gain the promotion that they should have had sown up in April but ultimately stumbled when it mattered and paid the price, sadly with themselves to blame. Sale will no doubt also see this coming season as 3rd time lucky having been pipped by Caldy and Cambridge previously. I expect them to bring in more DR Sharks/academy players to try and get the job done this time round, and a thronging Heywood Road is something of a home fortress for them so teams should beware of that effect! With regards Richmond, Rams and Sale, unfortunately I do quietly fear that the question of promotion from Nat 1 may become academic as I can see the top 2 tiers becoming ring-fenced together in the not too distant future. The Prem/Champ cup could be the start of that process and the powers that be do in their heart of hearts realise that the Prem alone is not sustainable in its current guise with Wasps & Worcester gone and perhaps Irish and Falcons on the brink. Despite what many think, they know its at crisis point, whether they admit or not is another matter. I'll be intrigued to see what Rosslyn Park do this time round. The ££ signings of last season didn't deliver enough and often enough, with many not even featuring regularly apart from Matt Gordon and Charlie Walker. Something not right there for a club of their pedigree, perhaps a change of coaching staff needed, or the issue they tend to have playing away from the plastic. I'd then say Plymouth and Cinderford will be chasing the above and snapping at their heals the whole way. Again, Brickfields and Dockham Road are two of the hardest places to go and get 4 points, let alone 5 (just ask Rams about key games where they rue the results!). Great seeing Plymouth having such a renaissance. After that is anyone's guess. Bishop's Stortford, DMP, Moseley most likely. I'm looking forward to seeing how Blackheath bounce back, they won't want to leave Nat 1 again anytime soon. I imagine Sedgley Park will be recruiting hard over the summer, hoping to get some DR players in to strengthen their squad, who I understand have been together for some time which is usually a strong position to be in. I don't know much about Leicester Lions, but I hope the newly promoted sides go for it from the off and don't go straight back down like Esher and Hull. Esher may have survived had they come out firing, but lost most of their games up to Christmas, leaving too much to do after that. Although a resilient and proud bunch, Hull were evidently out of their depth throughout the season as a whole, and what a slog it must have been. I have read some comments about Level 4 being diluted in quality after going to 3 leagues, so whether that widens the gap in quality when teams make the step up will be interesting. At a guess, and it is obviously just that, I'd say Chinnor, Taunton and the new boys might be the ones scrapping it out for survival come April next year, but who knows! Good luck to all.
Edited by Se7en - 25 May 2023 at 22:43 |
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tigerburnie ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 3733 |
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Thanks for that.
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billesleyexile ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 20 Jun 2013 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 1855 |
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Ah Moseley - no idea what's going on at Moseley. Assuming we can hold on to most of them (and to be honest that's usually a big if) we've got the squad, the talent and the ability to be top 5. With a bit of astute signings possibly even better. But we've also got a slack handful of first choicers who are so injured they didn't even play last season (hello Messrs Dawes, Hutchinson, etc) and no consistency on the pitch whatsoever. There's nothing in rugby as mercurial as Moseley were last season. It's really, really odd.
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keep the faith
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tigerburnie ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 3733 |
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Mosely sure have a great pedigree, I think the last time I saw them play was at Twickenham when they lost to Leicester Tigers in the John Player Cup final. One of several new fixtures that I am sure the Lions will approach, both with relish and a bit of trepidation.
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Camquin ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Location: Cambridge Status: Offline Points: 11254 |
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Nick Easter revitalized Chinnor. With him there from the start, I think they may do better. |
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Sweeney Delenda Est
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Halliford ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 17 Feb 2010 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 4214 |
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I thought Easter was off to coach the USA?
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Camquin ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Location: Cambridge Status: Offline Points: 11254 |
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He is coaching the USA on their short summer tour, but was announced as Chinnor DoR.
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Sweeney Delenda Est
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tigerburnie ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 3733 |
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I'll see if I can get Martin Johnson down when they visit, he does pop in for a pint now and then, he'll keep him on his toes lol
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Se7en ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 18 Apr 2023 Location: Not given Status: Offline Points: 497 |
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Try and get him along when Rams visit. Our 'water boy' and a long term member is ex-Premiership ref Ash Rowden, who once sent Johnson and Neil Back off in the same game! I'd like to see them reunited to chat over days of old
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Breakdown ![]() First XV regular ![]() Joined: 11 Apr 2023 Location: SW London Status: Offline Points: 75 |
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From a Richmond point of view, the start of next season will be very different, because the club has just announced the departure of the great Steve Hill, our DoR for 13 years.
Hilly has been, among many other things, the driving force behind our recruitment, the main factor in keeping us competitive (in 21-22 we were four points off being 6th, not bad for two-nights-training-a-week 'semi-amateurs'), so I am a bit nervous as to how things will shape up. Rob Powell is a very good coach, though and the players like working for him, so there is no reason why Richmond shouldn't be there or thereabouts at in the upper reaches of Nat 1. Having said that, I am pretty sure that at the end of 23-24 the RFU will relegate 2 from the Championship, not promote anybody from Nat 1 and move to the 10/10 structure for the top two tiers, possibly in perpetuity. In which case, the rest of us will just be playing for pride. |
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Broken down. Beyond repair.
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Halliford ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 17 Feb 2010 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 4214 |
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Sorry to hear that Steve Hill has left Richmond. I have enormous respect for him, not just for what he has achieved at Richmond but also his wider involvement in the game. I do hope we won't lose his wisdom just yet.
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kempstonblue ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 20 Jun 2020 Location: Kempston Status: Offline Points: 522 |
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The way clubs are struggling in Premiership National One might be The Championship by September.
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The older I get, the more the RFU leave me confused.
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workerbee ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() ![]() Joined: 20 May 2009 Location: Wirral Status: Offline Points: 910 |
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The key question is will there be promotion from Nat 1 next season if Championship goes to a 10 team league and becomes Prem 2.
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tigerburnie ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 3733 |
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I believe we may find out this month when the master plan is unveiled.
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Raider999 ![]() World Cup Winner ![]() Joined: 18 Jan 2013 Location: Crawley Status: Offline Points: 4455 |
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A 10 team Premiership with a 14 team Championship gives 24 clubs for a Prem/Champ Cup = 4 groups of 6 with semi-finals and finals.
All that is needed is some foresight and a decision |
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RAID ON
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