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    Posted: 15 May 2024 at 11:37
  North East   North West   Midlands 1   South East   South Central   South West
1 Huddersfield (relegated)   Newport (Salop)   Dudley Ks (relegated)   North Walsham (relegated)   Wimbledon (relegated)   Barnstaple
2 Heath   Rossendale   Banbury   Sudbury   Camberley   Chew Valley
3 York   Blackburn   Stourbridge   Harpenden   London Welsh   Brixham
4 Driffield   Wirral   Bromsgrove   Letchworth Garden City   Tunbridge Wells   Launceston
5 Alnwick   Manchester   Bridgnorth   Shelford   Bracknell   Exmouth
6 Blaydon   Kendal   Burton   Oundle   CS Stags 1863   Lydney
7 SKiwifruithorpe   Stockport   Derby   Old Northamptonians   Brighton   St Austell
8 Sandal   Penrith   Syston   HUEL Tring   Maidenhead   Ivybridge
9 Ilkley   Anselmians   Kenilworth   Hertford   Hammersmith & Fulham   Matson
10 Cleckheaton   Leek   Nuneaton (promoted)   Bedford Athletic   Horsham   Marlborough (from SC)
11 Selby (promoted)   Stoke on Trent (from Mids)   Silhillians (promoted)   Amersham Chiltern (promoted) Jersey (promoted)   Sidmouth (promoted)
12 Percy Park (promoted)   Birkenhead Park (promoted)   Long Eaton (promoted)   Southend Saxons (promoted)   Old Alleynians (promoted)   RWB (promoted)
                       
72 12   12   12   12   12   12
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rothman2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2024 at 14:00
The South Central Division looks particularly interesting.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Happy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2024 at 14:06
Looks absolutely brutal tbqh
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote islander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2024 at 16:19
Originally posted by Rothman2 Rothman2 wrote:

The South Central Division looks particularly interesting.

Originally posted by Happy Happy wrote:

Looks absolutely brutal tbqh

How would you define "brutal" Happy?

The travel distances across R2SC look potentially quite big - 2 hours or even a tiny bit more if going from one extreme to t'other, and probably more time on m25 than many would like - but when whole country is split across only 6 leagues then long-ish journeys are going to be a factor quite a bit...

Or are you referring to there being a high quality of competition? If so, that's a bonus, isn't it?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Camquin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2024 at 16:57
Alnwick to Lincolnshire, Newport to Penrith, St Austell to Marlborough or even Amersham to North Walsham are hardly local derbies.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Happy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2024 at 17:42
Was commenting on some of the player recruitment London Welsh for example signing the likes of Steve shingler and Timmy Bell with the quality of Matt Hodgson already there is going to be tough tough tough. plus jersey signing former Jersey pro Dan Barnes. You also have ex Richmond DoR Steve hill  taking over a very unlucky and very good Wimbledon side added  having to go to places like Maidenhead and Twells and Camberley to mention a few is going to be a brutal league to play in week in week out 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2024 at 18:28
It'll be a tough league, it certainly was last year.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote islander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2024 at 18:36
Exciting, competitive, tough are all positive features for a league IMHO, so let's hope they are relevant here - I think they will be.

I'd expect rugby at this level to be physical, and I guess 'brutal' is an alternative word for that, albeit a bit clichéd (pundits like Ugo Monye and David Flatman use it a lot). 22 games should be a manageable workload for players, altho' I realise some may be involved in cups or other rugby once the league's finished...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stoatgobbler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2024 at 01:17
Originally posted by Rothman2 Rothman2 wrote:

The South Central Division looks particularly interesting.


2 ex-Championship teams, of sorts.

A nice away trip to Jersey is back on the menu.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark W-J Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2024 at 09:56
Originally posted by Stoatgobbler Stoatgobbler wrote:

2 ex-Championship teams, of sorts.
We also played Bracknell at L2 in the old National One in 2001-02.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WEvans Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2024 at 12:12
Originally posted by Camquin Camquin wrote:

Alnwick to Lincolnshire, Newport to Penrith, St Austell to Marlborough or even Amersham to North Walsham are hardly local derbies.

True but no regional leagues comprise entirely of local derbies do they?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark W-J Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2024 at 12:31
Originally posted by WEvans WEvans wrote:

Originally posted by Camquin Camquin wrote:

Alnwick to Lincolnshire, Newport to Penrith, St Austell to Marlborough or even Amersham to North Walsham are hardly local derbies.

True but no regional leagues comprise entirely of local derbies do they?
This Thumbs Up . I know people are unhappy with the make-up of certain leagues, particularly at L4 - and putting Macclesfield or Chester in the south west does look stupid on paper - but North Walsham v Redruth/ Camborne/ Mounts Bay has been a fairly regular fixture for over 30 years.  Yet everyone tolerates that because it's based upon the RFU divisional boundaries that were created based upon train lines in the 19th century.  We accepted level transfers under the old system, so why can't we accept them now?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Camquin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2024 at 15:09
It is as far from Mount's Bay to North Walsham as from Southampton to Edinburgh.

When there were only two leagues, the level transferred sides were Rugby, Leister Lions, Hinkley and Ampthill.

No Southern side went North, though the East Midlands sides who played in the North, Bedford Athletic, Peterborough and Ampthill, had long trips.

Since the move to three leagues, National 2 East has features sides from the London division plus Henley and now Oxford Harlequins.

National 2 North has only featured sides from the North division. 

National 2 West has the South Western sides, except Henley and Oxford, and all the Midlands sides and for the last two years a Cheshire side.

And I do not believe that was what many clubs expected would happen.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark W-J Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2024 at 16:28
Do you know what clubs did expect? Was it three horizontal bands (which would still potentially throw up Kent to Cornwall)?  Genuine question, I honestly don't know the answer.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Halliford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2024 at 17:10
Given that the Clubs wanted to retain 4 Divisions, the views on how 3 could be split were a compromise. I did express the view that the Leagues should be Motorway based, East M1, North M62, West M5. The problem is that doesn't help Clubs based in the Midlands or well off the network. Unfortunately, we also cannot detach Cornwall, turn it round and tow it up the Bristol Channel so that Redruth and Camborne are next to Dings and Cinderford. It's so much easier with a rectangular country!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote islander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2024 at 22:10
Is this deep-rooted opposition to the existing system at L5, or just critical analytical chat during the void in which there’s no rugby, and not even any fixtures to get one’s teeth into? I suspect the latter, but maybe I’ve misread it…
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Halliford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2024 at 23:10
For me it is critical analytical chat!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carlos fandango Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 May 2024 at 09:36
Perhaps we all just need to realise that no system will ever be perfect and just get on with it. I understand that my club is lucky in being quite central to many of the other teams in our league, but those on the geographical periphery, be it the coast or an imaginary RFU line, will always get the rough end of the stick.

Doesn't make it right, doesn't make it wrong; it just is.

It's not just rugby it affects. Bishops Stortford FC spent last season in National League North, as did Gloucester City FC. I wouldn't call either of them northern, but if you want equal sized leagues...


Edited by carlos fandango - 17 May 2024 at 15:13
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Halliford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 May 2024 at 13:53
Two years ago when Esher were in National 1 our Christmas local derby was Plymouth Albion. We were the closest Club, apparently. This season I’m hoping Dings will take that slot and we can have Richmond, walking distance!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Front Jumper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 May 2024 at 13:16
All very interesting guys but no sign of the league up for levels 6 and 7 and below. Hundreds of clubs have no idea of who they are playing and when Surely it must be sorted by now
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