Revolt in the North

It is the Great Schism of 1895 all over again, when 22 of the clubs in the north formed the Northern Union, which eventually became the Rugby League. That also was due to a disagreement with the RFU but at that time it was over the right to pay 'broken time' to players who gave up work time to play rugby.

 Well done Lancashire.  It idea was mocked in 1895 and it is already being mocked in 2018. 

 It will at least make the 'blazers' at Twickenham sit up and take notice.

Lancashire Clubs resigning from the RFU

English Clubs Championship

Aldwinians

Ashton under Lyne

Birchfield

Bury

Burnley

Clitheroe

Didsbury Toc H

Eagle

Eccles

Garstang

Heaton Moor

Littleborough

Liverpool Collegiate

Liverpool St. Helens

Manchester Medics

North Manchester

Oldham

Ormskirk

Thornton Cleveleys*

Trafford MV

Tyldesley

West Park St. Helens

Widnes

Wigan

* Joining from the NW Intermediate Leagues

If it don't work I doubt the RFU will refuse any Club wanting to rejoin the RFU Leagues. If its a success then who knows............

Some of the detractors have sited "lack of ambition not to progress within the RFU Leagues", quite a few in the above list who have "lived the dream" and nearly lost the family silverware. It's mentioned more than once on these pages that unless your ambition = a massive bank account / sugar daddy / shrewd financial management then the "nouveau riche" good times normally bring a rapid descent to the bad times. Not saying that applies to all but it only takes a Millionaire backer to choke on his Foie Gras and you are left wondering how your going to pay you next bill!

Good luck next season to every Club in and out of the RFU Leagues, getting to this stage of the season still in business regardless of your results is an achievement. 

From the Lancashire RFU web site

A meeting held at Wigan RUFC on 2nd May has resulted in 24 Lancashire Clubs proposing to resign from the RFU English Clubs Championship.
At  the  behest  of several  clubs a 2 league  structure has been developed to accommodate these clubs and assist them in playing more local rugby against clubs within Lancashire RFU.
Lancashire RFU have not coerced clubs, we have only provided a conduit to what clubs asked us to help with.

The clubs who  intend to  resign  are  all either level 7, 8 & 9. There  will  be promotion/relegation between these two leagues but not out of them as they lie outside the RFU structure.

These ‘Lancashire Leagues’ for club First XVs will be deemed by the RFU to be of Merit table format and therefore clubs will:

• Retain either their voting or none voting membership of the Union.

• Be held accountable to the Rules & Regulations of the RFU

• Covered by insurance policies put in place for all clubs in the Union.

• Be eligible to apply for any funding streams available to all clubs within the Union without prejudice.

• Be eligible for assistance from area & local RFU staff.

An organising  committee of 5 members from the clubs  involved has been formed and they will set down regulations for the league going forwards. Clubs will also be Subject To  the same disciplinary  regulations  as for  all clubs in  the  Union, locally  under the jurisdiction of the Lancashire Disciplinary Committee.

As a  Constituent  Body  of the  RFU Lancashire  will  continue  to support all our clubs whether in the Lancashire leagues or remaining in the RFU English Clubs Championship in the same equitable manner.

David Herriman Chairman

Mark Downs Hon. Secretary

Dunno - maybe you should ask them?

Only a proposal up North so far?

 

Makes perfect sense then the CRFU could then add 2nd teams to the Cornwall Leagues and the top team could be promoted to Western Counties West (providing they were a 1st team).  You would get a similar standard of competition with minimal travelling.

I've been promoting this idea for years but if falls on deaf ears unfortunately.