What the f*** is happening with Lancashire's Leagues

[WombleRef]

So on Twitter - looks like the majority of Level 7, 8 and 9 clubs in Lancashire and voted to go and form their own mini-league, in a split away from the RFU league structure. As far as I can tell - it's left the North Lancs Cumbria league down to just 1 league at Level 7, and South Lancs Cheshire operating at Level 7 and 8, with no leagues at Level 9.

I don't really understand why this has been done, or if there is an intention to fold this new league into the RFU league structure - anyone know what this might cause?

As far as I can see - this is the new league structure: https://twitter.com/lancashirerugby/status/991769243090931712

with the remaining Teams playing in something like this:
https://twitter.com/TarletonRugby/status/991953279037988864

If our Merit Leagues weren't so strong - I'd have been tempted to invite selected second teams into both set-ups to try and encourage greater numbers in a manner similar to what the Eastern Counties have done?

Is anyone in the know here? I wonder how this will work with refereeing...

 

[crossref]

A rebellion!
How exciting

 

[Flish]

Saw this via another forum, would love to know the back story, clearly some suits in a spat somewhere, and a few barbed responses on twitter. As far as I can see, whatever the problems, they will now have two broken league structures :-(

 

[WombleRef]

And what is already a messy league structure is going to get worse. Yay!

I know Mr Trainor of this parish has been inquiring about it elsewhere but who knows if anythings actually going to happen.

 

[crossref]

It looks like the rebellion is being led by the Lancashire RFU ?

 

[Flish]

It looks like the rebellion is being led by the Lancashire RFU ?

Or at least someone using that twitter handle, so don't know the human(s) behind it, 'RFU' can mean anything from county suits to RDO's depending on the context you're talking in. Good question on there ref minis and juniors too, what's the fallout for them? Bloody hate rugby politics :-(

 

[didds]

presumably it would mean nobody in a breakaway league if they ever got successful could move onwards and upwards through the RFU leagues - without having to do a harbury and win 100-0 every week for several seasons by starting at the bottom again?

 

[WombleRef]

presumably it would mean nobody in a breakaway league if they ever got successful could move onwards and upwards through the RFU leagues - without having to do a harbury and win 100-0 every week for several seasons by starting at the bottom again?

You say that, but we're in a situation where the bottom is now Level 7... I fully expect this to last one season before they either merge back in or England Rugby make a tweak and regionalise the leagues oop north a bit better.

Fleetwood and Tarleton are going to have a lot of fun having to travel to Cumbria every week. Also looks like Rochdale and a few Wigan teams might have to go to Cumbria every week too.

 

[Camquin]

With two sides promoted and none relegated, Cumbrian league will be down 8 sides - including Carlisle 2nd XV.
There are 10 sides in the shield - but they are mainly 2nd XVs and several did not complete all their matches.

There is a fundamental problem, in areas where there are few clubs, you either have mismatches or travel.

 

[SimonSmith]

Breakaway competitions. How exciting. Another area in which USA R has been a trailblazer.

 

[crossref]

Will the Lancashire league have power tries ?

 

[WombleRef]

Will the Lancashire league have power tries ?

They'll soon be playing 13 a side , and be restricted to 6 tackles an attack...

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

I saw the news of the proposed breakaway on a Yorkshire Rugby Forum but thought no more about it.

Yorkshire Leagues are generally very competitive but I'm not sure that's same in the Lancs/Cumbria/Cheshire Leagues at 7,8 & 9

Looking at tables showing Burnley conceding 1200+ points and in another division Vagabonds on the I.O.M scoring 143 and conceding 1800+ in 26 games smacks of huge mismatches in leagues that should be to a greater or lesser extent be in some sort of Rugby Homeostasis.

I also notice St Benedicts disappeared from NW1 (Level 6) although they're in Cumbria and don't know if it's all connected??

Sits smugly on the right side of the Pennines and watches with interest.

 

[WombleRef]

I saw the news of the proposed breakaway on a Yorkshire Rugby Forum but thought no more about it.

Yorkshire Leagues are generally very competitive but I'm not sure that's same in the Lancs/Cumbria/Cheshire Leagues at 7,8 & 9

Looking at tables showing Burnley conceding 1200+ points and in another division Vagabonds on the I.O.M scoring 143 and conceding 1800+ in 26 games smacks of huge mismatches in leagues that should be to a greater or lesser extent be in some sort of Rugby Homeostasis.

I also notice St Benedicts disappeared from NW1 (Level 6) although they're in Cumbria and don't know if it's all connected??

Sits smugly on the right side of the Pennines and watches with interest.

St Benedicts had like 7 matches to play with 3 league weekends to go so the Committee approached them to ask if they would resign to allow the league to finish on-time. Meant VoL were confirmed as champions without kicking a ball and it relegated Altrincham Kersal down to Level 7 I believe.

 

[crossref]

Here's a story about this
The RFU will treat the new league as a merit table , so it will remain within the RFU regulatory framework. Guess they had no choice. It also paves the way for promotion out of it , at some later date

http://www.talkingrugbyunion.co.uk/...-resign-from-rfu-clubs-championship/20336.htm

 

[beckett50]

Wasn't the proposed RFU League restructure suppose to address all this, before it was poo poo'd by the Northern Leagues?

 

[Ciaran Trainor]

A very sad situation. Geography and travel times and costs are understandable issues, but an agenda driven by a few suits in my opinion. They didn't want to travel to Cumbria but were happy to go to the Isle of Man!

 

[Ciaran Trainor]

These are the teams left

 

[Camquin]

I assume no Lancastrian side can be relegated from NLC as there is nowhere to go - but presumably the Cumbrian sides can drop to the Cumbrian league.
Ming you the Cumbrian league and Shield were already thin and Upper Eden and Whitehaven have gone up to NLC - with none coming down.

So only seven clubs plus Carlisle 2nd XV XV in League and 10 sides, mainly 2nd XVs, in the Shield.
Many matches cancelled, St Benedicts 2 played 4 matches all season and Millon 2 played 5.
Not sure how much of that is weather related and how much is down to lack of players.

As an example Millom has a population of 4,000 and the Rugby League club also puts out two sides.

 

[crossref]

Bottom line .. there aren't enough resources to support two sorts of rugby ..