After a review of last year’s London Junior Rugby League structure, (and despite our best efforts) the London Junior RL has decided to run leagues at U12, U14, and U16 level. As a result, it would mean for the second season running there would be no competitive rugby league for our U15 players. Therefore, after careful thought, Cents U15 head coach, Craig Naylor has decided to enter our team in the U16s league. Craig says "This decision goes very much against principle, but the impact of not having access to a Merit League means there would be very few, if any, matches for our boys - potentially rendering our season pointless. I fully appreciate the fact that you will have concerns, and I am open to your comments. However, please be assured that in making this decision, I have sought the following assurance from the newly appointed rugby league chairman Carl Horsman:- That the opposition teams we play will reflect a similar age profile to ours, and not load their team with U16s only. While this cannot be guaranteed for every game, the majority of teams in our league will combine U15 and U16 players and therefore our opposition will try to adjust their team accordingly. I also reserve the right to withdraw from matches where I feel the age bias is too great. As you can imagine, the decision not to run an U15's league has caused quite a stir, and not only affected us. Teams like Brentwood and Oxford are in the same position as ourselves. Nevertheless, the decision has been made, and we either accept the situation or face another season of training with the odd match thrown in. I repeat, I am sure you will have concerns, and I am very happy to speak with you to make sure we have a safe, fun and successful season. Clearly, the last thing that I want are players moving away from our club and sport. By announcing this now, I hope to be able to address any concerns, you may have." If there are any U16 players out there who want to come down and train and play with the juniors, you will be made very welcome. Comments are closed.
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