Struggling sides face a bleak future
There is little doubt that many small local rugby clubs are facing a bleak and uncertain future unless urgent action is taken now.
This may sound somewhat dramatic, but the harsh facts are many rugby clubs that used to field two, even three teams, plus a veterans XV are now struggling to raise even one.
When I say this, then sadly, there is little doubt that all too often it is becoming difficult to raise a side for a home fixture, but any away match can become seriously problematic. How can I be so sure, well I have been working through the RFU list of its rugby clubs throughout England and reading news reports. There were 260,000 active rugby players in England at the end of 2016, and 196,000 at the end of 2022.
That is a catastrophic collapse of around 64,000 and, to put it into perspective, equals 4,266 rugby line-ups. If a club fielded three teams, then that could mean that 1,414 rugby clubs throughout England alone would cease to exist.
Now, that is dramatising what is undoubtedly already a serious problem, so the questions that remain to be answered are firstly who am I, why should I care, and secondly what can we as interested individuals do about it?
To answer the first question, my name is Ian Smith. I started playing rugby when I was about nineyears-old, and then played solidly until my late 30s.
I was fortunate enough to play international rugby for two seasons at the end of the 60s, beginning of the 70s.
More importantly, I continued to play thereafter right back down through the levels and ended up playing for my local club West Norfolk 2nd.
For my last few seasons I played for teams that probably do not exist anymore, for the numerical reasons explained above.
West Norfolk lost by over 90 points last weekend, yet less than 30 years ago they numbered amongst the best two clubs in the county. To put it into perspective, this is the club that reared Ali Price, the Scotland, and Lions scrumhalf. This situation is being repeated throughout England.
Whilst I as a Scot am not unhappy about England’s poor results at international level, I am terrified that the small rugby clubs at the base of the pyramid which ultimately lead to the England XV at the tip is getting smaller. This can be witnessed not only at West Norfolk but almost everywhere. If it continues, this will dramatically affect the size of the pyramid, and eventually the performance of the national team.
Believe you me it isn’t just in England this is happening.
What can be done about it is more problematical. I watched the local side play and lose recently in front of a decent crowd. A good few of the spectators had played up through the club and should have been on the pitch, or in a second side because they were good enough, but they weren’t playing, just spectating.
So perhaps they are the starting point, because if my club has them, then this is happening countrywide, and unless this can be reversed the future for junior community rugby and then rugby at a higher level is threatened.
■ ON the pitch, a little closer to home, Walcot enjoyed a 54-0 whitewash over Counties 1 Southern South strugglers Yeovil. That brought the aggregate score between the sides to 91-3 for this season, as Walcot remain fifth.
Combe Down are two places, but 15 points back, after only managing a penalty kick in their 61-3 defeat at Dorchester. The reverse fixture in November proved a lot closer, as Down prevailed 27-23 that day.
Walcot 2nd were handed a home walkover by St Bernadettes Old Boys 2nd to move top of Counties 4 Somerset North. Walcot are now four points clear of Keynsham 3rd, but they have played three more games.
■ BATH LADIES secured their first win since the turn of the year, and in some style as they made no mistake against Championship South bottom side Reading Abbey. Ellie Ratcliffe scored a brace of tries, alongside touch downs for Bethan Thomas, Lucy Mcgrath, Esme Bird, Chloe Williams, Enya Lackie and Robyn Price.
Cerhys Gould struck one conversion as Bath ran out 42-5 winners to close within a point of fifth-place London Irish.
The Spartans side enjoyed their first victory of the campaign in NC2 South West (Central) in a highscoring encounter at Avonmouth. Willow Ingleton stole the show, earning the try bonus on her own with four touch downs in the 36-20 success.
Isobella Cooper and Christabel Stennett also crossed the whitewash, while Ashleigh Newbold managed three conversions as Spartans closed the gap at the bottom to 21 points.