Sorry, but it’s curtains for Richmond
Jon Newcombe looks at an intriguing season in Tier Two with James Pritchard, right, analysing the teams
The Championship may lack financial investment according to the clubs’ owners but the league has a distinctly capital feel to it this year with London Irish and Richmond joining London Welsh, London Scottish and Ealing Trailfinders in English rugby’s second tier.
With three of the other clubs battling for bragging rights up north – Doncaster, Rotherham and Yorkshire Carnegie, that leaves Bedford, Nottingham and Cornish Pirates and Jersey, in particular, in splendid isolation.
Doncaster co-owner Steve Lloyd has already expressed fears that should the league continue to be under-funded it will become even more London-centric because clubs will have to revert to part-time status and players will gravitate South where the money is.
“The danger of that is if we go part-time professional, outside of London, clubs will struggle to get the players,” he warned.“Guys can get good jobs in London and play part-time but that becomes more difficult up North and in the Midlands. Our fear is that in 10 years’ time, 10 out of the 12 clubs in the Championship would be in London.” Newly-promoted Richmond certainly have the look of city-slickers but the chances are they will be suited and booted out of the league at the first attempt. Survival, as a club not their Championship status, is all that concerns City worker and Richmond captain Will Warden. “I’m not scared of
going out and losing 22 games,” said Warden. “I’m scared of going out there and losing the club we have got.
“The club that was built way back in 1861 and had a bit of a blip around the professional era but has risen again.
“That’s the club that I joined, that’s the club the boys all play for and that’s what we want to maintain. If we can do it in this environment, then fantastic. We’re going to give it a go.”
At the other end of the spectrum, Nick Kennedy will be looking to steer London Irish back into the Premiership in his first season as DoR.
With their ability to field internationals in virtually all the key positions, Irish start the season as overwhelming favourites to make their first excursion outside the Premiership as short-lived as possible.
Their opening game against last year’s beaten finalists, Doncaster, should provide them with a good yardstick as to what to expect for the remainder of the season.
“The coaches have re-emphasised how tough the league is,” said Exiles’ captain Shane Geraghty, the former England flyhalf.“It’s an incredibly tough league.
“We are under no illusions as to it being a walk in the park – it will be quite the opposite. There are some really good teams in the Championship, full of experience and there’s going to be some really tough away fixtures.”