The Lambs RFC season is now underway, with the nominations process now open.
Heads of Rugby/Directors of Sport have received nomination information (any that have not should email Lambs National Director Alex Laybourne on alex@lambsrugby.com) and all are encouraged to nominate healthily ahead of a set of development days for the Lambs.
Founded in 2006, the Lambs were created to give a representative opportunity to U6th players that might not otherwise have had the chance, as such players must be in U16th/Year 13 in order to be eligible, and cannot be a part of a Premiership Academy, the RFU Elite Pathway, or playing above county of divisional level rugby in the RFU Aspirational Pathway.
At the core of their being is a commitment to a player led approach to the game, all with the aim of a ‘fast and free’ approach, promoting the ‘Corinthian spirit’ that so draws us all into the game of rugby.
Such an approach has led to some notable scalps for the Lambs, including the USA Eagles U19s, Malaysia U19s, Singapore U19s, Croatia U19s, Zimbabwe U18 and U19s, and Croatia U19s.
The general structure of the Lambs season sees the squad put together after Christmas and playing a series of games through the Easter term before heading on tour early on in the Easter holidays, this year they will be heading to South Africa.
Sadly the RFU have made changes in policy in recent years that have been hard to understand and have necessarily changed some aspects of the Lambs’ season, not least in neccessaciting the development days, which replace the old trial/assessment days, presumably to stop players in the process of applying for university from engaging in a selection process.
Among other changes made last year to the Lambs as a result of the RFU’s changes, the younger age grade sides are no longer in action but an exciting new Lambs Old Boys team, who performed superbly in their debut season and are a wonderful addition to this brilliant institution, one of the jewels in the schools rugby crown.
The U18s remain as the key team though and once the nominations from Head Coaches/Directors of Sport/Rugby are in then the first development day will take place on Sunday 8th December. This will be followed by another a week later before a ‘Chairman’s Day’ at Ealing Trailfinders RFC on Sunday 5th January.
The real meat of the season begins on Sunday 19th January with the Lambs’ first first game of the season against the Irish Exiles, again at Ealing Trailfinders. They are back there again on Saturday 8th February for a fixture against Crawshay’s Welsh XV before travelling to Merthyr RFC on Sunday 17th February to take on Boys Club of Wales.
The final UK fixture of the season for the Lambs is on Monday 2nd March against Nottingham Rugby at Lady Bay before the big event of the Lambs’ season, their South African tour, with rough dates at this stage of the 29th March to the 10th April.
Before all of that though, we begin with the nomination process from which hundreds of players will arrive at the development days excited to play some heads up, fast and free rugby in an environment where they will all be pushing each other on. For more information, head to www.lambsrugby.com
It should be another exciting season of Lambs rugby!
Lambs 2019/20 Schedule:
Sunday 8th December – Development Day 1, 4 venues TBC
Sunday 15th December – Development Day 2, 4 venues TBC
Sunday 5th January – ‘Chairman’s Day’, Ealing Trailfinders RFC
Sunday 19th January – Lambs RFC v Irish Exiles, Ealing Trailfinders RFC
Saturday 8th February – Lambs RFC v Crawshay’s Welsh XV, Ealing Trailfinders RFC
Sunday 17th February – Lambs RFC v Boys Club of Wales, Merthyr RFC
Monday 2nd March – Lambs RFC v Nottingham Rugby (Lady Bay)
29th March-10th April (approx.) – Lambs RFC tour of South Africa
