LONDON & SOUTH EAST RUGBY
18 GROUP
SELECTION PATHWAYS
2008-2009
1. The Divisional selection process based on performance in the inter-county games is designed to produce a squad of approximately 25 London & South-East players to compete in the first instance in matches against two of England's other Divisions in Coventry on Friday 2nd and Sunday 4th January 2008.
2. There are currently TWO National 18 Group squads:
• The 'Conference' squad, a squad of players aged Under 18 at midnight on December 31st 2008 to play an international against Scotland and then contest the Six Nations Tournament in Palma, Italy, in April 2009. This squad was in the main selected post the Loughborough training week in July 2008 and has already played together on a number of occasions this Autumn. Only in exceptional circumstances will players currently progressing through the CB/Divisional route be invited to join this squad.
• A further squad drawing again on players aged Under 18 at midnight on December 31st 2008 take part in the AER Championship in Nice, France, in April 2009. This squad will in the main be composed of players progressing through the CB/Divisional route.
3. All players invited to take part in the Divisional trialling process must be under 18 at midnight on December 31' 2008 and for Divisional purposes this will be the only age-range qualification taken into account. Following the trial at Thurrock RFC on Sunday 23rd November 2008 a squad of some 25 players will then be selected to attend further training days at Thurrock on the 30th November and 14th December. Also, as further preparation for the Divisional games, on Sunday 21st the squad will play a fully competitive match against the London Academies - the match to be played at a venue to be confirmed.
4. It must be understood that while we shall be travelling to the Divisional matches with a squad of 25 players at most, we cannot give a guarantee that all members of the squad will appear in the games. Under instruction from the National selectors, we shall only make substitutions in the event of injury or clear uncertainties as to the ranking order of players in any given position.
18 Group Divisional Programme 2008-2009
|
Sun 23 November |
London & SE Divisional Trial |
Thurrock RFC |
|
Sun 30 November |
London & SE Development Squad |
Thurrock RFC |
|
Sun 14 December |
London & SE Development Squad |
Thurrock RFC |
|
Sat 20 December |
London & SE Development Squad |
TBC |
|
Sun 21 December |
London & SE v London Academies |
TBC |
|
Sun 28 December |
London & SE Training |
Thurrock RFC |
|
Thu 1 - Sun 4 January |
Divisional Festival |
Broadstreet RFC |
|
Fri 2 January |
14:00 London & SE v Midlands |
Broadstreet RFC |
|
Sun 4 January |
11:00 Losers v Losers 13:00 Winners v Winners |
Broadstreet RFC |
18 Group England Programme 2008-2009
|
Fri 30 - Sun 1 February |
AER Training |
Bromsgrove School |
|
Fri 6 - Sun 8 February |
AER Training |
Bromsgrove School |
|
Sun 8 February |
6 Nations Training Game v Welsh Academies |
TBC |
|
Fri 20 - Sun 22 February |
AER Practice set piece v Worcester Warriors Academy |
Bromsgrove School |
|
Fri 6 - Sun 8 March |
AER Training match v Northampton Academy |
Bromsgrove School |
|
Sun 22 March |
6 Nations v Scotland |
TBC |
|
Fri 20 - Sun 22 March |
AER v Japan H.S. |
TBC |
|
Sun 29 March |
6 Nations v Japan H.S. |
TBC |
|
Thu 2 - Sun 12 April |
AER Tournament |
Nice, France |
|
Thu 9 - Sat 18 April |
6 Nations Tournament |
Palma, Italy |