Following completion of the 5 year plan (5 promotion in 5 season) a year ahead of schedule in 2021/22, London Welsh faces a league restructure.
The RFU has sought to regional the league structure so as to allow more ‘locality’ and more concentrated leagues with fewer sides.
This has led to new structure at level 5. Followng this weeks RFU confirmation we can now confirm that London Welsh will enter Regional 1 South Central (previously London & South East Premier, or National league 3).
The league has been reduced from 14 to 12 sides and it is likely that only 1 side will be promoted at the end of the season to National 2.
As has been the case over the previous 4 seasons of Project Reset, Welsh will be making some new friends in their new league. The make up is as follows:
Banbury RFC
Bournemouth RFC
Bracknell RFC
Brighton RFC
Camberley RFC
Havant RFC
London Welsh
Maidenhead RFC
Oxford Harlequins RFC
Royal Wooton Bassett RFC
Sutton & Epsom RFC
Wimbledon RFC
So, and enthralling league that sees a mixture of clashes in and around Greater London and down the M4 corridor. Many of the London Welsh faithful will no doubt relish a nostalgic return to Oxford for the first time since 2015 when London Welsh played their last game at the Kassam Stadium.
Welsh are no strangers to Brighton and Bracknell rugby clubs: both of these sides featured in the London Welsh pre season calendar in 2021/22, both games being won by Welsh on the road.
Rivalries will re-commence with 2021/22 London 1 opposition Camberley, who pipped Welsh to the top spot in the league with honours being shared evenly across the seasons 2 fixtures with both Welsh and cambo taking 5 points in the away fixtures and none in the home leg.
The exact fixture make up for the season will be revealed in the coming weeks and we will keep you all updated when the fixtures are released. As ever, Welsh will play our first 2 games of the season away from Old Deer Park.
In other news preseason schedules have been sent to the Performance squad who presently are in a 5 weeks Pre Season preparation block undertaken in their own time. Pre Season proper commences 28 June with two testing sessions for base performance setting through pre season.
We look forward to providing further buikd up to the coming season in due course and to seeing you all at Old Deer Park very soon!
London Welsh Media Team
