The County Championship

I know they still play this, but I'd like a bit of historical information on this.

Just how big was this back in the amateur days? Seemed quite a big deal!

In it's day it was the pinnacle of English domestic Rugby. As the leagues didn't come into effect until 1987, and the RFU Clubs knockout competition only came into fruition in 1971 it was the only tournament where there was genuine competitive Rugby.

It was a big deal. Being a Cornishman, we have a fascination about it as it was an opportunity for us to stamp our nationalistic/patriotic stamp through the medium of Rugby.

Even upto 10 years ago, Cornwall playing Devon and Gloucestershire in the southern pools of the Championship was a big event.

Here's a link to show what it could mean, when we faced Yorkshire at Twickenham in 1991. Manic scenes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9qZ13zPuEs

I think it's a fair thing in Lancashire and Yorkshire too, their websites seem to suggest so anyway (compared to some of the other counties).

http://www.lancashirerugby.com/
http://yorkshirerfu.pitchero.com/

To my mind Sale Sharks and Leeds Carnegie have really been missing a trick with this. They should be making themselves clubs for their respective counties, they have nearly 12 million people to aim at between them! I know Sale moved their game up to Bolton and got 17,000 people to come and watch. I know it sounds a little contrived, but if I was in charge of the clubs I'd be looking at changing their names to Lancashire Sharks and Yorkshire Carnegie. I might start a thread about this, rather than hijacking yours, sorry!

Cumbrian wrote:To my mind Sale Sharks and Leeds Carnegie have really been missing a trick with this. They should be making themselves clubs for their respective counties, they have nearly 12 million people to aim at between them! I know Sale moved their game up to Bolton and got 17,000 people to come and watch. I know it sounds a little contrived, but if I was in charge of the clubs I'd be looking at changing their names to Lancashire Sharks and Yorkshire Carnegie. I might start a thread about this, rather than hijacking yours, sorry!

Start that thread! Your idea is spot on. Someone at those clubs might actually listen and learn. The clubs should without question link themselves with their surrounding clubs and regions. Sounds so simple when you wrote it. Makes me wonder why it hasn't been tried by those clubs already.

doctor_grey wrote:

Cumbrian wrote:To my mind Sale Sharks and Leeds Carnegie have really been missing a trick with this. They should be making themselves clubs for their respective counties, they have nearly 12 million people to aim at between them! I know Sale moved their game up to Bolton and got 17,000 people to come and watch. I know it sounds a little contrived, but if I was in charge of the clubs I'd be looking at changing their names to Lancashire Sharks and Yorkshire Carnegie. I might start a thread about this, rather than hijacking yours, sorry!

Start that thread! Your idea is spot on. Someone at those clubs might actually listen and learn. The clubs should without question link themselves with their surrounding clubs and regions. Sounds so simple when you wrote it. Makes me wonder why it hasn't been tried by those clubs already.

https://www.606v2.com/t17046-rebuilding-the-northern-english-stronghold