RUGBY UNION: Open session to seek new faces

10:30am Thursday 12th April 2012 in Rugby Photograph of the Author By Ed Mezzetti, Sports reporter specialising in Rugby, Cricket and Athletics. Call me on 01865 425456

OXFORDSHIRE will hold an open training session next week as they seek to avoid pulling out of the County Championship Shield.

Any player club coaches believe to be of county standard is encouraged to attend the event, which will provisionally take place at Gosford All Blacks RFC on Wednesday, April 18.

The move, decided by Oxfordshire RFU’s executive, comes ahead of the team’s first match on April 28.

Playing chairman Rob Walsh said: “The county jersey must have value and must continue to be an honour to wear.

“We shall be establishing benchmark playing standards and if the available players do not meet these then we shall be forced to withdraw.

“We are not in the business of exposing players to a challenge that may be beyond their capabilities.”

  • CHINNOR’S National Colts Cup run ended in a battling 42-10 semi-final defeat at holders Bedford.

Bedford led 30-3 at the break, but Chinnor rallied with under 17 fly half George Grosse kicking a penalty and converting a try from lock Henry McMaster.

Coach Andy Millburn praised the players’ character and the travelling support.

He said: “That was the first try Bedford had conceded in five games and six of their side had played in the first team.”

Comments(10)

qwerty says...
7:15pm Thu 12 Apr 12

Would be interesting to know how the county intends to measure these "benchmark playing standards." It sounds to me as though they are looking for any excuse to withdraw from the competition. If people are prepared to play, give them the opportunity of wearing the shirt and earning their tie.

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grumpyoldgitt says...
10:23pm Thu 12 Apr 12

ORFU have shown over the last few years their lack of organisation and reluctance to make any effort to look any further than Chinnor RFC for the team and the venue.
They obviously just can't be bothered!!

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Power says...
12:47am Fri 13 Apr 12

To save the County name further embarrasment and prevent Rob Walsh from single handedly devaluing the entirety of Oxfordshire rugby outside of Chinnor, maybe someone else should talk to the papers. As chairman of playing, maybe he should also talk to the coaches of the county side, with 2 weeks to their first game i am fairly sure they have a good idea of the make-up of their squad and have been planning it for some time......

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Chinnor_Fan says...
7:42am Fri 13 Apr 12

Just for the sake of clarification the views being espoused by Mr Walsh are as a result of his role within Oxfordshire RFU.

They are NOT the views of Chinnor Rugby Club.

In reality there are a number of players in teams other than the Chinnor 1st XV squad who, if contacted, would, I am sure, be proud to represent their county!

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AUTUMN DAYS OXFORD says...
9:29am Fri 13 Apr 12

Last time I looked Henley was in Oxon.

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Power says...
10:18am Fri 13 Apr 12

Players from Henley are ineligible as they play at level 4. They county can only select from level 5 or below, which is another reason why it is such a disappointment to read Mr Walsh's comments, because if Chinnor get promoted their players are all ineligible next season. Essentially, he is saying by default that there will be no county side next year if chinnor go up, as no other club or individual player is good enough. Never mind that most other counties select mostly from level 6 and 7 with a sprinkling from level 5, thats not good enough for Mr Walsh apparently.

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AUTUMN DAYS OXFORD says...
10:39am Fri 13 Apr 12

So where has Oxfordshire gone wrong then, I am sure there has been county at all age groups since time began. Where do these lads go if not Chinnor or Henley.

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to ny w says...
10:51am Fri 13 Apr 12

Common sense prevails- see other thread on this subject.

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Power says...
10:52am Fri 13 Apr 12

Its not as simple as that. A lot of lads will go off to Uni after U18s, with a few coming back for U20 county but not a lot of them will be playing first team rugby at their respective clubs. Getting the senior side together is quite labour intensive and requires planning from a few dedicated individuals. What Mr Walsh fails to recognise is that the county coaches, Craig Burrows and Rich Williams, have spoken to a lot of players from around the county and have been doing so since before christmas, and must already have a good idea who the majority of their squad will be. There may be a few holes, but there are plenty of players of the requisite standard around the county outside of Chinnor. It is always nice to be able to select from the strongest pool of players ie Chinnor 1st team, but you have Ox Quins, Witney and Grove to name 3 clubs with more than enough quality to select from.

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5 metre run in says...
12:10pm Mon 16 Apr 12

I am not sure why the level of the league they play in is the be all and end all of selection, surely it should come down to the level of the player.

I am sure we all know players who are better than the league they play in but want to stay at 'their' club and play with their mates.

I hope this open session proves this to them. Maybe they should also try and find some time to 'scout' the other teams in Oxon on a saturday afternoon (if there is the man power)

Are we seeing them signaling the end of Oxfordshire senior rugby?

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