The draw for the Bedford Blues Under 19s 10-a-Side Tournament was completed on Friday night ahead of the Blues game against Cornish Pirates.
The draw, which was made by Ian Connell, Chairman of Cornish Pirates, and Ian Baggott, President of the East Midlands Referees Society, has determined which teams go into each Pool for the inaugural tournament which takes place on Sunday 26th April at Goldington Road.
Bedford Blues Academy have been drawn in Pool A, along with Moseley, East Midlands RU and Worcester Warriors, who they will face in their first tie of the competition. Pool B will contain Nottingham, Ealing Trailfinders, London Scottish and Cambridge University.
There will be a round robin in the pool stage with each team playing one another in games of eight minutes each way. Teams will be awarded two points for a win and one point for a draw to determine the winners of each pool. The winner of Pool A will play the winner of Pool B in the tournament final while the second placed teams in each pool will go head-to-head for the Plate trophy.
The opening game of the tournament will be between Moseley and East Midlands RU kicking off at 11 am on Sunday April 26th.
Speaking about the tournament, Bedford Blues Chairman Geoff Irvine, who is also chair of the Championship Clubs Committee at the RFU, said: “The Championship plays a vital role in English Rugby and has produced many players who have gone on to play in the Premiership, and for England. This tournament is an ideal opportunity to show off the fantastic player development work that is being carried out by the Championship clubs.
“The Championship Academies play a key role in developing players for first team squads and you don’t have to look any further than here at Bedford to see that impact. We have seven players in our current squad who have come through the ranks at our Academy while many others have passed through and gone on to Premiership and some to international accolades.”
Denis Ormesher, Bedford Blues Academy Director, added “The draw has thrown up some interesting matches between a number of sides who do not normally play each other. After a season of 15-a-side it will be fascinating to see which players cope best with the 10-a-side format. 10s is a great game to watch – it needs all the contact skills of 15s, but the extra space rewards sides who can move the ball and have got pace to finish. It should produce a great day of rugby.”
The inaugural Under 19s 10-a-side tournament, which will involve some of the most talented young rugby players in the country, takes place at Goldington Road on Sunday April 26th. It is designed to showcase the player development work being carried out by a number of Championship Clubs as well as providing a competitive end of season focus for those taking part.
The full programme is below:
Bedford Blues - U19 Invitation 10-a-side Tournament
Sunday April 26th - Goldington Road, Bedford
|
Pool A |
Pool B |
|
Team 1 – Moseley Team 2 – East Midlands Team 3 – Worcester Warriors Team 4 – Bedford Blues |
Team 1 – Nottingham Team 2 – Ealing Trailfinders Team 3 – London Scottish Team 4 – Cambridge University |
11.00 am Play commences
|
11.00 11.25 11.50 12.15 12.40 13.05 13.30 13.55 14.20 14.45 15.10 15.35 |
Moseley Nottingham Worcester Warriors London Scottish Moseley Nottingham East Midlands Ealing Trailfinders Moseley Nottingham East Midlands Ealing Trailfinders |
vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs |
East Midlands Ealing Trailfinders Bedford Blues Cambridge University Worcester Warriors London Scottish Bedford Blues Cambridge University Bedford Blues Cambridge University Worcester Warriors London Scottish |
16.00 Break
16.20 Plate Final
16.50 Cup Final
17.20 Trophy Presentations
 |
 |
 |
 |
