Prem II 2025/26 signings and retentions
Printed From: National League Rugby Discussion Forum
Category: League Rugby - www.leaguerugby.co.uk
Forum Name: The Championship
Forum Description: Discuss the 12 clubs forming the English Championship.
URL: http://www.leaguerugby.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=20735
Printed Date: 02 May 2025 at 23:18
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Prem II 2025/26 signings and retentions
Posted By: KnightsBoy
Subject: Prem II 2025/26 signings and retentions
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2025 at 14:20
|
Doncaster Knights starting early again Thom Smith staying at the knights for 25/26 season Could this be pinned as per usual Or are we having a different section?
|
Replies:
Posted By: Jezmar
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2025 at 08:05
|
Chinnor have so far confirmed the following are re-signed for 25/26:- Robin Hardwick, Kieran Goss, Conor Brockschmidt, Thomas Watson, Scott Hall, Morgan Passman, Grant Hughes, Luke Carter and Cameron Rafferty
|
Posted By: The Blues
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2025 at 08:38
|
Moving this here: Joel Matavesi is to leave Blues at the end of the season for France National 1 side Bourg-en-Bresse, to join his brother.
Apparently there could be quite a few leaving at the end of the season, which is a shame as we have built up a decent squad with no weak links. |
Posted By: castleparknight
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2025 at 13:04
|
Zach Kerr has signed for another year at Doncaster ------------- Onward and Upwards C'mon Donny! |
Posted By: Paul10
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2025 at 14:34
| Dan Hiscokxs renews at Cornish. Some chatter of him going to Wales but hasn't happened. |
Posted By: Se7en
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2025 at 13:00
|
Josh Caulfield supposedly departing Bears in the summer to sign for Ealing on a lucrative salary by Championship standards. https://www.rugbypass.com/news/fissler-confidential-prem-club-move-to-ringfence-test-star-tomos-williams/" rel="nofollow - RugbyPass report he is set to sign for Championship leaders Ealing Trailfinders on a deal worth £90,000 a season when his contract with Bristol expires in the summer. Ealing's owners continue to put together a squad that can compete with Premiership sides, as demonstrated in the Premiership Rugby Cup where they reached the semi-finals, but once again Trailfinder's have failed the stadium criteria to be candidates for promotion into the top flight next season. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/bristol-bears-transfer-rumour-latest-10093888.amp
|
Posted By: Nosides
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2025 at 16:03
Then, sorry to ask or to appear thick, what's the point?
|
Se7en wrote:Posted By: Se7en
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2025 at 16:32
From what I gather, he wants more game time which is fair enough as I imagine he still has a good few more years in him. He had 100 caps with Pirates over a 6 year period in the Championship before going to Irish and then Bears. Good quality to have back in the Championship. As to the why, Bears have signed Argentinian international second row Pedro Rubiolo from Newcastle for next season. With his arrival, I doubt Caulfield would get enough of a look in on match days. Edit - apologies, just thought did you mean 'what's the point' if they can't get promoted anyway? If so, that would be better for an Ealing supporter to answer rather than for me to speculate on. He will certainly add even more experience to their pack for next season though.
|
Posted By: Stalwart*
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2025 at 17:08
|
Josh is a great player, he was brilliant for Pirates and we were very sad to see him go. Lovely bloke, too. Good luck to him. Having said that, I can't understand why Ealing keep spending eye-watering amounts of money to build such a high quality squad when they have no prospect of promotion. ------------- Pirate |
Posted By: gerg_861
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2025 at 18:31
We don't get it either.
|
Posted By: KnightsBoy
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2025 at 14:08
| Joe Jones and Russell Bennett staying another year at Donny |
Posted By: tigerburnie
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2025 at 14:22
| I'm guessing here, but as no club will be allowed in the cartel that is the premiership unless your "brand" is deemed worthy, Ealing might just want to be at the top of their own world outside of the RFU/PRL fantasy league. |
Posted By: Stalwart*
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2025 at 14:35
Fair point. We at Pirates had aspirations to get into The Prem when it seemed to be a realistic and worthwhile aim. With the demise of the Stadium For Cornwall I am now of the opinion we dodged a bullet. The premiership is a basket case financially and the competition will become stale and boring with no relegation. I'm quite content for us to be a sustainable club at Championship level and hope to see investment in the infrastructure at The Mennaye as it is to be our long term home. ------------- Pirate |
Posted By: Runitback
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2025 at 17:37
|
But how many championship clubs are sustainable ? I would say most survive in the largess of a benefactor. Coventry seem to be the only rugby club building a truly sustainable model. A few others just live within their means . ------------- Run with it |
Posted By: The Blues
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2025 at 19:56
| Wrong thread but Blues are totally sustainable now and have been for 7 out of 8 years. Coventry are far from sustainable at present. They lost £956k in their last set of accounts on £2.2m turnover, Blues have a larger turnover of £2.7m. |
Posted By: cheshire exile
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2025 at 21:05
Please explain the difference between “truly sustainable “ and “living within their means.”
|
Posted By: JZSmith
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2025 at 11:30
But how many Premiership clubs are sustainable? An unsustainable Championship club would seem ideally qualified for the Premiership!
|
Posted By: KnightsBoy
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2025 at 12:33
|
Thread back on track Doncaster Knights are delighted to announce that Logovi’i Mulipola and Semesa Rokoduguni have re-signed for the 2025/26 season⚔️
|
Posted By: maire99
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2025 at 23:34
|
According to the Mail, Kyle Hatherell rumoured to Ealing That’s going to be one heck of a team they’re building if true
|
Posted By: Nosides
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 08:01
But, again, why? Why build a magnificent team at what must be huge cost to win a league with no benefit? Until the RFU recognise that teams from the Championship can/should be allowed to compete at the most senior level, surely it makes the Ealing squad (while being one to envy) one man’s vanity project? The premiership needs to made up to 14 from 10 with the bottom 2 being relegated at the end of the season, replaced by the top 2 in the Championship. That gives at least two of the Championship sides more than one season in the Premiership and re-introduces jeopardy to the league system. It’s a simple solution. Funding needs to be balanced (and equal) for the sides competing at the top level so there’s parity and the opportunity for same level competition. Too easy? Probably. Reasonable solution? Probably. Will it happen? Probably not.
|
Posted By: rugbychris
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 08:45
| Could it be Mike Gooley's two fingers to the RFU. Build a team that will crush Worcester and highlight what a joke the league system is? |
Posted By: tigerburnie
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 08:56
| I don't think there is a sport on the planet that is self sustaining, all rely on outside money to survive, soccer, rugby, darts, snooker, none are actually making money for those participating, all rely on tv companies, wealthy benefactors or at grass roots level, the support of volunteers. I see nothing wrong in striving to be the best you can be, within the rules. |
Posted By: Camquin
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 09:24
|
I believe American sport makes money. But it has strict salary caps in place, and a small number of sides in the top league - compared to the TV audience - to ensure it does. US college sport also made money, and it has very many sides, but it traditionally did not pay its players. ------------- Sweeney Delenda Est |
Posted By: Stalwart*
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 10:58
Absolutely right, but as you say it won't happen. ------------- Pirate |
Posted By: Kimbo
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 12:19
I'm no money man (never had any. Don't understand it) but that extra half million on turnover is curious - but like I say, I have no idea how such figures are calculated. Mind you, looking at season tickets and matchday ticket prices (alone) and the figures begin to stack up - even to me. Bedford appear to charge about fifty quid a year more for season tickets (and charge old gits like me full whack, and under sixteens don't get a freebie like at Cov). Matchday tickets are also quite a bit more at Bedford, with seats being up to ten quid more. On similar average gates, that'll make a difference. ------------- Our Club |
Posted By: maire99
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 19:02
| Just jumping back onto topic- David Williams re-signs for Nottingham |
Posted By: No 7
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 19:51
Stupid post WHY ? Shall we all not bother , throw the towell in £%&* it. ------------- Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. |
Posted By: Camquin
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 20:12
|
We understand that you want to win every game, but you can only get 5 points per game. You do not need a squad that will put 50 points on the team in second place. ------------- Sweeney Delenda Est |
Posted By: Stalwart*
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 21:14
Bedford won at Ealing last week and Ealing won the game at Bedford by eight points. ------------- Pirate |
Posted By: Camquin
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2025 at 21:49
|
Even with the three losses, the average Ealing score in the Championship this season is 50 - 20. And still they have Cambridge, Chinnor and Caldy to come to help improve the points difference. They were able to go toe to toe with the Premiership sides in the Cup. How good do they need to be? ------------- Sweeney Delenda Est |
Posted By: Nosides
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2025 at 07:06
Than you No 7 for that informed and considered reply. I thought it was a reasonable question with a reasonable solution suggestion. Each to their own. Have a nice day.
|
Posted By: KnightsBoy
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2025 at 12:08
|
Back to signings Doncaster Knights are delighted to share that our club captain, Ben Murphy, will be staying at the club next season.
|
Posted By: islander
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2025 at 12:51
Thanks KB
  . It's regrettable that the proportion of RM threads which get a) taken off topic and/or b) descend into nasty sniping between members, seems to me to be very much on the rise... |
Posted By: KnightsBoy
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2025 at 16:21
| Alex Dolly signs on for another year with the Knights |
Posted By: maire99
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2025 at 00:05
| Dan Richardson re-signs for Nottingham |
Posted By: maire99
Date Posted: 27 Apr 2025 at 14:17
| I hear a rumour that Freddie Burns is destined for Worcester |
Posted By: JZSmith
Date Posted: 28 Apr 2025 at 11:36
If so he would do well to get his salary paid in advance. As would anyone else considering joining them.
|
Posted By: tigerburnie
Date Posted: 28 Apr 2025 at 22:01
| Joe Brock leaving Leicester Lions to join Chinnor next season, thanks for everything Joe. |
Posted By: Kimbo
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2025 at 06:13
Formerly Cov Academy wasn't he? Good to see him moving up (maybe not so good for you!). ------------- Our Club |
Posted By: maire99
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2025 at 18:36
| Kegan Christian-Goss re-signs for Nottingham |
Posted By: KnightsBoy
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2025 at 10:00
|
Rhys Tait re-signs for Donny
|
Posted By: KnightsBoy
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2025 at 14:15
| Connor Davidson and George Roberts re-sign for Donny |
Posted By: maire99
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2025 at 20:44
| Aniseko Sio re-signs for Nottingham |
Posted By: KnightsBoy
Date Posted: 01 May 2025 at 17:10
| Ollie Fox signs on for another year with Donny |