1st XV League Announcement and Confirmation

After the 1st XV rampaged through Hampshire 1 last year, they gained promotion to Regional 2 South Central and after a slight reshuffle of the leagues, the competition has been officially confirmed.

Regional 2 South Central looks further than just Hampshire, with teams from Surrey, Dorset, Berkshire and West Sussex also competing, so the club look forward to the Petersfield collective touring the South and supporting the team.

Petersfield will face many familiar names this season, with Andover, Tottonians and Winchester the other local counterparts. Like Petersfield, Andover gained promotion last year and the two teams will both be looking to solidify their place in the league this season and build upon their impressive seasons of last. Tottonians and Winchester both had successful seasons last year, with a 3rd and 2nd finish for the pair respectively, so they will be pulling no punches when the teams face off this season. No doubts that there will be some great entertainment at Penns Place!

Branching into Surrey, the Red and Green will be facing the following teams this year: Chobham, Farnham and Guildford. It has been a considerable time since Petersfield were in the same league as a lot of these teams, so the coaching team and players are relishing the chance to go out and compete at a higher level against some new competition.

Berkshire is more unchartered territory for the club, as they will be venturing up the A34 to visit the Newbury Blues next season, who placed 10th in the leagues standings last year. The new campaign will be filled with fresh opposition and challenges for the squad, so the longer journey times will be a true test of dedication. Not only this, but these journeys will also feature a return of the legendary Fun Bus and its many journeys and stories.

Furthermore, the team will be voyaging over to Dorset, where they will be facing up against North Dorset and Wimborne. Like the reds, North Dorset also gained promotion last year, from Counties 1 Tribute Southern South, where they only lost 3 games in their entire season, notching up 92 points with 14 try bonus points to go with it. Wimborne were playing in an extremely competitive Regional 2 South Central last year, where they finished 8th. Both teams will be embracing the new league order and it should make for some cracking rugby in all departments.

Finally, Petersfield will be playing another familiar foe next year from West Sussex - Chichester. The two teams and their local rivalry go back many years, specifically 1926 and 1927 when the clubs were founded. The upcoming season will be the first time in as far as most can remember where the clubs will be getting the chance to play each other, and it will certainly be nothing less than a clash when they face off this year.

Here is what newly appointed Director of Rugby Matt McLean had to say, when we asked about him about the future season:

“To be embarking on a league campaign that sees the club play at its highest level in the club’s history is exciting. The coaching group and players alike are relishing the opportunity to pit themselves against competitive opposition week in week out and are very much looking forward to the challenge. We expect to learn a lot about ourselves and our character at this level of competition, and will need to focus our mindsets in a way we’ve not had to previously. The geographical expansion of the league will test our attitude and resilience across our away fixtures, and whilst we lack collective experience in this area I feel we have the quality within the squad, as well as the right personality to rise to this challenge, and we are very much looking forward to playing our brand of rugby across the division and raising the profile of Petersfield RFC as an emerging force.”

The club is buzzing to be competing at this level and cannot wait for the twists and turns that are steadily approaching. Preseason kicks off on the 25th June and with the help of our excellent strength and conditioning team, the boys will be raring to get out on the pitch for next season and tuck into some excellent rugby.

If you are interested in getting involved with the men’s team, please contact team manager Jamie Williams @ 07800 570035