Student Rugby League once more leads the way with a pioneering rugby league tour to Norway in early July. The purpose of the GB Chairman’s XIII, known as the ‘Pioneers’, is to aid the development of the greatest game in fledgling rugby league nations.

 

This is an official tour by the Student Rugby League (SRL) in liaison with the RL European Federation (RLEF). The trip will involve joint training and educational sessions with the Norwegian players before the test match in Oslo on Sunday 5 July. Preparations include a training camp on the weekend of 19-21 June in Hull.

 

The Pioneers is a development experience. The squad are drawn from 14 different universities across the UK including Oxford and Cambridge. The group has almost equal representation from each of the Four Nations (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) with players from 20 different counties including Hampshire, Essex, Bucks, Dorset, Devon, Co. Antrim, Co. Dublin, Roxburghshire, Carmarthenshire and Powys as well as the northern heartlands. Many of the players are themselves relatively new recruits to rugby league.

 

This is the fifth Pioneers tour on the back of visits to Estonia, Czech Republic, Latvia and Ukraine. The Pioneers have laid the foundations for each of those countries to develop rugby league and now each is participating in either European Shield or European Bowl competitions. We are pleased to see that the visit of BARLA u-23's to Ukraine next month will continue the momentum of the Pioneers 2008 tour.

 

The 2009 squad will be coached by Andy Jordan, a member of the RFL development staff.

 

Gerard Keenan, Team Manager commented, “The Pioneers is a unique development concept. Our students continue to break new territory. Their desire is not only to play rugby league but to teach others and share their love of this fantastic sport. We are going to Norway not to plunder but to bring people from afar into the rugby league family. We expect a real challenge and know that within a short space of time our Viking friends will become formidable opponents.”

 

The playing squad:

 

Name                       University               Country

Luke Donovan        Bangor                    Ireland

Mike Ellis                 Hull                          England

Patrick Evans         Gloucester              Wales

Peter Forster          Oxford                      England

Chris Graham        Napier                     Scotland

James Harrison    Bradford                  England

James Howard      Leeds Trinity          England

Stephen Knowles Leeds Trinity           Ireland

Ryan Lewis             Brunel                     England

Liam Morton            Bangor                   Wales

Ollie O'Mara            Oxford Brookes     Ireland

Chris Reynolds      Leeds Met Carnegie Wales

Keith Sandhu         Bradford                 England

Ian Skinner             Bangor                    Wales

George Smibert     Oxford                      Scotland

Alex Stevens           Exeter                      Scotland

Mark Sweeney        Cambridge             Ireland

Adam Ward             Birmingham           Scotland

Rob Webber           Gloucester               England

 

 

The management squad:

 

Name                     Position                 Country

Gerard Keenan    Team Manager     Ireland

John Piercy           Tour Manager       England

Tom Brewster       Asst. Manager      England

Andy Jordan          Head Coach         Wales

Mick Dwyer            Sports Therapist  Ireland

Chris Radford       Referee                 Scotland