Academy player draft?

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

RFU/PRL to scrap 3 Academies Under New PGP Agreement – NextGenXV

nextgenxv.com

Will be interesting to see how the new academy lines are drawn
Could see
Worcesters academy
West Midlands (Birmingham) - Tigers
Shropshire - Sale
Staffordshire - Split with Tigers and Sale
Herefordshire/Worcestershire - Gloucester

Wasps Academy
Coventry - Tigers
Buckinghamshire - Saints
Oxfordshire - Gloucester
North Warwickshire - Saints

London Irish academy
Berkshire and Hampshire I can see being split and given to Bristol
North Middlesex - Sarries and Quins

Or we could see a massive redraw of the boundaries but don't see that happening to a large extent.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Shame to see three academies drop out but it makes sense if they're unmatched to pro clubs, miss out on the coaching and connections and progression pathways

West Midlands (Birmingham) - Tigers

I was surprised when I found out Birmingham was in Worcesters catchment - we always had Tigers grassroots coaches (and sometimes players) coming to do coaching sessions, never saw anyone from Wuss, always presumed they were further south and west

Staffordshire - Split with Tigers and Sale

This makes sense, you forget how far Staffordshire reaches up north - almost level with Sheffield

Burton and below goes to Tigers, everything above goes to Sale - basically what it is now tbf, Lichfield/Burton is all Tigers country, Stoke is Sale

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

If Ealing was in a stronger position I would be tempted to allow them to buy in the prem and give them the east part of the Irish catchment
But Ealing will perish after a season of perm rugby imo