Skolars juniors take on Saracens in cross-code challenge

The London Skolars Juniors are going to be involved in a truly unique event over Easter when the under 16 age group play a cross code challenge game against world famous Rugby Union club, Saracens, The game kick-offs at 7pm on Wednesday 4th April, and takes place at Bramley Road Sports Ground in Southgate. The game is being hosted by Barnet and Southgate College with each code featuring; Rugby Union being played in the first half and Rugby League being played in the second half.

Whilst a number of community league and union clubs that share facilities have played cross-code games, next month’s game is thought to be the first between the junior sections of two professional clubs.

The most famous contest cross-code came in 1996 when Wigan and Bath played one game of each code. Wigan won the league game at Maine Road 82-6, with Bath triumphing 44-19 in the union encounter at Twickenham. Playing in both those games for Wigan was Andy Farrell, who subsequently changed codes to play for Saracens and is now Saracen’s first team coach.

North London’s leading Rugby organisations, Skolars and Saracens work in partnership on Barnet and Southgate College’s College of Rugby Education (CORE) delivering classroom based sessions as well as field and strength and conditioning focussed sessions.

This initiative was dreamt up by the staff and coaches involved in CORE, Skolars and Saracens Foundation as an opportunity to showcase the college and course, both clubs, allowing Barnet and Southgate College to recruit for the 2012-13 academic year intake. Both Skolars and Saracens will have first team players present and there will also be other special guests present from both Rugby League and Rugby Union.

Skolars Community Coach, Graeme Spencer, who leads on CORE delivery for the Skolars and is a key coordinator for the Cross Code challenge said, “Our players are really looking forward to pitting their wits against one of the top Rugby union clubs in the country.

Both clubs can only benefit from the event and we hope to make it a regular exhibition game allowing members from both clubs to find out precisely the opportunities they have educationally and Rugby wise in the area.”

I suspect with it being in the south, alot of the league lads will have played RU at school and maybe even a higher level than that. They will know the game better than their RU rivals will know RL. Or so you would expect.

I'd expect the Saracens youngsters to be of a significantly higher quality then the skolars.

Yup, it will be strapping young gladiator types versus sparrow legged and malnurished dweebs.

On what basis?

Saracens are an enormous, fully professional, Union club and Skolars are at best a minor semi pro League team.

Yea it needs to be Saracens vs Leeds or Saints academy for this to be a fair comparison

Why am I imagining the Rugby Union game against "The Masters" in Monty Python's Meaning Of Life?

Good luck to the Skolars juniors in the game

Although if this game goes the same way as the other cross code challenges, if Skolars do win I fully expect to see some them lured other to Union (amazing how many of that Wigan team from the challenge game in ’96 ended up or had a stint in Union)

I just don't know who benefits from this.

If Skolars have some players that shine in the game then guess where they will be playing in 6 months

And sorry but I forgot, Yawnion is sh...........

I think given where the majority of these Skolars players hail from, if they'd wanted to play Union and had been good enough to do so at this level, then wouldn't they be doing just that? Believe it or not some southerners actually prefer rugby league!

Saracens are an interesting club when it comes to cross code work.

There is the obvious Wigan connection with Farrell and now Tomkins along with their "partnership" (whatever that involves).

I wonder if they are considering a league club at some point...

Bravo sir!



bet you will find lots of players who havent even come from a union background. Players down south now are brought up on league right from junior level.

That's quite an interesting thought.

This. A lot of the lads just prefer playing league and see it as the better code. I know I certainly do.