Just been looking over the Skolars results from the last few weeks and was stunned to see they have shipped in 222 points in their last three home games and only registered 16.

Now, with no coach in place do you think it would be worth getting say 8 or 9 Quins Reserves over to them for a few weeks to steady the ship? I hate to see Skolars getting tonked every week and applaud the 300 odd hardy souls who roll up to support the side, but being hammered week in week out isn't going to give them any chance of growing.
Our reserves don't have a fixture on the 19th of July and a fair few Quins fans have been bu99ered by Sky moving the game, so they may well get a few of us down for the Rochdale game if we had some familiar faces to cheer on.

Sorry but don't agree at all. Shipping players in to shore up the Skolars is not the way forward - what does it say to the players who have been training and playing since the season began and who will be there when the Quins legions disappear after one game ? The issues at the Skolars are much more root and branch and do not need band aid solutions. To be honest I have not seen them progress at all in recent years and whilst they had moderate success when they were able to field a team of Antipodeans, now the chickens are coming home to roost. Sad but true.

But....and it is a big but, for the game to really put down roots in London, we need the Skolars to do well. Regardless of what has gone on before, Harlequins RL now have a great crop of players coming through and I would happily forgoe success in the reserve grade championship to help out Londons second team. As for those players who have trained all season etc..they aren't up to it. Not a nicety I know, just a plain fact.
222 points against and 3 Matt Thomas tries for over threee games shows that they aren't up to it.

I agree that the Skolars need all the help they can get, even with an heroic effort from Joe Mbu (I think he played the full 80) they shipped a point a minute after a very even first 15 minutes against league leaders Dewsbury obn Sunday. I think there are a good few better players playing amateur level in the London area but I guess none of them fancy Skolars at the moment. Skolars are averaging 9 points for and 54 against this season. Ouch, it is painful watching god knows what is like playing in it.

Apparently, London League Leaders Hammersmith Hills Hoists (great name ) have had some ex? NRL players playing for them this season.

London RL is truly bizarre.

Why ?

Surely any professional sports club should be self sufficient?

The roots of the game are well and truly establishing themselves in the region through the CSC / Development Officers, but this has got nothing to do with whether the Skolars exist or otherwise.

More and more juniors are now playing the game across the region, throughout the year, in areas like Hertfordshire, Surrey, Middlesex, Essex, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, etc. as well as North London, and in time and given the right management, this will benefit the local amateur clubs, and the regions professional club(s).

If the Skolars want to get serious and become a professional club then they should be supported. But first let’s see a club with a proper structure, with a proper reserve grade, with a proper functional junior development plan, etc. The idea of seeing juniors coming through THEIR ranks and developing into capable Championship level rugby league players is great, creaming off the best local amateur talent and bringing in backpackers / randoms (as was in the past) is not.

Trust me, Skolars do not hold the key to the future of rugby league in the Capital, far from it.

PC Plum is spot on here tbh.

I understand his points, but regardless of his attitude to the "management" at Skolars, they are the second best team in London at the moment and if we can help....we should. The game on July 19th against Rochdale, followed by Quins in France on SLY TV would be a good event......but as it involves communication between "the management" and Quins RL, it won't happen


I did post my argument regarding skolars keeping their pre-challenge cup event to themselves and judging by PcP's responses, they may well have been better off moving it to TW2. Watching Skolars ship 60 points is really going to "put on a show" for the 1,500 odd northerners who show up

Without wishing to repeat myself, moving the event to TW2 would have had no benefits whatsoever to Skolars or Quins.

We have enough troubles of our own to deal with.

leave storming b out of this!

I agree.

I play for the U14's so I get to go to the first team games for free, and my accompanying parent can get in for £6 so my father and I went to see the game against the Rams yesterday and the Skolars did not do that bad despite the fact we lost 64-0. The only reasons the Skolars did not score was because of a couple of errors and the Rams scored at least three tries because of a bad referee - they scored twice from twenty metre restarts that were taken before the referee blew his whistle and one try was scored from a double movement. I do not think the Skolars need to do that much to start winning games.

I like Your optimism

Indeed. Thats the first time i've seen a team lose 64-0 who are "not that bad".

You there then yesterday Listy?

Yeah....11 tries to nil this weekend and in total 38 against, with Matt Thomas getting 3 in reply over the last 3 home games....progress


Put another way, a points difference of -483 after 10 games is just terrible. Refs must really hate us down here



Sorry, I hate to burst your bubble, but the Skolars are in freefall and unless something is done and done soon, they will be looking forward to derbies with South London Storm in the not too distant future.

I only suggested we help......but if the one eyed people that run the club cant be @rsed accepting assistance, then good riddance.
Bad ref causes 11 try to nil massacre.....I can see the local paper now

Of course

To ne fair Dewsbury are unbeaten in this division and for the first 15 minutes it was close. Thorman got injured and it was downhill all the way.

Skolars need an experienced coach like Latham Tawhai, and to be honest Skolars have been going downhill since Quins nicked him. There is young talent at the Skolars but it will be squandered unless a stronger coaching set-up is established. A strong Skolars is obviously good for London, we want more Joe Mbu's.

I have to say I don't agree. I think it's fair enough for us to loan Skolars one or two players a week, but it would be completely wrong for a team representing Skolars to be a majority Quins RL players. Skolars have got a lot that needs sorting out. I've been down there to watch them a couple a times a season over the last 3 or 4 years, and since Latham left them to come to us, it appears to have fallen apart big time. All of the momentum they made under him has gone. Skolars need to get a grip (and no, I don't know what the answer is), but in order to have any credability they must never field anything like 8 or 9 Quins reserves players. How could a team fielding 8 or 9 Quins reserves be a "London Skolars" team?

But unless there's a drastic change - and fast- will there be a London Skolars team next year at any level? Elements of the media are probably preparing 'RL has no future outside the North' articles now.

I struggle to understand why you say this ? Every sports club finds it level and for years now Skolars have batted above their level. I am sure they will be around for years to come but why the obssession with them being in the Championship and getting flogged week in, week out ? Now they cannot draw on backpackers and randoms they are being found out, and how will this change in the short / medium term ? Like EVERY club in the region be they pro or amateur, until they get the juniors conveyor belt in full flow on the back of DO work they cannot be sustainanble.

My perception of the Skolars is they are caught between a rock and a hard place - they are not good enough for Championship, but too good for anything else on offer locally. The Skolars management do have a desire to be involved in the Championship and they pump as much money as they can into the club, but it is not enough money. They need more quality players from the north to supplement the youngsters if they are going to be the least bit competitive.

As for RL has no future ..... just look at the areas where rugby league is being played on a regular basis. Junior playing numbers are increasing year on year, a proper development model is in place with the best kids ending up at Quins RL and the rest filtering down to the right level. I referee the juniors and I can tell you there is some awesome talent out there.

If the guys at the helm are adamant that they want the Skolars to remain in the Chamionship, but do not have the money to attract decent quality to the side, then I see my idea of running some of our players out for the time being as possible. The conveyer belt will produce talent at a faster rate if the Skolars have some success, but shipping 60+ points a game isn't going to inspire the next generation of LMS's

Well said on both parts. The skolars are still a young club however they do punch above their weight. Getting the right coaching staff in place is needed and then getting the best London talent not conference players that are not up to Championship level.
Recruitment can done all over the world if you have the right structures in place. A few players from Quins will help in the short term but you need to create a culture within the club that attracts players to the club, atm i dont think this happens.

I am with gutterfax, if we can give some short - term help, which will not damage our team then i would agree. Losing skolars would be a pity..................

Losing Skolars would be of no concern to us whatsoever. I have no idea why people keep bleating on about this. Its like Castleford being bothered about what Featherstone are up to. If their demise was to occur, it would have no impact on us whatsoever, so why should we dedicate any of our resources towards them? What possible benefit would it give us?

Because the northern people do not rate us in the south and the better development we have all over London....not just south or North London, the better rugby we produce collectively within London.
Skolars will never be the second London team in SL (if there was one) however a strong club in the lower grades is a good thing.