The Southern Conference League is returning in 2023, with a new format, the return of the Harry Jepson Trophy, and six of the teams preparing for action in the First Round of the Betfred Challenge Cup this weekend.
The SCL will run a single eight-team Premier Division which is dominated by teams from the old Eastern section with the ambitious Bristol All Golds coming across from the West.
The streamlining of the SCL will allow the return of the Harry Jepson Trophy, which was founded in 1997 in tribute to the legendary Rugby League enthusiast and administrator for the community clubs who emerged nationwide following the introduction of the Super League played through the summer months.
Full details of the Harry Jepson Trophy will be announced later in the spring, but it is already guaranteed to feature more than 40 teams from the Midlands and the South of England, from Nottingham and Boston to Teignbridge and Brighton.
The SCL will consist of a 14-round season running from April to September, with each of the eight teams playing the other seven home and away – and the top four qualifying for the Play-Offs.
The SCL champions will be determined at a Grand Final which has already been fixed for Pennine Way, the home of Hemel Stags, on Saturday September 16 – when the Final of the Harry Jepson Trophy will also be played in a double header.
Wests Warriors, the 2022 SCL champions who are based at the historic Wasps rugby union ground on west London, will lead the charge in this weekend’s Challenge Cup ties with a long trip to east Hull to face Skirlaugh.
There are two all-SCL Premier meetings with Brentwood Eels facing Bedford Tigers and London Chargers hosting North Herts Crusaders, while on Saturday evening Hammersmith Hills Hoists will welcome Dublin City Exiles – the Irish club making their first appearance in the competition for 20 years.
Southern Conference League Premier Division, 2023:
Bedford Tigers, Brentwood Eels, Bristol All Golds, Eastern Rhinos, Hammersmith Hills Hoists, London Chargers, North Herts Crusaders, Wests Warriors.
