Left Lineout: December

 

Well, well, well. Here’s a surprise not even the bearded fat man himself (no, not Brian Blessed, the other one) could have pulled out the bag this Christmas. October’s update ended with a nod to the big issue that seemed likely to hang over Nottingham’s season; namely, just where exactly the club’s long term home will – or should – be.

It’s not a new issue. Far from it. Rather, it’s something that has been quietly rumbling away in the background for several seasons. Quiz anyone who has been down to Meadow Lane to catch a Nottingham Rugby fixture in the last few seasons about their match-going experience and you’ll hear the same old criticisms: empty stands, no atmosphere.

The problem for the longest time was the availability of other suitable options. Highfields has never been a popular option, and while Lady Bay had a lot going for it (predominantly its location, its status as the club’s current training base, and its availability) there were problems, chief among which were the fairly basic facilities and the fact it lies on a flood plain, making development difficult.

Over the last year, however, Lady Bay began to emerge as the logical option, and a potential move gathered pace. In the last update I talked about how this season was likely to be a hugely important one for Nottingham Rugby, but for reasons off the pitch rather than the 80 minutes of rugby that lies at the heart of each week. Well, less than 24 hours after that post went live, the announcement came that Nottingham Rugby would be moving to Lady Bay in 2015.

Nottingham score against Moseley

While it had been coming, the speed of the decision and the timing of the move have raised more than a few eyebrows. At a fans Q&A session with members of the board earlier in the season the possibility of a move to Lady Bay in the future was enthusiastically discussed, but more so as something for the future, something to build slowly towards. There was nothing – as far as I, or many other fans were aware – to indicate that the club would be relocating so quickly.

So what prompted it? Well, the new shareholders have eased the financial burden on the club, meaning that, for the first time in many a year, we were in a position where this decision was actually possible, even though two-and-a-half years remained on the deal to play at Meadow Lane. Add to that the pre-season friendly against Leicester Tigers at Lady Bay, and the huge success of that day, and you have a groundswell of support that probably proved pivotal in getting the deal over the line.

Still, the timing of the move does raise a few interesting questions for fans. For example, what considerations were given to the many supporters who have already paid up for season ticket in the comfortable and well equipped, if rather quiet, surroundings of Meadow Lane, that will now have to watch their side play in the rather basic surroundings of Lady Bay? Why couldn’t the move take place over the off-season? Wouldn’t that have made far, far more sense?

On the other hand, however, I dare say the majority of fans will not care one jot. For a fair wedge of them, this move could not come soon enough, and the possibility of a future at a developed Lady Bay is incredibly exciting, particularly given Nottingham Rugby’s part-ownership of the site and the possibility for redevelopment (as emphasised at the second fans Q&A a few weeks ago), despite the aforementioned issues regarding the location.

Mauled by Munster in the British and Irish Cup

Anyway, while moving house is all very exciting, we’re now half way through this here update and a ball hasn’t been kicked in anger. I’m sure you’ll forgive me given all the relocation excitement, but what about goings-on on the pitch? Well, October’s roundup signed off with the Green and Whites heading into the British and Irish Cup, where we found ourselves in a group containing Worcester Warriors, Munster and Moseley.

It was never going to be easy, and sure enough it wasn’t. Largely second string sides suffered defeat in every single game, leaving us anchored to the bottom of the table and notching up an unenviable club record of eight – EIGHT – consecutive defeats in the competition. By far the hardest loss to take in that run was the 27-26 home defeat against Moseley, suffered with the very last kick of the game.

Eugh.

As hard as it is to see your team get clobbered week in and week out, the reality is the cup doesn’t matter at all to a club in our situation, and I think we all know that. As for the Moseley defeat, sure, it was a bitter pill to swallow, but given the 27-26 win in the league we’d nicked over them in a bad-tempered, card-strewn mess of a game at Billesley Common a fortnight earlier, they were probably due. The reality is it’s all about the league right now, and I’d happily swap routine trouncings in the cup for some points on the board in the Championship. I think most fans would agree.

Which is just as well really as, by and large, we’ve not been that bad in the league of late. Two weeks before the Moseley win a swaggering, confident and powerful Green and Whites side dominated in a 28-13 win over the Cornish Pirates at Mennaye Field, the like of which has been scarcely seen around these parts over the last couple of years.  Sandwiched between the Moseley and Pirates wins was a 27-13 home defeat against the then league leaders Bristol, a scoreline that was slightly skewed by a last minute breakaway try for our opponents after we’d been caught out pursuing the bonus point – and a draw – at the death.

Sean Romans

The icing on the Christmas cake though was the scintillating 24-3 demolition of local rivals Doncaster Knights at the weekend that sees us guaranteed fourth spot in the table for Christmas this year. The win was by far the best display of the season, and possibly the best all year, as Dan Mugford from fly-half and Javiah Pohe from inside-centre ran the show, with Sean Romans at scrum-half also shining. We looked like the kind of side that might, just might, make a run at the playoffs this year, something which didn’t look overly likely at the start of the season, or when we were all peering through our fingers in the last 60 seconds of that Moseley clash.

Which brings us full circle, and right back to the great, big, stonking bit of news that kicked this update off, because there is a caveat to the Lady Bay move, and it’s a massively important one. As far-fetched and pie-in-the-sky as it might seem at times, as part of the move to the new ground the board has negotiated a deal which would see us return to Meadow Lane if – and it’s a bloody big if right now, but if Nottingham Rugby were to win promotion to the Aviva Premiership, something that brings a whole new level of meaning to the phrase “planning ahead”. Still, it’s nice to know the board are thinking.

For now, though, Nottingham Rugby move into their new home on January 18th when we face Plymouth Albion at Lady Bay. Just typing those words feels nice. The grand hurrah, or the good riddance (depending on your view point), to Meadow Lane comes a fortnight earlier when we host London Scottish on January 4^th. I’ve no doubt the Plymouth game will be a rip-roaring occasion, but I really hope Meadow Lane gets a good send-off. Ok, it’s not been perfect, but neither were the Lenton flats and look how teary-eyed everyone’s got now they’ve gone.

Anyway, it’s Christmas, so have a good one, yeah? Gobble your turkey, raise a glass and be merry. As for Nottingham Rugby, well we’ve been really rather naughty on the pitch this year, with the odd bit of nice thrown in. Still it doesn’t seem to have upset the big man, because as Christmas presents go, you can’t really do much better than a new home, can you?

#BackAtTheBay

Nottingham Rugby