Chinnor and Cambridge Launch “Not The Prem Cup” Following Premiership Rugby Cup Exclusion

Chinnor and Cambridge characterized their exclusion from this season’s Premiership Rugby Cup as “Appalling” and “not really fair.” To underscore their stance, the clubs will contest the inaugural match of their self-created Not The Prem Cup this Friday evening in Thame, Oxfordshire. The second leg is scheduled for 1 March 2025 in Cambridge. Both clubs intend to approach the competition with seriousness, particularly given Chinnor’s 57-24 victory over the Blood And Sand in the Championship earlier in the season. Cambridge head coach Richie Williams informed BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, stating, “Huge kudos to Chinnor and ourselves for putting on a competitive fixture like this.” He added, “The easy thing in this period would have been to try and pick up some friendly games but there’s actually a bit of meaning behind these fixtures we’re going to have. “There’ll be a little bit of added spice as we’re still hurting from that first league fixture when they came to us and embarrassed us.” Richie Williams, Cambridge’s head coach, previously played for Chinnor. Only ten Championship teams received invitations to participate in the Premiership Rugby Cup (PRC). Cambridge, who concluded the 2023-24 season at the bottom of the second tier, and Chinnor, recently promoted from the National League, were the two teams not included. This exclusion prevents them from competing against Premiership opponents, an opportunity Cambridge experienced in the previous season. Both squads might exhibit some lack of match practice, having last competed on 19 October. On that date, Chinnor suffered a 34-19 home defeat to Hartpury University, while Cambridge secured a 29-22 victory over Cornish Pirates at their Ellgia Fields ground. Cambridge earned promotion from the third division two seasons prior, following a streak of 10 consecutive wins, and have since demonstrated adaptation to the higher level after a challenging initial season. Williams commented, “From our perspective it will be nice to have a hit out again, they’ve had a little time away from rugby and there’s an air of excitement around the first leg of the fixture.” He further stated, “The players are approaching this, I know, as if it’s a league game so there’s a lot riding on it.” He concluded, “There’s a massive trophy to play for as well so that’s (provided) an added edge to the game.” The match on Friday will be officiated by Sara Cox, who made history in 2021 as the first woman to referee a Premiership fixture. Nick Easter, Chinnor’s director of rugby and a former England international, expressed his view that the two clubs will be “substantially disadvantaged” financially compared to other Championship clubs due to their omission from the PRC. He informed BBC Sport, stating, “We are faced with two significant void spells, which has taken the steam out of our momentum. It leaves our squad twiddling their thumbs and makes it difficult to maintain our match-ready status.” Easter continued, “We are grateful to Cambridge in helping us both to address these issues to a certain extent, but again it is disappointing that the RFU have offered us no assistance in finding some suitable fixtures for these substantial voids .” He concluded by saying, “We have been very heartened by the support of the rugby community in relation to our setback and are confident that they will turn out in force to cheer both sides on and will, no doubt, be rewarded by some cracking entertainment.” Nick Stainton, the club chair, remarked that Chinnor is on a “voyage of discovery” within the Championship. He noted that the matches against Cambridge would assist in bridging significant five and seven-week gaps in their fixture calendar, although more games are still required. Stainton stated, “Despite a bit of creativity around the Not the Prem Cup, we still have many empty weekends.” He further elaborated, “We really need another fixture in February-March time before we come back into a Championship block. Despite a bit of creativity around the Not the Prem Cup, we still have many empty weekends.” Sara Cox MBE will officiate Friday’s match, an involvement Stainton considers “a headline in itself.” He further commented, “There are a couple of people who are not available but we’re taking it seriously for lots of reasons: for our supporters, for Cambridge and for the players, particularly.” Stainton also noted, “Our pre-sale ticket (figures) have been very positive. We will see how many people come to support on the night. Fans have definitely flipped from a sense of frustration to a sense of anticipation.”