seems to be a clamour for reserve teams resurrecting . Takes me back to the days of Leeds 'A' Some strange line ups selected then ,full of oldish players and younger ones without a hope in hell of ever been a first teamer. Names escape me but I remember such as 'stormin' Norman Francis,the Gibbons twins Remember any more you forumites ??

Francis Maloney, Gary Lord, Warren Wilson & Ikram Butt...bring back the A-Team.

Gary Lord was a first teamer, well at first, signed as a firt teamer.

Paul Gill was one of the main "A"teamers wasn't he?

Yep, Paul Gill. First team fullback for a bit but then broke his leg and made the obvious move to A team prop.

Richard Pratt
Stewart Chick
Paul Worthy
Martyn Smithson
John Lyons (although he did play a bit of first team)

A N Other, and that other lad.....A Trialist.............used to love seeing them play.....I often wonder what happened to both of them ?

I know David Creasser's younger brother Dean played as an AN Other for Leeds occasionally, as did one of Schoey's brothers (Colin?)

Stuart Arundel
Martin Rowse
Mark Massa

Don't forget S. O. Else who played a thousand games and appeared for a number of clubs.

I'd welcome the return of the 'A' Team, the duel reg system is massively flawed and a abused.

I understand the failings and flaws of the dual rev system and I understand that it has and can be abused, and I understand the issues now surrounding the super 8s.

However I still cannot see why people think the solution to this is to invent an entire league that nobody will watch filled with players who aren't good enough. It just seems an expansive way of causing ourselves a whole lot of extra problems.

Agree entirely with this, although definitely want to move away from dual reg. For me, under 21's with one player allowed outside of that age per match. The main issue with that though, is then you need an under 18's league, especially with a club like Leeds, who would not pick a 16 year old who has left the under 16's to play under 21's rugby.

What are people's thoughts on doing like the Spanish & German football leagues (&what the FA want to do) whereby clubs u21's/A-team's/reserves whatever you want to call them, would enter the existing league structure?

I don't think they would fit. They would have to be league 1 clubs in perpetuity because it would fsk up the silly 3x8s system.
I have no problem in principle with it but in practice I don't think it will work

It shouldn't be necessary to do this. In Spanish and German football it reflects high levels of participation and standards. Were RL to go down this route it would be a reflection of the opposite.

I think it’s a substantially lesser “evil” than the current set up. If done correctly it would have who are “good enough” or at least would have some benefits to players and clubs.

An “A” Team set up that was for U21s with the provision to play 3 or 4 over age players would give young players (especially forwards) extra chance to develop before clubs had to make a decision on them – currently 19 is too early for forwards. It’d give squad players a chance to get match fitness and sharpness without being farmed out thus devaluing lower tier clubs. It’d give younger players a chance to play alongside decent quality over age players whilst having the benefit of being overseen by their own club’s coaches.

Dual reg hasn’t raised attendances and has devalued the effort of players and clubs in the lower tier. At its worst it’s caused chaos and bad publicity. You could argue that’s created a league of players who aren’t good enough who aren’t watched by anyone but has also simultaneously turned proud stand alone clubs in to feeder teams.