DEWSBURY RAMS IN FAIRFAX CUP DEBUT

DEWSBURY Rams will make their first appearance at the York International Nines Festival in the 2007 Fairfax Cup competition.

The Rams, currently running fifth in National League One, will be bidding to take the title away from defending champions York City Knights, and will present a powerful challenge to the leading French Nines teams who will be competing for the Cup.

Entering the Festival represents a leap into the unknown for the Rams, who are untried in the shortened form of the game.

“As a player I played sevens but not Nines, so this is a new venture for me as well as the team,” said Rams coach Andy Kelly.

“I think it’s quite an exciting challenge. The players are looking forwards to it and it will be a welcome release from the National League season.”

In accordance with the Festival rules, the Rams will take a squad of fifteen to the event, which takes place on Saturday 14th July at Heworth. Each fifteen-minute game will involve teams of nine players plus four substitutes who operate an unlimited interchange – with five forwards and four backs taking the field at any one time. Obviously speed will be high on the list of Kelly’s priorities when he comes to select his Fairfax Cup squad.

“We will be looking for pace and agility,” he continued. “We’ve got one or two backs who can double up as forwards and I would imagine that is pretty much where we will focus. We certainly won’t be sending a team of props! We will try and incorporate some fun into training the week before the Festival by bringing in one or two different things related to Nines, we will get some competition going and see who suits it.”

And Kelly, who has been a supporter of the Festival since its inception in 2002, welcomed the entry of teams from the National League into the Fairfax Cup.

“Because I’m a supporter of rugby league I’ve watched the Nines competition at the York Festival grow, and every year there is more and more validity given to the concept because of the standard of teams that are entering it. I think it is already quite an important date on the rugby league calendar, and when you get professional teams arranging their own planning around it, it does give a certain level of credence to the event. People do look for it on the calendar now and it has become a good day out.”

“I think it will create some interest in Dewsbury – our U21s have a good following so I think when you’re offering a day out like the Nines there is no reason why we shouldn’t take a good support to the Festival.

“I would fancy our chances to go and be competitive, but not many of our lads will have played Nines before so we might get caught out by the concept because it is a different game altogether. We will certainly send out a strong enough side, but whether or not we will grasp the concept we will only know on the day.”

Further information on the York International Nines Festival is available on the official website http://www.york9s.ik.com/