Glen Remnant hails Cantabrigian Rugby Club after promotion is confirmed

Cantabrigian have been confirmed as earning promotion in London League Three Eastern Counties.

After the early conclusion of the 2019/20 campaign, with four games remaining, the RFU worked out the final standings by calculating a best playing record formula.

Cantabs had won their last 14 games with a bonus point, and got a walkover win without a bonus against Beccles, who were unable to raise a team.

It meant they were second in the table, a point behind West Norfolk, who beat them 33-32 in the first game of the season. West Norfolk had won 16 out of 16 but with two fewer bonus points and an inferior points difference of 217 to Cantabs.

The sides were due to clash at Cantabs in April, which would likely have been the promotion decider, but now both have won promotion.

Cantabs head coach Glen Remnant was delighted for all involved.

“The boys have had an amazing season,” he said. “It’s a reward for all of that hard work, when it’s wet and raining and cold and the boys are putting the hard yards in – it’s lovely to get this reward.

“It would have been nice to win the league, and I think we were in very good place to do it.

“It would have been exciting, it wasn’t to be but the promotion is good and great for the club.

“It’s very good news. I said to the boys when the coronavirus has blown over and we’re all able to get together we will have a couple of beers, sit down with our sponsors and everyone at the club and enjoy the promotion.

“It’s about all the boys – the firsts, seconds and thirds – everyone through every training this season has contributed to this promotion,” he said.

“It’s been an entire club performance, and that’s off the field too. It’s been very good and the committee have been amazing too to allow us to develop the club as we have. Everything going forward is an exciting time at the club.”

Remnant had been concerned that the season may be declared null and void, but they earned promotion having seen their record pitched against Harlow, from London 3 Essex, in a play-off.

“At first, before they said they were going to look at it, I thought they may just have the season null and void, and that we would start again next year,” he said.

“After all the hard work, that would have been quite hard to stomach but the RFU were quite determined to say we’re going to close the leagues out and go through this.

“I think they needed to as there were teams like us and West Norfolk doing well in the league and then there are ones at the bottom that could benefit from going down. It works both ways, and it’s important and not to the detriment of the game in the country that you do have that promotion and relegation situation.”