Horsham in good shape to 'develop further next season'

Following the early end of the rugby season in England as a result of COVID-19, The Rugby Football Union has announced the final league positions. It was agreed that the final standings in the men’s community game would be calculated on a best playing record formula maintaining promotion and relegation for those leagues.
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Horsham Rugby Club’s Vice Chairman and Commercial Manager, Richard Ordidge, commented upon receipt of this news: “Following promotion into London 1 South, which is as high as this club has ever played, the 2019/20 season for Horsham was all about consolidation at this higher level which we are delighted was effectively achieved as early as January, so we are happy to finish in seventh position in the league out of fourteen sides.

"Declan Nwachukwu was the leading scorer with 18 tries despite a truncated season and missing several games whilst away on international duty with Nigeria. 47 players saw 1st XV action over the course of the season of which Jordan Smith made the most appearances. A feature of the campaign was the youth of the side with as many as 16 players featuring whilst still in their teens which bodes well for the future.

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SEE ALSO Chairman disappointed at non-league clubs challenging season write-off: 'They seem to be willfully ignoring what we all know' | Which Sussex clubs are going up after the rugby season was settled - and who goes down?"Next season is already looking exciting, and I would like to congratulate Haywards Heath on their promotion into our league, which will provide a renewal of local rivalries to add to that already held in the division with Chichester.”

Declan Nwachukwu was the leading scorer with 18 tries. Picture by Richard OrdidgeDeclan Nwachukwu was the leading scorer with 18 tries. Picture by Richard Ordidge
Declan Nwachukwu was the leading scorer with 18 tries. Picture by Richard Ordidge

Horsham Rugby Club’s Head Coach, Nick Stocker, said: “We feel the RFU positions were probably the best solution so we can move forward properly when the restrictions are eased. For us, we couldn’t have seen much difference in our position other then the opportunity to play a couple of winnable games at the end of the season as opposed to the run of tough fixtures we’ve had recently.

"Overall it’s been a good season stepping up and having bloodied lots of young players, we believe that we are in a good shape to develop further next season."

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