The Zurich A League
By AlanQuin
May 4 2004
Those players who do not get sufficient game time in the first team of any Premiership Club used to have to rely upon a few irregular 2nd XV games to demonstrate that they might be worthy of promotion to the matchday squad.
Those players who do not get sufficient game time in the first team of any Premiership Club used to have to rely upon a few irregular 2nd XV games to demonstrate that they might be worthy of promotion to the matchday squad. This season, for the first time, they have a competitive league to give some greater meaning to their endeavours.
The A League is divided into two geographically organised sections and there will be a final to be played over two legs, home and away between the teams who win each of the two conferences or sections. The final league positions are as follows:
Southern Division
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | BP | Pts |
| NEC Harlequins | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 397 | 195 | 8 | 40 |
| London Wasps | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 379 | 286 | 9 | 31 |
| London Irish | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 257 | 215 | 6 | 30 |
| Gloucester United | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 359 | 340 | 7 | 27 |
| Bath United | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 248 | 222 | 6 | 24 |
| Saracens | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 99 | 481 | 1 | 5 |
Northern Division
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | BP | Pts |
| Northampton Wanderers | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 319 | 199 | 8 | 44 |
| Rotherham Titans | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 279 | 201 | 6 | 30 |
| Leicester Tigers | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 252 | 197 | 8 | 28 |
| Newcastle Falcons | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 261 | 212 | 8 | 20 |
| Sale Jets | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 171 | 313 | 3 | 19 |
| Leeds Tykes | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 147 | 307 | 5 | 13 |
Quins won the home leg of the final 28-15 against Northampton and won the second leg 13-44 at Franklin's Gardens giving a 72-28 win to become the first Zurich 'A' Champions.
The 2nd XV provide exciting running rugby and have scored an average of almost 40 points per match, many of those who have played have already appeared in the first team and will become part of the first team squad in the future. More will undoubtedly do so before very long.
Regular reports of these matches have appeared on this website and will continue so to do. But those are poor substitutes for your presence at the entertaining series of matches which provide exciting, skilful running rugby.
The final: