NEWS that 24 Lancashire clubs will break away from the RFU league structure should sound alarm bells ringing at Twickenham – England’s domestic structure could be about to see seismic changes.
The RFU have reluctantly sanctioned the new independent Lancashire County League and if clubs in other counties follow suit, the entire official nationwide league pyramid could falter.
The reasons for those clubs breaking away are easy to understand. Modest clubs have been sucked into a system in which league status is the beall and end-all, in which there are relatively few local derbie...