Author: hoodedman

Illingworth 34 : Nottingham Outlaws 10

Nottingham Outlaws travelled to Illingworth on Sunday for their first hit out of the season in the Women’s National Cup.

A new-look team travelled up the M1 including several players on debut as well as a number of regulars including Violet Coppin, last season’s top try scorer Robyn Gulley, and new Captain Rhiz Lord.

After a slow start the Outlaws soon found themselves 16-0 down as some rusty, lackluster defence saw them leak three early trys without response and with only fifteen minutes on the clock the signs looked ominous!

Captain Rhiz Lord did her best to rally the troops and some strong words from the Captain seemed to hit home as the Outlaws defence stiffened and with more ball in hand they began to ask a few questions of the home defence. Indeed on the thirty minute mark the Outlaws opened their account with a superb solo effort from Robyn Gulley who scorched down the pitch, racing fully sixty meters to open her 2024 scoring account.

The Outlaws were now going through something of a purple patch and Robyn Gulley added her second of the game to reduce the arrears to 16-10 and with the clock ticking down it looked like the Outlaws were about to draw level only for a good-looking try to be chalked off by the referee as the first half finished with the Outlaws well and truly in the hunt at 16-10 in arrears.

The second half saw the Outlaws tire somewhat and as with the first half they leaked three quick trys to trail 28-10 but they rallied strongly and nearly scored on three occasions only to be held up inches short.

A final try by the home side closed out the scoring at 34-10 and although they were out of the cup at the first attempt there were plenty of positives for the Outlaws coaching team to take heart from. Including several promising debuts and a fine day at the office for player of the match Robyn Gulley.

Captains Named

Nottingham Outlaws preparations for the fast-approaching 2024 campaign stepped up a gear this week when they announced the captaincies of both their women’s and men’s teams ahead of the new season.

It was a mixture of new and old as the Women’s Captaincy armband was passed onto utility forward Rhiz Lord for the first time, whilst the Men’s Captaincy will once again fall on the shoulders of club stalwart Coryn Ward.

Both players were natural choices to lead their respective teams out onto the paddock so it will come as no surprise to either squad as the leaders were announced at training this week.

Women’s Coach Mark Stockman was quick to back his selection of Rhiz Lord as Women’s Captain, commenting “I’m delighted to announce Rhizzi as captain for the 2024 season. I want to thank Violet for all of her hard work and leadership whilst at the helm of the captaincy. Violet is taking some well-deserved time for herself. Rhizzi is the natural successor and was an easy decision for me. Rhizzi’s commitment since joining the club is second to none.”

Similar views were expressed by Men’s Coach Joe Shepherd who was again full of praise for his choice of on-field leader, adding “We’re very lucky to have Coryn back as Captain again this year. As a coach you couldn’t wish for a more committed leader than Coryn. He had a fantastic season last year, and he’s still getting better as a player.”

Club Chair Richard Johnson was quick to support both congratulate both players, commenting “We all know that Coryn has led his troops from the front over the last few seasons through some tough Yorkshire League encounters and his inspiration. His on-field endeavours make him a natural leader and I am pleased that he is once again carrying on the Captains role. Rhiz will also make a great Captain, she is also an inspirational character who does so much for the club on and off the pitch. She is without doubt a natural leader for the Women’s team and I know she will thrive under this new challenge”

2024 Men’s Fixture Schedule Finalised

Nottingham Outlaws are pleased to announce that their men’s first team fixtures for the 2024 season have now been finalised and released for public review.

As revealed previously, its all change at the Outlaws as the men’s team have switched competition from the Yorkshire league and have returned to their roots in the Midlands Premier Division.

The new look schedule sees them once again ply their trade against Midlands rivals such as Birmingham Bulldogs, Coventry Bears, Sherwood Wolf Hunt and Telford Raiders and a return of the Nottinghamshire Cup which will see the Outlaws face-off against fellow Nottinghamshire rivals Wolf Hunt.

Outlaws Chairman Richard Johnson was full of anticipation on release of the fixtures, adding “Our return to the re-vamped Midlands Premier is a huge opportunity to grow the game and show the rugby league community how strong the local game is in the Midlands. From an Outlaws perspective we can’t wait to resume our local rivalries against teams such as Coventry Bears and Sherwood Wolf Hunt in what promises to be a hotly-contested competition”

However, before the Midlands action starts there is the welcome return of the Heroes Trophy which resumes after a six year sojourn and sees the Outlaws look to retain the magnificent trophy against The Royal Artillery in a tasty season opener at Lenton Lane.

Outlaws NTU Scholar in South of England Squad


Nottingham Outlaws are pleased to announce that one of their Nottingham Trent University Scholarship players, Cal Foster, has been selected for the England students Southern Origin squad to play in the recent North v South origin game.

In a tough encounter Cal was named in the centres and acquitted himself well. He is now eagerly awaiting to hear whether he has made the final England squad.

Coach Joe Shepherd was delighted, saying “It was great to see Cal acquit himself really well in representing the south. He was very solid and impressed in the time he was on the field. Congratulations also to Femi Sanya from Nottingham Trent, and Ben Price and Freddie Ziegler from University of Nottingham.”

Cal thanked Nottingham Outlaws saying “Wouldn’t have been possible without the scholarship so really appreciate everything, and buzzing for the season to start! “

Coach Shepherd’s praise was equally endorsed by club chair Richard Johnson who added, “with the Outlaws 2024 season now rapidly approaching it is great to see our scholarship players hitting top form. We are immensely proud of Cal and what he has already achieved this season as we are with all of our scholars and we can’t wait to see them pulling on an Outlaws shirt in the forthcoming campaign”

Outlaws Sponsorship by EPMS Supplies Ltd

Nottingham Outlaws are delighted to announce a new 5 year sponsorship package with local building materials company EPMS  Supplies Ltd, a construction industry supplies and services specialist based across several locations in the UK including its Midlands office a stones throw from the Outlaws ground, in Redfield Road Lenton. EPMS owner Kevin Earles is no stranger to the Outlaws, often coming down to the ground to watch the Outlaws play. Kevin was only too pleased to come on board and support the club. 

In a ground-breaking deal for the Outlaws, EPMS will work closely with the Outlaws over the next 5 years, starting with the EPMS logo adorning newly purchased post protectors and pitch-side signage.

Outlaws Chair Richard Johnson was full of praise for the deal, commenting “Landing a long-term sponsorship deal is great news for a club like ours, helping to bring financial stability and enabling us to plan ahead. At a time when we are starting to invest heavily in ground refurbishments a close relationship with a company like EPMS Building Supplies is going to be invaluable in a number of ways”

The new post protectors have recently arrived at the ground and are now in place ready for the start of the new season which is only weeks away!

Outlaws Scholars in Midlands Students Squad

The coaching staff at Nottingham Outlaws are pleased to announce that two of their current scholarship players, Olly Hopkins and Cam Foster have been selected to play for the Midlands Students in this weekend’s regional play-offs. The match is the first step on the representative pathway with both players eyeing selection for the South of England squad. Continue reading “Outlaws Scholars in Midlands Students Squad”