Nottingham Outlaws began their 2026 campaign with a heavy 48-12 defeat against local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt at Debdale on Saturday. Despite the defeat there were a few signs of optimism for the coaches in a team that contained five debutantes and hadn’t played a competitive game for nine months!

A new look Outlaws team started brightly and had the lion’s share of possession and field position in the opening fifteen minutes but could not make it count as they fumbled the ball on a regular basis whenever they got within the Sherwood red zone. Indeed, they were pressing on the opposition try line when Sherwood intercepted and went eighty metres up field to open up a 6-0 lead.

Despite the reversal the Outlaws continued to press thanks to some good work by debutant standoff Jon Dessington who began to orchestrate some good Outlaws attacking moves. They finally got their rewards after twenty five minutes as Jacob Rigby latched onto a quick tap-penalty and weaved his way through a narrow gap to open up the Outlaws account and the young halfback levelled the scores with a conversion to make it 6-6.

Any smiles on the Outlaws faces were soon wiped off when they dropped the ball on the restart and from the ensuing scrum the hosts regained their six point advantage. Things then went from bad to worse as Sherwood went further in front as they scored on the last play of the first half to close out the stanza with the Outlaws trailing 16-6.

Despite the adverse scoreline theOutlaws went into the break in optimistic mood but any thoughts of a comeback soon evaporated as Sherwood scored two quick-fire trys in a blistering three minute opening second half spell that saw the Outlaws facing a 28-6 deficit with thirty five minutes still to play.

The early trys seemed to wipe away any semblance of Outlaws belief and with heads dropping they leaked more points and at 48-6 they were already facing a record defeat against their local rivals. However they fought back in the closing minutes and they were rewarded for some late pressure as Jack Jonson, playing in an unaccustomed full back role, strode over the line to claw back the deficit. Jacob Rigby added the extras as the match finished with the Outlaws on the wrong end of a 48-12 scoreline.

Despite the defeat there were a few good performances on show, not least that of debutant standoff  Jon Dessington who had a great first game in an Outlaws shirt and it came as no surprise when he deservedly took the player of the match award.

The Outlaws now have seven days to prepare for their first home game of the season against last years champions, Telford Raiders (kick off 2.30pm).

It is less than two weeks the 2026 campaign will start with a bang as a new-look Outlaws men’s team travel a few stops up the M1 to local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt for their opening fixture in the Midlands Premier Division.

The match-up will no doubt be a hard fought affair and whilst the Outlaws will go into the game looking to hit top form from the get-go they will be somewhat underdone, starting the new campaign without a pre-season run out due to the Royal Artillery pulling out of last weekends fixture.

Whilst early-season focus has been the men as they prepare for the start of their new campaign, this weekend also saw the start of Womens training and on Tuesday evening the juniors started training and Tag Rugby made a welcome return to action. It has certainly been a hectic few days down at Lenton Lane!

Nottingham Outlaws are pleased to announce one of the most important dates in their diary, the Annual General Meeting which will be held 4,00pm on Sunday 16th November at Lenton Lane.

The AGM will see us formally close and wrap up the 2025 campaign and immediately afterwards, elect a new committee of volunteers who will drive the club forward in 2026.

This is a great chance for you to hear first hand about how the club is performing financially, have your say on how you think the 2025 campaign went and to air your views on what we could do better, on and off the field in 2026 and beyond.

It is also a time for individuals to step up and offer your services to help the club by taking up a position. Indeed we will be unveiling a number of new roles that people can volunteer their time to help the club as we seek to improve our performance across our mens, womens, junior, tag and touch rugby sections.

Make sure you put this date in your diary and come along to the meeting!

In order to entice new members onto the committee the Outlaws are pleased to announce a number of new committee/volunteer roles that we will be looking to fill at the AGM and ahead of the new season.

These new roles are probably less time consuming and are designed to give new volunteers a chance to get involved with the club doing a new/defined role.

Of course any of our players and supporters are invited to apply/volunteer for the formal officers positions that come up for election every year (eg Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Coaching Director(s), social media). You can simply nominate yourself on the night of the AGM

The table below outlines some of these new roles and describes what is involved should you be interested.

Either come to the AGM or contact the club if you would like to apply for one of these new roles (we can have more than one volunteer per role)

Role	Description
General Committee members	Attend monthly on-line committee meetings
Ground and Clubhouse maintenance team	Pop down to Lenton Lane when available to help with occasional maintenance teams
Old boys ambassadors	Generate a database and grow links with ex Nottingham students
Litle John Lotto Agents	Chase players and supporters and persuade them to join the Outlaws monthly draw
Junior volunteers/coaches	Help out on coaching days for Juniors
Womens volunteers	Help out Stocko and Rhizz at training and on match days
Volunteer co-ordinator	Generate a list of off-field volunteers, contact them when needed for events at Lenton Lane
Health and Safety technician	Make sure the medical boxes are kept stocked and keep an accident and incident register
Touch and Tag ambassadors	Help create interest, chase new members and help out during sessions

Christmas is fast approaching, so time to get organised and buy some Outlaws gifts for your nearest and dearest! This year’s gifts can be viewed and ordered via the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe0jzPM6tG1T_bEon1Ud7HvyvwuFAEbq4Yrg3wEjl6ftLyHYg/viewform?usp=header

Order now to get the Early Bird prices. Deadline for orders is Thursday 6th November. Once you have submitted your order, the club will contact you directly to arrange payment. For your order to be processed, payment must be made prior to the deadline. Your items will be ready to collect from Lenton Lane on Sunday 30th November at the Outlaws Christmas Fayre.

Nottingham Outlaws almost provided the shock of the season in the Midlands Premiership Final when they came within one score of beating reigning champions Telford Raiders. Indeed, the fought back magnificently from a 16-0 half time deficit to almost snatch a win and with two disallowed trys they came close to pulling off a shock win.

The Outlaws went into the final as heavy underdogs having lost both league encounters to the Raiders, shipping over a hundred points in the process so few pundits gave them any hope of pulling off a shock victory.

Indeed, the omens didn’t look great in the opening quarter when they were heavily penalised by the referee which meant they hardly threatened at all. On the back of this possession and field position the Outlaws soon began to leak points as Raiders built up a 10-0 lead with two trys from their big forwards from close range.

Despite the setback the Outlaws finally got some possession in the Raiders twenty and Jimmy Goodwin looked like he had opened the scoring only for the referee to rule for an incorrect grounding.

However, despite the respite the Raiders swept back down the field and once again, back to back penalties saw them under the cosh as Raiders scored again to go into the halftime break totally in command at 16-0.

The second stanza saw a re-vitalised Outlaws team hit the pedal from the off and it soon became apparent that the big Telford front six were rapidly running out of steam in the face of some great Outlaws defence.

Indeed with the second half barely five minutes old Gaz Whitfield sent out a raking pass to the wing which Haz Ashby collected to touch down in the corner only for the referee to chalk it off for what looked like a harsh decision.

With the half unfolding the Outlaws began to dominate possession and field position against a visibly rattled Telford team. They were led by Sam Andrews and Jacob Butler who both began making big inroads into the Raiders defence.

On the back of this better field position and a lion’s share of the possession they finally got the try they deserved when Jimmy Goodwin latched onto a ball from ten metres out and he ran over two defenders in the process of opening the Outlaws account and cut the deficit to 16-4 with the clock on sixty minutes.

Sensing the Raiders were beginning to tire, the Outlaws swarmed forward and they reduced the deficit further when Jacob Butler sliced through the Raiders line beating three defenders on the way for a superb try. Tom Wigglesworth slotted over the conversion to make it 16-10 with ten minutes left to play.

By this point in the game the Outlaws looked like they might go on to at least level the scores but some dogged defence by the Raiders kept them out and they just failed to do it as the final whistle blew with the scoreline reading 16-10 in the Raiders favour.

Despite the defeat the Outlaws had acquitted themselves superbly and on another day could have won it. Coaches Shepherd and Bennett were both full of praise for their charges and were more than pleased with the improvement in performance against a team that had beaten them so comprehensively in the regular season.

There were a host of players in with a shout of the man of the match award, Jacob Butler had superb game on attack and defence and Sam Andrews made some good yards down the middle. However, there were no complaints when Clarke Squires took the award with an excellent all-round performance with ball in hand and a great defensive stint against his opposite number.

Nottingham Outlaws Women wrapped up their 2025 league campaign with a great showing at Lenton Lane in the final Midlands Women’s Festival at Lenton Lane on Sunday.

In the first match the Outlaws ran out 24-0 winners over Midlands Hurricanes but the Outlaws saved their best performance for the match-up against Telford Raiders, a side they had never beaten. In a great performance they scored four great trys to run out 18-14 winners.

Outlaws try scorers were Violet Coppin, Rachel Chambers, Robyn Gulley, Charlie Allport, Ruth Foster and Kiera Newton.

Congratulations went to Outlaws Player of the Tournament, Lacey Solly.

Overall the Outlaws have completed a tough campaign travelling far and wide across the Midlands and South Yorkshire, eventually finishing a highly creditable third place in the division, a great result for what is a new-look side.

Nottingham Outlaws secured a place in the Midlands Premier division Play-Off Final with an emphatic 42-0 demolition of Coventry Bears at Lenton Lane on Saturday. The win sees Outlaws face-off against an unbeaten Telford Raiders outfit at Leamington RFC in two weeks time.

Any thoughts that this last league fixture might be a formality soon disappeared when Coventry almost scored from their first meaningful attack only for a great try saving tackle from Josh Burgin managing to hold up the attacker over the line.

After 15 minutes without a score it was the Outlaws that drew first blood  when captain Coryn Ward latched onto a short ball at pace to open up the Outlaws scoring account with a well taken effort, which Whitfield converted to make it 6-0.

Again Coventry should have scored but failed to pick up the ball from a neat grubber and they were soon made to pay for their profligacy when James Hood powered over from the very next play with an unstoppable surge to the line. Whitfield again slotted over the extras to make it 12-0 to the Outlaws at the break.

After a nervy first half showing the Outlaws started the second stanza with a much more direct approach, taking route one with the forwards. And immediately this change in tactic began to payoff against a rapidly tiring Coventry outfit.

Indeed the half was only five minutes old when Clarke Squires scored with a great solo effort as the powerful halfback crashed his way through some flailing defence and then five minutes later Gaz Whitfield side-stepped his way through the Bears defence and fed Jacob Butler with a short pass and the twinkle-toed second rower sauntered through a gap to stretch the lead to 20-0.

With the Outlaws upping the pace the Bears simply ran out of steam and with their defence struggling they began to leak points at an alarming rate.

Next up captain Coryn Ward took another short ball to double his tally for the game and in the very next set, big Sam Bradley latched onto the ball on the twenty metre line and simply drove his way through the heart of the Bears defence, carrying three defenders over the line with him for a superb solo effort to make it 32-0 with Whitfield converting from bang in front.

There was no respite to be found anywhere for the Bears and they succumbed to two more Outlaws trys as James Chubb scored an excellent try with a run down the right wing before James Hood notched  another powerful effort to complete a fine brace on the day and wrap up the scoring at 42-0 in the Outlaws favour.

After the game the player of the match award committee came up with their choice after some tough deliberation but there was no arguments when young second rower Jacob Butler took the awards after a superb showing on attack and defence.

As the players celebrated their win news filtered through that Sherwood had lost at Telford which meant the Outlaws were through to the final and will once again play Telford Raiders in a repeat of last year’s showpiece in two week’s time.

Nottingham Outlaws kept their Midland Premier play-off ambitions alive with a hard-earned 30-18 victory away over bottom-placed Leamington Royals on Saturday. However they did it the hard way, having to come from behind on two occasions before overpowering the home side with a strong second half performance.

Any thoughts of a stroll in the park for the Outlaws disappeared in the opening five minutes when a loose pass on the home twenty was intercepted and the Royals raced up the pitch to open the scoring and a 4-0 lead.

The Outlaws soon replied, with the next attack Jimmy Goodwin crashed over from ten metres out with a typical effort to level at 4-4 with less than ten minutes played. However the respite was short lived as the Outlaws failed to gather a loose ball and with the defenders looking on, Leamington picked up the ball to score and go back into the lead at 10-4.

Once again, the Outlaws had to come from behind but they did so in emphatic fashion as captain Coryn Ward burst through a gap to score a great solo effort and two minutes later he repeated the effort to notch a quick-fire brace. Whitfield added one of the conversions as the Outlaws went in front for the first time in the game at 10-14.

With the clock ticking down the Outlaws looked like they would go into the sheds with a small lead but on the stroke of halftime the Outlaws lost possession with a ball-steal on their own twenty and in the next play the home side levelled at 14-14 with a well taken try.

The second stanza started with a re-shuffle as Outlaws influential scrum half Tom Wigglesworth was forced from the field after being hit with a high shot that resulted in a lengthy stoppage and a short exchange between the forwards.

The break seemed to revitalise the Outlaws and a great kick through on the last tackle saw Jimmy Goodwin reach the ball first to grab his second of the game and then Harry Hemmingway opened his account as Leamington lost the ball in the tackle and the young winger picked up the loose ball to score with the simplest of efforts.

At 14-24 the Outlaws appeared home and hosed but a late try by the home side saw the deficit reduced to one score at 18-24 and the visiting supporters nerves began to jangle once again!

With the clock ticking down the Outlaws finally put the game to bed with the best try of the match and it came from some fine interplay between the Ward brothers.

The move started out wide as Ward senior broke through the line on halfway and he fed Ward Junior who went on a foot race down the line. As the cover came across he swapped passes with Ward Senior before Junior  once again received the ball from his older brother and the young winger sauntered under the post to score. The evergreen Steve Page added the extras for his first points of the season to wrap up the scoring at 18-30 in the Outlaws favour.

Several players were in with a shout for the man of the match award but it was fullback Gaz Whitfield that took the honours, bossing the match from start  to finish with some great ball handling and attacking kicks.

The Outlaws now have the luxury of a week off before their final league game at home to Coventry, a game they must win if they are to have any chance of reaching the play-off final.

Nottingham Outlaws travelled to Telford on Saturday to play an unbeaten Raiders team that currently sits at the top of the Midlands Premier Division sporting a 100% record. Despite the odds being stacked against they battled hard before finally succumbing to a 46-6 defeat.

The Outlaws went into the game with no fewer than 12 changes to the squad that travelled up to Sherwood the week before and sporting several players on first team debut including Kyle Robinson, Ben Smith, Sam Barney and Ollie Walsh.

With something of a makeshift look to the side the opening stages were always going to be tough and after thirty minutes of first half play the Outlaws had failed to get into the Telford red zone whilst at the other end of the pitch the free scoring raiders ran in no fewer than six trys to lead 26-0. However, the Outlaws did rally, with full back Aiden Butler doing his best to organize the Outlaws defensive line and Ali Waring and Captain Coryn Ward working overtime on the tackling front they also managed to mount a couple of attacks of their own before the half time whistle sounded.

The second stanza started in similar fashion to the first with the home side stretching their lead but the Outlaws rallied and for the first time in the game managed to exert some pressure. With more possession and field position the Outlaws were finally rewarded when Sam Bradley found winger Sam Barney with an excellent pass and the young winger touched down to mark an impressive debut performance.

Aiden Butler slotted over the extras but further scores by the Raiders saw them home and dry with a closing scoreline of 46-6 in the home sides favour.

Despite the defeat there were a number of gutsy performances from a new-look Outlaws team that was superbly marshalled by Aiden Butler at Fullback who deservedly took the man of the match award.

Next week the Outlaws entertain Birmingham Bulldogs knowing they can’t afford any more defeats if they are to stand a chance of getting into the top two play-offs.

Nottingham Outlaws succumbed to a disappointing 30-6 loss against local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt at Debdale Park on Friday evening,  a defeat that leaves the Outlaws hopes of a play-off spot well and truly hanging in the balance.

A strong Outlaws squad travelled two junctions up the M1 and they started strongly, peppering the try line of the home side but some over-eager play and some resolute home defending meant that the Outlaws early dominance went unrewarded.

With 15 minutes gone it had been all Outlaws in the opening exchanges but with one of their few forays into the Outlaws red zone Sherwood broke the deadlock by scoring in the corner to open up a 4-0 lead.

Stung by thus reversal the Outlaws upped the ante and went back on the attack but once more it looked like their efforts might be for nothing but they finally got their rewards when a superbly weighted Whitfield grubber just held up in the Sherwood in goal and Harry Hemmingway won the race to the ball to score a well executed try. Whitfield added the extras to nudge the Outlaws 4-6 ahead with ten minutes of the half remaining.

It looked like the Outlaws ascendancy would see them go into the break but a two try hall either side of the break saw the match swing very much in Sherwood’s favour.

The problems started in the last minute of the first stanza when back to back penalties piggybacked the home side into the Outlaws red zone and they capitalized with a try under the sticks.

Then straight from the re-start of the second stanza the Outlaws were forced into touch and from the resultant scrum the Outlaws conceded to find  themselves 14-6 in arrears.

The travelling support hoped for a positive response from their favourites but instead they were treated to string of errors as the Outlaws forced the pass on too many occasions which meant their completion rate plummeted and they were continually forced back on defence, starved of possession when they desperately needed to get their hands on the ball.

Sherwood had already shown that they knew their way over the whitewash and with a glut of possession and field position they began to put the Outlaws to the sword with a string of well-executed attacks that brought no fewer than three trys without response to well and truly put the game to bed with the Outlaws well beaten at 30-6.

Despite the defeat a few players were in the shout for the man of the match award. Coryn Ward did his best to rouse his troops with an all-action display but the award went to young winger Harry Hemmingway who battled hard for the full eighty minutes and grabbed the only Outlaws try.

After the game a shell-shocked Outlaws squad contemplated a defeat that meant that they now have to travel to unbeaten Telford on Saturday and nothing less than a victory will be needed to keep their top two hopes alive.