Elite National Touch Series Round 1 preview

The domestic Touch season moves into Mixed tournaments over the next six weeks with the Elite National Touch Series, which taps off in Banbury this Saturday.

The competitiveness seen in 2021 was taken into the 2022 Elite Men’s and Women’s NTS, and the Elite NTS is already looking too close to call.

Wigan Warriors’ consistency earned them the 2021 title, but they will have a challenging time in Banbury if they are to start with a Cup trophy this year. Wigan have been drawn with Galaxy London, Raptors and Revolution, and the other six pools are set to be just as close to call.

NQ Rebels head to Banbury fresh from sharing the overall title at the recent Touch in Paris, and they are paired with Nottingham Hoods, Oxford and Cambridge Bees in Pool B.

Pool C pitches Cambridge Hornets against London Eagles 1, Surrey Bisons and Crewe and Nantwich, while Pool D is dominated by capital derbies, with Hot Custard, London Scorpions and London Eagles 2 joined by Canterbury.

The top two teams in each pool will progress to the Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams go into the Plate.

There is also a Bowl competition, which includes five teams which have not played at Elite NTS level before.

Cheltenham earned their place in the Elite NTS by winning the 2021 Development NTS and open up the live streaming at 10am, with PFT, Exeter, London Vipers and Bristol Jets all being rewarded by their results last year.

The live streaming will come online just before 10am, with the Cup final tapping off at 5pm.

Cup

Pool A Wigan Warriors, Galaxy London, Raptors, Revolution

Pool B NQ Rebels, Nottingham Hoods, Oxford, Cambridge Bees

Pool C Cambridge Hornets, London Eagles 1, Surrey Bisons, Crewe and Nantwich

Pool D Hot Custard, London Scorpions, Canterbury, London Eagles 2

Bowl

Pool E Chester, Cheltenham, PFT, Exeter

Pool F Green+Gold, Nottingham Mavericks, London Vipers, Bristol Jets

CLICK HERE for the full schedule.