Rugby Club Luxembourg is assessing its options after the cancellation of the 2. Bundesliga West left the first team without a league for the 2023/24 season.

RCL Head Coach Antoine Alric confirmed to RTL Today that the second-tier division was cancelled in August after four of the six teams withdrew to compete in regional leagues.

The club will now have to organise alternative arrangements for the season, but Alric is confident that solutions can be found.

One option would be for RCL to return to either the French or Belgian leagues, which the club competed in at various times in its 50-year history.

However, Alric believes rushing to join other divisions could be a "mistake" and endanger RCL's long-term vision.

It would require the team to enter the French or Belgian pyramids at the lowest level, playing against much weaker teams for years until it could be promoted into a stronger division.

This could, in turn, have a knock-on impact on the development of the Luxembourg national side, which draws many of its players from RCL, as well as other sides such as RC Walferdange.

Play-off chances

Alric revealed that by remaining in the German system this season despite the cancellation of the second division, RCL will likely have another shot at promotion to the top tier in Germany.

After narrowly missing out last season in defeats to Rugby Club Köln and RK Heusenstamm, the side will get another chance to reach the 1. Bundesliga via the play-offs in May or June 2024.

In preparation for those massive fixtures to come, Alric is seeking to create a schedule of 15 to 18 competitive matches against a range of international teams.

Talks are already underway with potential opponents such as the Jamaican national team and the Swiss Barbarians.

The coach believes the cancellation of the league could in fact represent an "opportunity to increase our presence" and "create a bridge between clubs and countries" all over Europe.

Including the various youth sides and the second team, which competes in a German regional league, RCL's total membership already exceeds 400 players.

And Alric highlights that with the Rugby World Cup starting in France on Friday, the club is "expecting lots of new players" to express interest in signing up.

The future of rugby in Luxembourg remains bright, then, despite this temporary setback.