Espaerian Premiership Rugby

## Brief Overview

Espaerian Premiership Rugby (commonly known as EPR) is a large nation-wide rugby union competition in Espaeria, which started in 2010. 14 teams compete in a league with two playoffs and a final at the end of the season, to decide who becomes the winner. The competition's most recent season concluded with the Sharks winning against the Flumdos Knights in a thrilling 24:21 final.

## Playoffs and Finals

The playoffs and finals are held in the neutral venue of St James Park. With a capacity of 90,000, it has seen some of the most intense matches in Espaerian sporting history, such as the famed 31 : 30 St James win over St Edmunds-Upon-Baxley in the 1992 St Edmunds-Upon-Baxley tour of St James, as well as hosting the finals for the St James Rugby Championship ever since 1797.

## Scandals

### Westleigh Parkside corruption scandal

On 29th May 2020, Westleigh Parkside was forcibly relegated from Espaerian Premiership Rugby for corruption and bribery. The side was found guilty after bribing three referees with homes on the Emerald Coast, as well as a combined total of 39,000 ESD. The side was desperate to win the competition, but they failed to bribe referee Nigel Owens, who reported the scandal to the Espaerian Rugby Union. Owens refereed the Sheep vs Westleigh Parkside semi final, where the Sheep triumphed 30:10. Westleigh did manage to secure third place by bribing Iwaj Lejfel, a New Estoritian referee who had been invited to referee in EPR. Lejfel assisted Westleigh to the win, but was later found guilty of corruption and bringing the game into disrepute. He was banned from ever refereeing in Espaerian Rugby, and jailed for 4 years. He was released on 10th June 2022 on parole and has returned to New Estoritia to referee in the domestic competition there.

### Montpellier paying scandal

On 30th May 2020, Montpellier was forcibly relegated to Espaerian Championship Rugby after overpaying the coaching team and underpaying the players. The investigative commission found that the then owner, Graham Hellshaw, provided no financial stability for players and often threatened to stop them from being paid. Hellshaw was forced to sell the side to the Grand Duke of Westermere, and the money was split between the players. The entire coaching staff were replaced, with the former coaches heading to the Gladiators in St James, where they still coach today.

### Truffle family scandal

From 2010 to present, the Truffle family have owned large stakes in both the Baxley Otters and the Baxley Saints. Both sides have had been mid-table for almost the entire existence of EPR. The scandal alleges that the family uses their shares in the sides to try manipulate the team's standings. Mid-table profits are often in excess of 50,000 ESD a year for a team. By keeping the side mid-table, there is a steady profit but little suspicion. Nothing so far has been proved and both teams are majority owned by the Earl of Baxley, and the Earl has denied that the Truffles have done any wrongdoing.

## Club Profiles

A full list of Espaerian Premiership rugby union teams can be found here.

### Sharks

Formed officially in 1797

Competes in EPR and St James Rugby Championship

Head Coach: Edward Baldwin

1 James Ashford

2 Toby Parsons

3 David Enfield

4 Eben Ezebeth

5 Barry Scott

6 Samuel Kitchener

7 Henry Chase

8 Joseph Henry

9 Mitchell Webb

10 Sir Luke James (Captain)

11 Rafferty Kitchener

12 Frans Steyn

13 Jimmy Baxley

14 Edward Lewis

15 Connor Stevens

Substitutes:

16 Bobby Warwick

17 Tadgh O’Connell

18 Chad Boland

19 Jeremy Gillett

20 Toby Charles

21 Jean Du Toit

22 Aaron Jones

23 Lewis Reece

Reserves:

Boris Hamworthy, William King, Joseph Lawrence, Harry May, John Morris, Larry Haywood, Nathan Reeves, Michael Oxford, William O’Keefe, Jonathan Edwards

### Sheep

Formed officially in 1812

Competes in EPR

Head Coach: Matthew Rixon

1 Morgan Harris

2 Jonah Jones

3 Adam Jones

4 Rhys Wyn Jones

5 Alun Wyn Jones

6 Gareth Rixon

7 Ross Moriarty

8 William Zammit

9 Benjamin Bourne

10 Peter Wills

11 James Adams

12 Liam Williams

13 Dan Biggar

14 Tom Noble

15 Gareth Jones (Captain)

Substitutes:

16 Tyler Arnold

17 Jeremy Ire

18 Bob Williamson

19 Ellis Parsons

20 Rhys Charles

21 Finlay Du Toit

22 Orin Brooke

23 Hugo Jenson

Reserves:

Joseph Simpson, Samuel Ecclestone, John Li, Sid Smith, Orville Picasso, Chris Ryan, Ira Tyrrell, Charles McCafferty, Ben Young, Owen Hamilton

### Darkkeep Counts

1 Albrecht Richter

2 Siegfried Klein

3 Egbert Schumacher

4 Conrad Schmidt (captain)

5 Rolf Meyer

6  Engelbert Muller

7 Theodor Brant

8 Marius Jung

9 Erik Schafer

10 Sylvester Neumann

11 Simon Richter

12 Alwin Fischer

13 Gunther Schultz

14 Elias Werner

15 Isidor Nielsen

Substitutes:

16 Siegward Schmidt

17 Herman Kaiser

18 Eduard Langer

19 Roland Schultz

20 Eckhart Keller

21 Leonhard Kraus

22 Otto Brandt

23 Ludwig Dietrich

### Saints

1 Tristan Mortimer

2 Jasper Blakely (Captain)

3 Marcus Gaiford

4 Kurt Montague

5 Scott Marshall

6 Henry Tracey

7 Lawrence Bakewell

8 Sam Murphy

9 Rhys Beckett

10 Taylor White

11 Matthew Guildman

12 Edward Martin

13 Simeon Broadhead

14 Stanley Balfour

15 George Bonar

Substitutes:

16 Monty Juffs

17 Horatio Bowan

18 Michael De Pfeffel

19 Arthur Parker Gove

20 Harvey Lakeland

21 Finley Palmerstone Smith

22 Archie Bumford

23 Barnaby Euston

### Otters

1 Olly Bridger

2 Johnny Maidenhead

3 Clive Waller

4 Josh Pullman

5 Ryan Allen Spencer (Captain)

6 Timothy Sharman

7 Max Ford Garter

8 Albert Lloyd

9 Nicholas Parkman

10 Watt Marshall

11 Brandon Badewll

12 Zach Beech

13 Ben Ashling

14 William Stafford

15 Reece Pegham

Substitutes:

16 Louis Rodman

17 Tybalt Ranken

18 Roland Whitacre

19 Dick Erosman

20 Ellis Paxman

21 Hugo Ashford

22 Warren Huntington

23 Xander Gray