Tiger in the CI tank

CHANNEL Islands junior rugby teams could be the ultimate bi-product of a new cross-island initiative linked with Leicester Tigers. Thanks to funding from Ronez, a two-year deal has been put in place that will see Guernsey's juniors train with their Jersey counterparts.

'I'm very, very delighted about it,' said Geoff Renouf, the director of the Guernsey Rugby Academy.

'We're trying to get better links between the islands instead of 'them and us'. It will benefit our guys by training with them, to have mixed matches and ultimately maybe having a Channel Islands team.

'It's fantastic and it's a good stepping stone. I'm hoping that there will be more to come.'

The development has been met with similar enthusiasm in Jersey.

'It's long been thought that inter-island games are a far-from-perfect means of developing young players - mainly because of the pressure such fixtures put on competitors,' said Jersey Academy official Kevin Le Masney.

'The fierce rivalry between the islands at many sports can often boil over to such an unhealthy extent that the development value of inter-insulars - vital for sports when competition elsewhere is so expensive to achieve - is severely reduced.'

Ronez has put up £5,000 for the first season that will go towards travel costs between the islands.

Guernsey will go to Jersey twice this season and there will be two similar visits from the Caesareans to Foote's Lane.

The first is planned next month and the sessions will be held under the guidance of Jersey's first-team coach Barry George, who is the professional Ashburton rugby development coach in the sister isle.

The initiative was developed when Renouf met the Jersey Rugby Academy and Ronez's managing director, Mike Osborne.

'Ronez are delighted to be supporting this venture and we believe this is a great way to put a little bit back into both communities,' said Osborne.

'We have a strong association with rugby, notably through our parent group's sponsorship of the Leicester Tigers, and we look forward to supporting the fantastic energy among the juniors in Jersey and Guernsey to develop the top players of the future.'

Peter Tom, chairman of the Guinness Premiership champions, has a home in Guernsey.