After the excitement of a first appearance in the Challenge Cup before Christmas, the early part of 1996 saw the Student Rugby League Old Boys (as Skolars were then called) return to the league campaign. Their unbeaten run in the London Amateur Rugby League ended with a 22 all draw at London Warriors, Marc Simons scored a hat-trick and Adrian Paul also scored a try as the side making a late comeback after conceding two early tries.

It was then back to national competition with the first round of the BARLA National Cup. SRLOB were one of eleven clubs from south of Sheffield to take part, but lost at Aspatria 30-10. A break week saw the side organise a friendly, beating Met Police 48-10, but that was followed by a first league defeat, going down 14-10 to London Colonials.

They steadied things with a resounding 40-0 win against Surrey Heath in a game that also counted as the first round of the LARL Cup, before beating Peckham Pumas 40-16. They celebrated winning the league with style – beating Fulham Travellers 5-50.

They rounded off the league campaign with a 16-36 win at Hemel Hempstead against the Stags’ second team.

The club’s first season had seen them reach the final of the Southern Counties Cup Final, put in a heroic performance in the Challenge Cup against a Heworth side that went on to finish fourth in the National Conference League premier division and won the London Amateur Rugby League with twelve wins, one draw and just one defeat, scoring an average of 34 points per game in the league.

They were now in the semi-final of the London Amateur Rugby League Cup – could they record a league and cup double?