The Durham University Rugby Football Club (Durham University RFC or DURFC) is the

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

club of the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...

. They play in BUCS Super Rugby, the highest level student rugby competition in the UK, and have produced a number of notable international rugby players.

History

One of the earliest recorded matches was against

Durham School Durham School is an independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located in Durham, North East England and was an all-boys institution until 1985, when girls were admitted to the sixth form. The school takes pupils ...

, on 2 November 1875. The school won by "one goal, one try and two touch-downs to three touch-downs". Other fixtures for Michaelmas term 1875 included vs Houghton-le-Spring in Houghton on 6 November, vs Durham City in Durham on 13 November, vs South Shields in South Shields on 20 November, the return match vs Durham School in Durham on 25 November, vs Sunderland in Durham on 27 November, the return match vs Durham City on 2 December, vs Northumberland in Newcastle on 4 December, and the return match vs Houghton-le-Spring in Durham on 11 December. Ted Wood previously served as director of rugby. Durham were crowned BUCS Super Rugby champions for the 2019/20 season under captain Ben Fowles, the Covid-19 pandemic stopped the team from going to challenge for the BUCS Super Rugby Cup Final. Following the cancelled Covid-19 season, Durham again won the BUCS Super Rugby league title for the 2021/22 season under captain Fred Davies.

Notable former players

Flags represent country capped by in international competition. *

Will Carling William David Charles Carling (born 12 December 1965) is an English former rugby union player. He was England's youngest captain, aged 22, and won 72 caps from 1988 to 1996, captaining England 59 times. Under his captaincy, England won Five ...

* Will Greenwood * Phil de Glanville * Dave Walder * Charlie Hodgson *

Tim Stimpson Timothy Richard George Stimpson (born 10 September 1973 in Liverpool) is a former rugby union international full back (and occasional wing). During his career he played for Wakefield, West Hartlepool, Newcastle Falcons, Leicester Tigers, Perp ...

* Duncan Hodge * Jeremy Campbell-Lamerton * Andy Mullins (rugby union) * Marcus Rose *

Ben Woods Benjamin Woods (born 9 June 1982) is a retired rugby union player who played for Newcastle Falcons and Leicester Tigers as an openside flanker. Woods started his professional career at Newcastle Falcons in 2003 but suffered a badly broken l ...

* Toby Allchurch * Richard Breakey * Tim Cowell * Mark Griffin * Charlie Hannaford * Jon Ions * Chris Kelly *

Peter Lillington Peter Murray Lillington (born 1959 in Ely, Cambridgeshire) is a former Scotland 'B' international rugby union player. Rugby Union career Amateur career Lillington competed for Durham University RFC as an undergraduate. He continued his stu ...

Ed Kalman Ed Kalman (born 7 December 1982) is a former Scottish rugby union internationalist, who played for Glasgow Warriors in the Pro12. He played as a prop; both at tighthead and loosehead. Rugby Union career Amateur career Having moved to Scotland ...

* Ollie Phillips *

Peter Warfield Peter John Warfield is a former rugby union international who represented England in both the 1973 Five Nations and 1975 Five Nations tournaments. Personal Warfield attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College and earned a two-year schol ...

Josh Beaumont Josh Beaumont (born 24 March 1992) is a rugby union player for the Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership. He plays as a number 8, or a lock. His debut season in the Sale Sharks jersey was uneventful as well as his second season. During his thir ...

Simon Hammersley Simon Hammersley (born 20 March 1993) is a former English rugby union player who played as a fullback. He has been nicknamed "Lord Hammer of Hammershire" by BT Sport commentator Nick Mullins. Club career Hammersley started his career at his lo ...

References

{{University of Durham University and college rugby union clubs in England Rugby union in County Durham

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

Sport at Durham University