Dorset and Wilts Rugby Football Union (Dorset & Wilts RFU) is the governing body for

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 its m ...

in the counties of

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

and

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Dorset & Wilts RFU is a Constituent Body of the

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

(RFU) and is responsible for the management and administration of the game within the counties of Dorset and Wiltshire of all forms and at all levels. Originally Dorset and Wiltshire had their own county teams but would start to merge into one body towards the end of the 1930s, having already played a combined match against Hampshire in 1935-36 which Dorset & Wilts won 9-6. By 1939 Dorset & Wilts agreed to become a unified rugby football union to take part in the 1940-41 County Championships but this was postponed by the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After the war Dorset & Wilts played its first official county match in 1947 and attained full county status from the RFU in 1949.

Role and responsibility

Dorset & Wilts RFU's role is to promote and develop rugby within Dorset and Wiltshire by supporting its clubs and encouraging all those who wish to participate including players, coaches, referees and administrators. It works in partnership with the RFU and liaises with local authorities and other county and regional organisations to achieve this. Its remit includes: * Acting as a two-way link between the clubs and the RFU, it represents the interests of its member clubs regionally and nationally and provides the RFU with local knowledge of its clubs. * Working with the Dorset and Wilts Schools' Union and the constituent clubs' development bodies to manage the rugby development of all players within the two counties. * Working in partnership with the

Dorset and Wilts Referees' Society Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , D ...

to recruit, trains and develop club referees. * Appointing welfare managers to provide leadership in the safeguarding of young people, to support club welfare officers and to assist clubs in the development of their welfare procedures. * Administration all county competitions and the representative teams that take part in the County Championship, the National U20 Championship and County age grade competitions. * Using the disciplinary powers it has been delegated by the RFU to act in relation to the infringement of any law of the game by players below National League level, or for any conduct prejudicial to the game or for infringement of most RFU or IRB regulations. * Auditing rugby facilities and producing plans to identify and prioritise club projects. * Assisting and supporting proposals to develop Club facilities in partnership with the South West RFU. To help achieve these aims it holds an annual conference for club officials and manages and administrates specific RFU projects including RFU funded campaigns to help clubs recruit and retain players, coaches and administrators. It also nominates candidates and tutors from its Clubs to attend the regional RFU leadership academy. D&WRFU has a strategic plan supported by annual action plans and works with the RFU to: * Increase the number of players, particularly those aged 16 and above * Increase the number of matches being played * Improve the sustainability of its clubs * Increase the number of effective people supporting the playing of the game.

Badge and colours

The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

for the Dorset and Wilts RFU

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

are; '' vert, an orle

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

per fess (at nombril point), three

lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

passant guardant In heraldry, the term attitude describes the ''position'' in which a figure (animal or human) is emblazoned as a charge, a supporter, or as a crest. The attitude of an heraldic figure always precedes any reference to the tincture of the figure ...

in pale

, a

bustard Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and on the steppes of the Old World. They range in length from . They make up the family Otididae (, formerly known as Otidae). Bustards ...

wings elevated and

addorsed In heraldry, the term attitude describes the ''position'' in which a figure (animal or human) is emblazoned as a charge, a supporter, or as a crest. The attitude of an heraldic figure always precedes any reference to the tincture of the figur ...

also

.'' The arms are generally shown on a shield described either as a ''badge'' or ''elegant''. The green and white colour of the arms and playing kit are taken from the arms of the

Wiltshire County Council Wiltshire County Council (established in 1889) was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county. As a result of the 2009 restructur ...

which were chosen to represent the white chalk and green grass of the

North Wessex Downs The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The name ''North Wessex Downs'' is not a traditional one, the area covered being better kno ...

. The three lions representing Dorset are derived from the old seal of Dorchester (the county town) which had borne the former

royal arms of England The royal arms of England are the Coat of arms, arms first adopted in a fixed form at the start of the age of heraldry (circa 1200) as Armorial of the House of Plantagenet, personal arms by the House of Plantagenet, Plantagenet kings who ruled ...

; these are placed in a superior position to the Wiltshire

in order to compensate for the use of Wiltshire's colours (the colours from the

Flag of Dorset The flag of Dorset (also known as the Dorset Cross, and Saint Wite's Cross) is the flag of the English county of Dorset. It was chosen as the flag of Dorset on 16 September 2008 following a vote open to all Dorset residents, and organised by Dors ...

are not represented as it was only adopted by the county in 2008, long after the formation of the Dorset and Wilts RFU, though it could now be argued that the white represents Dorset and the green stands for Wiltshire). The bustard represents Wiltshire because it was in this county that the bird was last seen in the late 1890s before being declared extinct in the United Kingdom (the great bustard was adopted as the

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

of Wiltshire in recognition of this fact) and it is on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

in Wiltshire that efforts are currently under way to reintroduce the species.

Twin counties sides

Senior men's side

The senior side regularly enters the RFU's County Championship Division 3 and have won it on three occasions, in 2010, 2011 and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. In 2010 the ''Twin Counties'' won two of their three pool matches against

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

and

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, and then defeated

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

in the semi-final. They defeated

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

36–26 scoring five tries to only one conceded at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

on 30 May 2010. Leicestershire had booked their finals spot with a 37-35 victory over

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

. 2010 final team Replacements: In the 2011 competition they beat

33–22 and

54–12 in the pool matches. They then beat

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

61–37 in the semi-final and won the final at

on Sunday 29 May 2011, beating

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

43–22. 2011 final team Replacements:

Senior women's side

Under 20 side

In 2011 the Dorset and Wilts U20 side played 4 and won 3 in the U20 County Championship competition. They beat

21–15, then

21–32 and

0–36 before losing 58–10 to

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

in the quarter finals.

Affiliated clubs

There are currently 51 clubs affiliated with the Dorset & Wilts RFU, most of which have teams at both senior and junior level. Although several teams from

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

play in the Dorset & Wilts regional leagues, these sides are still members of the Somerset RFU. * Aldbourne Dabchicks * Anglo-European College Of Chiropractors *

Blandford Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this was abolished and i ...

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

Bournemouth University Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s. The univer ...

Bradford-on-Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, s ...

Bridport Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and withi ...

Calne Calne () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, southwestern England,OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs h ...

Chippenham Chippenham is a market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village ...

* Cooper Avon Tyres *

Colerne Colerne is a village and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England. The village is about west of the town of Corsham and northeast of the city of Bath. It has an elevated and exposed position, above sea level, and overlooks the Box valley to ...

Corsham Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south-eastern edge of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 national route, southwest of Swindon, southeast of Bristol, northeast of Bath and southwest o ...

Cricklade Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227. History Cricklade ...

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century ...

* Dorchester * Dorset Dockers *

Dorset Police Dorset Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Dorset in the south-west of England, which includes the largely rural area covered by Dorset Council, and the urban conurbation of Bournemouth, Christchurch a ...

East Dorset East Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England. Its council met in Wimborne Minster between 2016 and 2019. The district (as Wimborne) was formed on 1 April 1974 by merging Wimborne Minster Urban District with Wimborne and Cran ...

* Frome Valley Lions *

Lytchett Minster Lytchett Minster is a village in Dorset, England. It lies around north-west of Poole town centre. The village forms part of the civil parish of Lytchett Minster and Upton, Upton now being a suburb of Poole. Geography Location Lytchett Mi ...

Malmesbury Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

Minety Minety is a village in north Wiltshire, England, between Malmesbury – to the west – and Swindon. It takes its name from the water mint plant found growing in ditches around the village, and has previously been known as Myntey. It has a prima ...

* Motorola Swindon * Nationwide (Swindon) *

North Dorset North Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England. It was largely rural, but included the towns of Blandford Forum, Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Stalbridge and Sturminster Newton. Much of North Dorset was in the River Stour vall ...

* Oakmeadians *

Pewsey Vale Pewsey Vale vineyard was founded in Eden Valley, South Australia during 1847 by Englishman, Joseph Gilbert. It is currently part of S.Smith and son. It was the first vineyard established in what is now the Eden Valley wine region

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

Puddletown Puddletown is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated by the River Piddle, from which it derives its name, about northeast of the county town Dorchester. Its earlier name Piddletown fell out of favour, probably because ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

* South Wilts *

Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish includes the hamlets of Nether Coombe and Lower Clatcombe. T ...

* Sherborne Pilgrims *

Supermarine Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that is most famous for producing the Supermarine Spitfire, Spitfire fighter plane during World War II as well as a range of seaplanes and flying boats, and a series of Jet engine, jet-powered figh ...

Sutton Benger Sutton Benger is a village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England, northeast of the town of Chippenham.OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). The parish i ...

* Swanage & Wareham *

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

* Swindon College Old Boys *

The Armour Centre ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

Trowbridge Trowbridge ( ) is the county town of Wiltshire, England, on the River Biss in the west of the county. It is near the border with Somerset and lies southeast of Bath, 31 miles (49 km) southwest of Swindon and 20 miles (32 km) southe ...

Warminster Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and civil parish in south west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of about 17,000 in 2011. The 11th-century Minster Church of S ...

* Warminster Training Centre * Westbury * Weymouth * Wheatsheaf Cabin Crew *

Wiltshire College Wiltshire College & University Centre is a tertiary college of education founded in 2002 by the merger of Chippenham Technical College, Lackham College and Trowbridge College. Consolidation was completed with the merger of Salisbury College, whi ...

* Wiltshire Fire Brigade *

Wiltshire Police Wiltshire Police, formerly known as Wiltshire Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Wiltshire (including the Borough of Swindon) in South West England. The force serves 722,000 people over an area ...

Wimborne Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of Poole ...

Wootton Bassett Royal Wootton Bassett , formerly Wootton Bassett, is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 11,043 in 2001, increasing to 11,385 in 2011. Situated in the north of the county, it lies to the west of the major ...

Senior County Club Competitions

Since 2001-02 the league system in this region has been contested by clubs from

and

(as well as the occasional team from

) and is run by the Dorset & Wilts RFU. Prior to this clubs from

had also taken part but they now play in a league with clubs from

and

. Currently there are several regional divisions which combine 1st, 2nd, 3rd and even 4th teams in the region including:

League

* Dorset & Wilts 1 North / Dorset & Wilts 1 South - tier 8 leagues for teams from

(north) or

(south) * Dorset & Wilts 2 North / Dorset & Wilts 2 South - tier 9 leagues * Dorset & Wilts 3 North / Dorset & Wilts 3 South - tier 10 leagues

Cups

There are a number of cups for the first teams of clubs based in

and

run by the Dorset & Wilts RFU including: * Dorset & Wilts Senior Cup * Dorset & Wilts Senior Vase * Dorset & Wilts Senior Plate Additionally there are cup and plate competitions for 2nd teams in the region as well as a cup competition for 3rd teams.

Discontinued Competitions

* Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 East - a league involving

and

clubs that ran between 1988-1992 and was at tier 10 of the

English rugby union system Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England cons ...

* Dorset & Wilts 3 West - a tier 10 league mostly for

clubs that ran for two spells; 1988-1992 (as Berks/Dorset/Wilts 3 West) and 2006-09 (as Dorset & Wilts 3 West) * Dorset & Wilts 4 - a tier 11 league that ran between 2011-2016. The division contained mostly 2nd, 3rd and 4th teams based in both

and

Colts County Club Competitions

At colts level (under 18) there is an annual league and knockout cup competition.

Colts cup competition

Preliminary matches are usually played in January and February with the finals taking place in mid-April. At each stage only the winners of each match progress to get to the cup final match. There are two consolation matches, the plate final (to determine third and fourth place) and the bowl final. Trophies are presented to the winning team of each of the three final matches and individual medals to the winners of the cup final. Due to RFU restrictions on playing time at Under 18 level, no extra time will be played in the event of a tied match. * In preliminary matches the away side go through * In the finals, the winner is (in order until a winner is found); ** the side that has scored the most tries ** the side that has scored the most goals (converted tries) ** the side that scored (any points, not necessarily a try) first ** in the event of no score, the trophy is shared History of the Colts cup competition

Colts league competition

References

External links

* {{County rugby union in England Rugby union governing bodies in England Rugby union in Dorset Rugby union in Wiltshire Sports organizations established in 1939 1939 establishments in England