Exmouth Rugby Football Club is a

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 ...

team based in at the Imperial Recreation Ground in

Exmouth Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the 5th most populous settlement in Devon. Histo ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. The club runs four senior teams and a ladies side as well as the full range of junior boys teams and girls teams at three age levels. The first XV plays in South West Premier, the fifth tier of the

English rugby union league 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 ...

Exmouth_RFC_Imperial_Recreation_Ground_stand

History

Exmouth RFC was formed in 1873 and, along with clubs such as Barnstaple and Exeter, were instrumental in promoting the game of

. Early games were played at Exmouth Cricket Ground and then Littleham Lane, until the club moved to more permanent lodgings at Archery Field (Cranford), where they would remain for the next 70 years. The club had some difficult times in its infancy, almost fading from existence in the early 20th century and having to merge with another local club (the Exmouth Echoes) in 1905. By the 1920s things had improved considerably and Exmouth became one of the top sides in the county, with the first team winning the

Devon Senior Cup The Devon Senior Cup is the third tier county cup in the county of Devon. It is administered by the Devon County Football Association The Devon County Football Association, also simply known as the ''Devon FA'', is the governing body of foot ...

in 1925 and reserves winning the Devon Junior Cup three times between 1920 and 1926. Although the success of the 1920s was not reflected in the decades before and after the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

, there were some moments of note including a home victory over a Swansea side. In the 1960s Exmouth decided to leave Cranford to a more suitable location in town so that they were more accessible to supporters. In 1964 the club moved to its current home at the Imperial Recreation Ground, where it has remained to this day. When the leagues were introduced in 1987-88 Exmouth were placed in Cornwall/Devon at level 8 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 ...

. Although they were relegated to the Devon regional leagues at the end of 1988-89 they bounced back quickly and spent the remainder of the 1990s in Cornwall/Devon. At the end of the millennium Exmouth finally escaped from level 8 by winning promotion to Western Counties West. The club also won the Devon Junior Cup twice during this period, including a league and cup double in 2000. During the early 21st century Exmouth started to rise up the league structure and become one of the counties premier sides. They achieved promotion from Western Counties West at the end of 2002 and also won the clubs' first Devon Senior Cup title since 1925. A second promotion at the end of 2008, this time from South West 2 West, saw Exmouth reach the lofty heights of level 5 rugby. On reaching level 5 Exmouth embarked on their most successful spell in the club's history, winning promotion to

National League 2 South National League 2 South (known before September 2009 as National Division Three South) was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, ...

twice (at tier 4, the highest level the club has reached), and becoming dominant in county rugby with five senior cup victories, including four in row between 2010 and 2014. The only downside during this period was that the club was unable to remain in National League 2 South for longer than a season on each occasion they were promoted to that league.

Ground

Exmouth RFC play at the Imperial Recreation Ground on the banks of the

River Exe The River Exe ( ) in England rises at Exe Head, near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It flows for 60 mile ...

, just off the Royal Avenue in the heart of

. As it is next to

Exmouth railway station Exmouth railway station serves the town of Exmouth in Devon, England and is south east of . The station is the terminus of the Avocet Line from Exeter St Davids (which branches off from the West of England Main Line after ). The station is mana ...

it is easily accessible to supporters and there is plenty of parking, both inside and outside the ground. The ground consists of two enclosed pitches. The main pitch is surrounded by an athletics track and is next to the club-house and there is a covered grand stand. Capacity is around 1,250, which includes 250 in the stand, and a further 1,000 standing pitch side. The second pitch is for 2nd XV and junior games.

Season summary

Honours

* Devon Junior Cup winners (6): 1920, 1922, 1926, 1938, 1998, 2000 *

winners (8): 1925, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 * Havill Plate winners (3): 1977, 1981, 1983 * Devon League 1 champions: 1989–90 * Cornwall & Devon champions: 1999–00 * Western Counties West champions: 2001–02 * Tribute South West Division 2 West champions: 2007–08 * National League 3 (south-east v south-west) promotion play-off winner: 2012–13 *

National League 3 South West Regional 1 South West (formerly South West Premier and National League 3 South West) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. When this division began in 1987 it was known as South West D ...

champions: 2015–16

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Official Twitter Account
{{Rugby union in England English rugby union teams Rugby clubs established in 1873 Rugby union in Devon Exmouth