The Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union is the union responsible 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 county of

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 ...

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 ...

and is one of the constituent bodies of the national

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 ...

. Formed in 1878, it has won the

county championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

on numerous occasions.

History

The Union was formed at a meeting held at Gloucester in September, 1878. At that meeting, the clubs represented were Clifton RFC,

Gloucester RFC Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...

Royal Agricultural College ;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts" , established = 2013 - University status – College , type = Public , president = King Charles , vice_chancellor = Peter McCaffery , students ...

Cirencester RFC Cirencester Rugby Football Club is an England, English rugby union club based in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. The club runs three senior teams, along with a full mini and youth section running from under-7's up to colts. The first XV play in the ...

, Rockleage,

Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five ...

, and

Cheltenham White Cross Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral ...

. The Union was formed mainly due to the efforts of J. D. Miller, J. H. Dunn, and J. F. Brown. all of whom were amongst the Union's first officers. For many years, the playing strength depended almost entirely on the Clifton and Gloucester Clubs. In the first five seasons the Union side only lost two of seventeen fixtures in Inter-County matches. The RFU recognised its success by electing in 1880 J. D. Miller to represent the West of England on the central executive. Ironically, the representative side then went through a period in which they had a very poor record. From 1883 to 1889 the team played only 10 times and of these 6 were lost, 3 drawn, and only 1 won. It was noted that the fortunes of the county side mirrored the success of the Gloucester City club side. When the Gloucester City side revived in the early 1890s, so to did the County, and in the seasons 1889-90, 1890–91, 1891–92, Gloucestershire lost two matches only. In the first year of the County Championship (1890–91) Gloucestershire were the winners in the South-Western group, but when they entered the second phase, they were crushed by Lancashire.

County side

Honours

From 1984 all Championship finals were played at Twickenham.

Notable players for the County side

Many notable players have represented the county. *British and Irish Lions **

John Gordon A'Bear John A'Bear (16 July 1913 – 3 October 1979) was an English rugby union player. He played club rugby for Gloucester and was their youngest captain. Although he never won a cap for England, he did tour Argentina with the British Isles team ...

Mike Teague Michael Clive Teague (born 8 October 1960) is a former England and British Lions rugby union footballer. Early life Teague was born and raised on a farm a few miles outside Gloucester. He attended Churchdown School. Personal life Teague mar ...

** Mike Burton *England internationals ** J. A. Bush ** W. 0. Moberly ** H. C. Baker *Wales internationals ** S. H. Nicholls ** W. Watts ** G. Rowles *Scotland internationals **H. L. Evans (Clifton) **H.F. Chambers (Cheltenham) **D. Hilton (Clifton)

Affiliated clubs

Formed by Clifton RFC,

, Rockleage,

, and

, by 1891, the Union consisted of ten clubs, viz., Gloucester, Clifton, Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, Bristol, Cheltenham, Lydney, Sharpness, Dursley, Stroud, and Gordon Wanderers (Gloucester). In its early days, only Gloucester City was rated as a first class side, and this was deemed the county's weakness. Since then, the fortunes of the constituent clubs has varied enormously. Today there are 74 clubs affiliated with the Gloucestershire RFU, most of which have teams at both senior and junior level. Geographically, most clubs in the RFU are from

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, although several teams are based in bordering counties such as

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_ ...

. In turn clubs are affiliated with one of the five combinations –

, Cheltenham, Forest of Dean, North Gloucestershire and Stroud – that make up the Gloucestershire RFU. * 7 Bamboos * Aretians (Bristol) * Ashley Down Old Boys (Bristol) *

Avonmouth Old Boys Avonmouth Old Boys Rugby Football Club is an England, English rugby union team based in Shirehampton in Bristol. The club run three men senior teams, a vets side, a ladies team, a colts side and a youth section featuring the full range of age-gro ...

(Bristol) * Barton Hill (Bristol) * Berry Hill (Forest of Dean) * Bishopston (Bristol) *

Bream Bream ( ) are species of freshwater and marine fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Acanthopagrus'', ''Argyrops'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', ''Etelis'', '' L ...

(Forest of Dean) * Bristol Aeroplane Co. (Bristol) *

Bristol Bears Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 18 ...

(Bristol) *

Bristol Bisons Bristol Bisons RFC is an inclusive English rugby union club based in Bristol. Founded in 2005 as the south west’s first inclusive rugby team, the Bisons have welcomed players (and supporters) of all abilities, backgrounds and sexualities from ...

(Bristol) * Bristol Saracens (Bristol) * Bristol Telephone Area (Bristol) * Broad Plain (Bristol) * Brockworth (North Gloucestershire) *

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

(Cheltenham) * Cheltenham Civil Service (Cheltenham) * Cheltenham North (Cheltenham) * Cheltenham Saracens (Cheltenham) * Chipping Sodbury (Bristol) * Chosen Hill Former Pupils (North Gloucestershire) *

Cinderford Cinderford is a town and civil parish on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The population was 8,777 at the 2021 Census. The town came into existence in the 19th century, following the rapid expansion of Cinde ...

(Forest of Dean) *

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

(Stroud) * Cleve (Bristol) *

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

(Bristol) * Coney Hill (North Gloucestershire) * Cotham Park (Bristol) * Dings Crusaders (Bristol) * Dowty (North Gloucestershire) *

Drybrook Drybrook is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England. Location It lies in the North West edge of the Royal Forest, bordering with Herefordshire, about three miles from Cinderford, and about two miles ...

(Forest of Dean) *

Dursley Dursley is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in southern Gloucestershire, England, almost equidistant from the cities of Bristol and Gloucester. It is under the northeast flank of Stinchcombe#Stinchcombe Hill, Stinchco ...

(Stroud) *

Fairford Fairford is a town in Gloucestershire, England. The town lies in the Cotswold hills on the River Coln, east of Cirencester, west of Lechlade and north of Swindon. Nearby are RAF Fairford and the Cotswold Water Park. History Evidence of ...

(Stroud) *

Frampton Cotterell Frampton Cotterell is a large village and parish, in South Gloucestershire, South West England, on the River Frome. The village is contiguous with Winterbourne to the south-west and Coalpit Heath to the east. The parish borders Iron Acton t ...

(Bristol) * Gloucester All Blues (North Gloucestershire) * Gloucester Old Boys (North Gloucestershire) *

Gloucester Rugby Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby, as well as in the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club was formed i ...

Gloucestershire Constabulary Gloucestershire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire in England. The force formerly covered the area of South Gloucestershire, however this was transformed to the ...

(Cheltenham) * Gordon League (North Gloucestershire) * Hardwicke & Quedgeley Harlequins (North Gloucestershire) *

Hartpury College Hartpury University and Hartpury College, formerly Hartpury College, is a provider of further and higher education which describes itself as specialising in the "agriculture, animal, equine, sport and veterinary nursing" sectors. The university a ...

Hucclecote Hucclecote is a suburb in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, comprising a ward (population 8,826) in the City of Gloucester. It is located on the periphery of the city, between Barnwood and Brockworth, along Ermin Way, an old Roman road connectin ...

(North Gloucestershire) * Kingswood (Bristol) *

Longlevens Longlevens, originally Longleavens, is a suburb of Gloucester, in the unparished area of Gloucester, in the Gloucester district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It developed from a farmstead during the twentieth century, the name ma ...

(North Gloucestershire) *

Lydney Lydney is a town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is on the west bank of the River Severn in the Forest of Dean District, and is 16 miles (25 km) southwest of Gloucester. The town has been bypassed by the A48 road since 1995 ...

(Forest of Dean) * Matson (North Gloucestershire) *

Minchinhampton Minchinhampton is an ancient Cotswolds market town in the Stroud District in Gloucestershire, South West England. The town is located on a hilltop, south-east of Stroud. The common offers wide views over the Severn Estuary into Wales and furth ...

(Stroud) *

Newent Newent (; originally called "Noent") is a market town and civil parish about 10½ miles (17 km) north-west of Gloucester, England. Its population was 5,073 at the 2001 census, rising to 5,207 in 2011, The population was 6,777 at the 2021 Census. ...

(Forest of Dean) * North Bristol (Bristol) *

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada * Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

(Cheltenham) * Old Bristolians (Bristol) *

Old Centralians Old Centralians Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based at Saintbridge Sports Center in Gloucester. The club operates three senior sides with the first XV playing in South West Premier, a level five league in the English rugby u ...

(North Gloucestershire) * Old Cryptians (North Gloucestershire) * Old Elizabethans (Bristol) * Old Patesians (Cheltenham) * Old Richians (North Gloucestershire) *

Painswick Painswick is a town and civil parish in the Stroud District in Gloucestershire, England. Originally the town grew from the wool trade, but it is now best known for its parish church's yew trees and the local Rococo Garden. The village is mainly ...

(Stroud) *

Royal Agricultural University ;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts" , established = 2013 - University status – College , type = public university, Public , president = Charles III, King Charles , vice_chancellor = P ...

(Stroud) * Smiths (Industries) (Cheltenham) *

Southmead Southmead is a northern suburb and council ward of Bristol, in the south west of England, bordered by Filton in South Gloucestershire and Monks Park, Horfield, Henleaze and Westbury on Trym. The River Trym rises in Southmead and flows south ...

(Bristol) *

Spartans Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...

(North Gloucestershire) * St Mary's Old Boys (Bristol) *

Stow-on-the-Wold Stow-on-the-Wold is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, on top of an 800-foot (244 m) hill at the junction of main roads through the Cotswolds, including the Fosse Way (A429), which is of Roman origin. The town was found ...

(Cheltenham) *

(Stroud) *

Tetbury Tetbury is a town and civil parish inside the Cotswold district in England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in ...

(Stroud) *

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Ri ...

(Cheltenham) *

The Peeler "The Peeler" is a short story by the American author Flannery O'Connor. It was first published in ''Partisan Review ''Partisan Review'' (''PR'') was a small-circulation quarterly "little magazine" dealing with literature, politics, and cultur ...

(Bristol) * Thornbury (Bristol) * United Bristol Hospitals *

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

(Bristol) *

University of Gloucestershire , mottoeng = In Spirit and Truth , established = , type = Public , endowment = £2.4 m (2015) , chancellor = Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie , vice_chancellor ...

University of the West of England The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a public research university, located in and around Bristol, England. The institution was know as the Bristol Polytechnic in 1970; it received university status in 1992 and ...

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

(Bristol) * Widden Old Boys (North Gloucestershire) * Wotton (Stroud)

County club competitions

The Gloucester RFU currently runs the following club competitions for club sides in

and parts of

Leagues

Gloucester Premier Gloucester Premier is an English rugby union league which sits at the eighth level of league rugby union in England with teams largely being based in the county of Gloucestershire and Bristol. Originally a single division called Gloucestershire ...

– league for clubs at tier 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 ...

between tiers 5-11 *

Gloucester 1 Gloucester 1 is an English rugby union league which sits at the ninth level of league rugby union in England for teams based primarily in the county of Gloucestershire but also on occasion teams from Bristol. Promoted clubs move into Gloucester ...

– league for Gloucestershire sides at tier 9 * Gloucester 2 North – regional league for Gloucestershire sides at tier 10 * Gloucester 2 South – regional league for Gloucestershire sides at tier 11 Discontinued leagues: *

Gloucester 3 Gloucester 3 was an English rugby union league which sat at the eleventh level of league rugby union in England for teams based in Gloucestershire as well as some in Bristol. Promoted clubs moved into Gloucester 2, and since the cancellation of ...

- tier 11/12 league that ran between 1987–2017 * Gloucester 4 - tier 12/13 league that ran between 1987–1996

Cups

Although in the past there has been a cup covering the whole of the county, Gloucestershire currently has competitions for each of the five affiliated bodies that make up the Gloucestershire RFU. These are as follows:

Bristol Combination The Bristol and District Rugby Football Combination is an organisation for the promotion of junior rugby union in the city of Bristol, England. The Bristol and District Rugby Football Combination is one of two pillars on which the rugby union heri ...

* Bristol Cup – founded in 1970 for club sides in and around

at tiers 4-6 of the

* Bristol Vase – founded in 2003 for clubs at tiers 7-8 * Bristol Cyril Parsons Bowl – founded in 2012 for clubs sides at tiers 9-11 Cheltenham Combination *Cheltenham Cup Forest of Dean Combination *Forest of Dean Cup

North Gloucestershire Combination The North Gloucestershire Combination is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the city of Gloucester and surrounding area in the county of Gloucestershire, England. The combination is responsible for organising clubs and cup comp ...

* North Gloucestershire Senior Cup – founded in 1903 for club sides based in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

and north Gloucestershire between tiers 5-11 * North Gloucestershire Junior Cup – founded in 1913 for 2nd teams * North Gloucestershire Glanville Cup – founded in 1975 for 3rd teams Stroud & District Combination * Stroud & District Senior Cup – founded in 1974 for club sides based in Stroud District between tiers 7-11 * Stroud & District Junior Cup – founded in 1976, primarily for 2nd teams * Stroud & District Bill Adams Cup – founded in 1980, primarily for 3rd teams

Notes

References

{{County rugby union in England Rugby union governing bodies in England 1878 establishments in England Sports organizations established in 1878 Rugby union in Gloucestershire

History

County side

Honours

Notable players for the County side

Affiliated clubs

County club competitions

Leagues

Cups

See also

Notes

References