The Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union is the union responsible for

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

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 ...

and is one of the constituent bodies of the national

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the 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 (WR) in 1886. It promo ...

. 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 b ...

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 Clifton Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club founded in Clifton, Bristol. Over the years the club's home games have been played in a variety of locations in northern Bristol, though never in Clifton itself; since 1976 they have ...

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 in ...

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. 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 tea ...

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 m ...

** 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

, Rockleage,

, and Cheltenham White Cross, 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 i ...

, 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 , lor ...

. 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 (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'', ' ...

(Forest of Dean) *

Bristol Aeroplane Co. The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable a ...

(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 1 ...

(Bristol) * Bristol Bisons (Bristol) *

Bristol Saracens 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 i ...

(Bristol) * Bristol Telephone Area (Bristol) *

Broad Plain Broad(s) or The Broad(s) may refer to: People * A slang term for a woman. * Broad (surname), a surname Places * Broad Peak, on the border between Pakistan and China, the 12th highest mountain on Earth * The Broads, a network of mostly n ...

(Bristol) *

Brockworth Brockworth is a village and parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England, situated on the old Roman road that connects the City of Gloucester with Barnwood. It is located 4 miles (6.5 km) southeast of central Gloucester ...

(North Gloucestershire) * Cheltenham (Cheltenham) * Cheltenham Civil Service (Cheltenham) * Cheltenham North (Cheltenham) * Cheltenham Saracens (Cheltenham) *

Chipping Sodbury Chipping Sodbury is a market town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sodbury, in the unitary authority area of South Gloucestershire, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. It was founded in the 12th century by William ...

(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 Cind ...

(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 (Bristol) * Coney Hill (North Gloucestershire) * Cotham Park (Bristol) * Dings Crusaders (Bristol) * Dowty (North Gloucestershire) * Drybrook (Forest of Dean) *

Dursley Dursley is a market town and civil parish in southern Gloucestershire, England, almost equidistant from the cities of Bristol and Gloucester. It is under the northeast flank of Stinchcombe Hill, and about southeast of the River Severn. The t ...

(Stroud) * Fairford (Stroud) * Frampton Cotterell (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 ...

* Hucclecote (North Gloucestershire) * Kingswood (Bristol) * Longlevens (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 199 ...

(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 furthe ...

(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 (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 ...

(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: wikt:Σπάρτη, Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the nam ...

(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 founde ...

(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 i ...

(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 (Bristol) *

Thornbury Thornbury may refer to: Places ;Australia *Thornbury, Victoria * Thornbury railway station, Melbourne ;Canada * Thornbury, Ontario ;England *Thornbury, Devon * Thornbury, Herefordshire *Thornbury, Gloucestershire **Thornbury Castle **Thornbury (UK ...

(Bristol) * United Bristol Hospitals *

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a Red brick university, red brick Russell Group research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Society of Merchant Venturers, Merchant Venturers' sc ...

(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 A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament ...

(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 – 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 – 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 - tier 11/12 league that ran between 1987–2017 *

Gloucester 4 Gloucester 4 was an English rugby union league which sat at the twelve level of league rugby union in England for teams based in Gloucestershire and parts of Bristol. Promoted clubs moved into Gloucester 3 and there was no relegation as this was ...

- 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 *

Bristol Cup The Bristol Cup was a professional men's tennis tournament staged in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Cannes and Menton in France from 1920 to 1932. History Before 1930 some tournaments were sometimes labelled "Professional Championships of France": the Bristol ...

– 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 * 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 of t ...

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 Stroud District is a district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. The district covers many outlying towns and villages. The towns forming the district are Dursley, Minchinhampton, Nailsworth, Painswick, Stonehou ...

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