Hartlepool Rovers F.C. are 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 its m ...

club who play at The New Friarage, West View Road in

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

. The club play in

Durham/Northumberland 1 Durham/Northumberland 1 is an English amateur rugby union competition. The league consists of fourteen clubs, and is the seventh tier of the English rugby union system, as one of the 16 regional leagues, though is the highest level of local rug ...

, the seventh tier 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 ...

after being relegated from North One East at the end of the 2010–11 season. Steve Smith is the club's player-coach and Steven Barnfield its captain. Rovers have a thriving junior section including boys’ and girls’ teams. Hartlepool Rovers also have a thriving and successful women's team, with Rovers Ladies having just completed their first league campaign in the Women's NC North 2 East. They are by far the most successful club in local cup rugby, having won the

Durham Senior Cup The Durham County Challenge Cup (commonly known as the Durham Challenge Cup) is an annual football competition held between the clubs of the Durham County Football Association which was first played in 1884. It is the senior county cup for the ...

a record 45 times. Hartlepool Rovers club colours are Red, White and Black. Usually consisting of a white shirt, black shorts and red socks.

History

Hartlepool Rovers was formed in 1879 and played at the Old Friarage in the

Headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...

area of Hartlepool, before moving to West View Road. In the 1890s Rovers supplied numerous county, divisional and international players. The club itself hosted many high profile matches including the inaugural

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...

match on 27 December 1890, the New Zealand Maoris on 15 November 1888 with the Maori winning 1 try to nil, and the legendary

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

who played against a combined Rovers and

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

team on 11 October 1905. Although the tourists won that game comfortably (63-0), on what was to become a legendary tour, the fixture's place in history is assured as it was after the match that the name 'All Blacks' first appeared in the press, the Daily Mail including it in their report - according to legend a typo which should have read 'all backs'. In the 1911-12 season, Hartlepool Rovers broke the world record for the number of points scored in a season racking up 860 points including 122 tries, 87 conversions, five penalties and eleven drop goals. The club's most famous player was R F (Bob) Oakes, who died in 1952. He also played for Headingley and was president of the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union and president 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 ...

. Oakes is remembered every year by the R F Oakes Memorial Match, followed by a dinner for the players taking part. Players such as

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 ...

Tony Ward (rugby union) Anthony Joseph Patrick Ward (born 8 October 1954, Dublin, Ireland), commonly referred to as Tony Ward, is an Irish former rugby union and soccer (football), football player during the 1970s and 1980s. He played rugby as a Fly-half (rugby union), ...

Jim Glennon James Glennon (born 7 July 1953) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician and former Irish International rugby player. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North constituency from 2002 to 2007. Glennon was born in Skerries, County Dubli ...

and

John Robbie John Cameron Robbie (born 17 November 1955) is a former international rugby union player who played scrum half, and a well known radio presenter in South Africa on Talk radio 702. His previous rugby career has also seen him take up the role of ...

, have played in the game. Over the years the 'Oakes game' has become a prestigious match for players, reaching its heyday in the late-1970s and 1980s under the supervision of the then club Chairman Tony Lowe. Hartlepool Rovers were the team responsible for making the four, three-quarters formation popular amongst clubs, a formation which later became accepted as a standard.

Notable past players

Frederic Alderson Frederic Hodgson Rudd Alderson (27 June 1867 – 18 February 1925) was an English international rugby union threequarter who played club rugby for Cambridge University and Hartlepool Rovers. Alderson played international rugby for England and w ...

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

winning captain, 1891-1893 (6 caps) * Frederick Ernest Chapman, England international *

Arthur James Dingle Arthur "Mud" James Dingle (16 October 1891 – 22 August 1915) was a rugby union centre and wing, who won three caps for England, and played for County Durham, Hartlepool Rovers and Oxford University. He was born and raised in County Durham, ...

, 3 caps for England 1913–1914. * Arthur Clifford Harrison - 3 caps for England, 9 times for Barbarians, 49 times for Durham County * John MacKenzie Dee, -

1962 British Lions tour to South Africa In 1962 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. Overall the tourists played twenty-five matches, winning sixteen, losing five and drawing four. The Lions were unsuccessful in the test series against , losing by ...

and

1963 England rugby union tour of Australasia The 1963 England rugby union tour of Australasia was the first overseas tour by the England national rugby union team. Scotland, Ireland and France had preceded England in embarking on short tours to the Southern Hemisphere, and the RFU can ...

William Yiend William "Pusher" Yiend (1865 – 22 January 1939) was an English rugby union forward who played club rugby for Hartlepool Rovers and international rugby for England. In 1890 Yiend became one of the original members of the Barbarians Football Cl ...

, 6 caps for England. * Colin Winspear, England Colts. * John Howe, England Under-23's.

Club Honours

winners (45): 1884, 1887, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1935, 1947, 1948, 1954, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1990, 1992 *

champions (2): 2003–04, 2008–09

References

* Goodwin, Terry ''Complete Who's Who of International Rugby'' (Cassell, 1987, ) {{Rugby union in England English rugby union teams Rugby clubs established in 1879 Sport in Hartlepool Rugby union in County Durham