Malone RFC (Malone 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 ...

club based in Belfast, in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It is currently in the Division 1B of the All-Ireland League. The club is affiliated with the Ulster Branch, itself part of the Irish Rugby Football Union. It is one of the last remaining Belfast rugby clubs not to have amalgamated and still plays at its original ground. As well as its successful Senior teams, it has a thriving Youth and Mini structure, and was the first Mini rugby team from Ireland to play in the renowned Fundacion Cisneros International rugby tournament in Madrid.

History

Malone Football Club was founded in 1892 by residents of Malone Park, Belfast. In 1896 Malone obtained senior status after two victories in the junior league. Malone first played a non-Irish side when it hosted Furness in 1903. The current name Malone Rugby Football Club was adopted in 1932. Malone moved to its present location in Gibson Park, Belfast in 1935, eventually purchasing it in 1953. The present clubhouse dates from 1967. The club hosted games from the

2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship The International Rugby Board (IRB) awarded the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship to the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the Ulster branch hosted it. The Tournament, which took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 4–21 April, ...

Honours

Ulster Senior Cup The Ulster Senior Cup is a knock-out competition for senior rugby union teams in the province of Ulster. It is administered by Ulster Rugby. The most successful club is Queen's University with 23 wins. The current holders are City of Armagh RF ...

: 7 ** 1903-04, 1904–05, 1906–07, 1970–71, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1991–92 * Ulster Senior League: 6 ** 1903-04, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1968–69, 1992–93 *

Ulster Junior Cup The Ulster Junior Cup is a rugby union competition for clubs in the Irish province of Ulster that are not considered strong enough to play in the Ulster Senior Cup. It also includes the second teams of the senior clubs. The perpetual trophy that ...

: 5 ** †1931-32, †1967-68, †1974-75, †1977-78, †1980-81 * All-Ireland League Division 2A :1 ** 2017-2018 † Won by 2nd XV

Distinguished Players

Approximately 28 Malone players have played for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and 6 of those were British & Irish Lions. Malone players have played international rugby in each decade since the start of the Twentieth Century. Data below is as of May 2009. * John Hewitt Ferris (?1875-1903), Scrum Half. Ireland, 3 caps (1900). * Alfred Tedford (1877-1942), Forward. Ireland, 23 caps,(1902-1908), 6 Tries. British Isles,

1903 British Lions tour to South Africa The 1903 British Isles tour to South Africa was the fifth tour by a British Isles rugby team and the third to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 195 ...

, 3 caps. * Reg W Edwards (1882-1913), Forward. Ireland, 1 cap (1904). British Isles,

1904 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand The 1904 British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia was the sixth tour by a British Isles rugby union team and the third to New Zealand or Australia. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming conve ...

. * Hugh Gilmer Wilson (1879-1941), Forward. Ireland, 18 caps, (1905-1910). * George McIldowie (1886-1953), Forward. Ireland, 4 caps, (1906-1910), 1 Try. * R(ichard?) E(dwin?) Forbes (1880-?), Forward. Ireland, 1 cap (1907). * Tom Smyth (1884-1924), Prop. Ireland, 14 caps, (1908-1912), 2 Tries. British Isles (captain)

1910 British Lions tour to South Africa The 1910 British Isles tour to South Africa was the eighth tour by a British Isles rugby union team and the fourth to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted ...

. * William Victor Edwards (1887-1917), Forward. Ireland, 2 caps, (1912). * William Ernest Crawford (1891-1959), Fullback. Ireland, 30 caps, (1920-1927), 6 conversions and 2 penalties.
Norman G Ross
(?1904-), No. 8. Ireland, 2 caps, (1927). * Blair Mayne (1915-1955), Lock. Ireland, 6 caps,(1937-1939), 1 Try. Lions 1938 British Lions tour to South Africa, 3 caps. * Jack Deryck Erle Monteith (1922-1992), Centre. Ireland, 3 caps, (1947). * Ernest Strathdee (1921-1971), Scrum Half. Ireland, 9 caps (1947-1949). * Robert D Agar (1920-), No. 8. Ireland, 10 caps (1947-1950). * Jimmy E Nelson (1921-2014), Lock. Ireland, 16 caps, (1947-1954). Lions

1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia The British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950 was the first post-war tour made by the Lions; there had not been one since 1938. The 1950 team was the first to be nicknamed "the British Lions", rather than just "British I ...

, 4 caps. * Dennis Scott (1933-), Flanker. Ireland, 3 caps, (1961-1962). * Aidan Malachy Brady (1939-), Hooker. Ireland: 4 caps, (1966-1968). * Sam A Hutton (1940-), Prop. Ireland, 4 caps, (1967). * William J Brown (1943-), Wing. Ireland, 4 caps, (1970), 1 Try. * Willie Duncan (1957-), Flanker. Ireland, 2 caps (1984). * John P McDonald (1960-), Hooker. Ireland, 4 caps (1987-1990). * W Denis McBride (1964-), Flanker. Ireland, 32 caps, (1988-1997), 4 Tries. * Colin R Wilkinson (1961-), Fullback. Ireland, 1 cap (1993). *

Maurice Field Maurice Field (born Greenisland, County Antrim, 24 February 1964)Karl Johnston, "Maurice's Field of Dreams", ''Irish Press'', 11 February 1994 is a former Irish rugby union international player who played as a centre for North of Ireland, Malone ...

(1964-), Centre, Ireland 17 caps (1994-1997). *

Neil Best Neil Best (born 3 April 1979 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a former rugby union footballer, who attended Wellington College Belfast and played his school rugby there until he left in 1997 after upper sixth. The last professional team he pl ...

(1979-),Flanker. Ireland, 18 caps, (2005-2007), 2 Tries. *

Tom Court Tom Court (born 6 November 1980) is an Australian-born former rugby union footballer. He most recently played for London Irish as a loosehead prop. He primarily played at tighthead in his early career at Ulster but switched to loosehead in the ...

(1980-), Prop. Ireland, 9 caps (2008-). * Simon Danielli, (1979-), Wing. Scotland, 24 caps (2003-), 6 Tries. * Chris Henry (1984-), Flanker. Ireland, 11 caps (2010-), 1 Try. *

Paul Emerick Paul Emerick (born January 24, 1980) is the head coach of the American Raptors in Glendale, Colorado. He was the defense and skills coach and the 2019 interim head coach for the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby. He was a former USA int ...

(2003-), Centre/Wing, USA, 37 caps, 10 Tries.

References

External links

Google Maps Satellite View of Malone RFC

Malone RFC
{{Rugby union in Ulster Rugby union clubs in Northern Ireland Irish rugby union teams Sports clubs in Belfast Rugby clubs established in 1892 Senior Irish rugby clubs (Ulster) Rugby union clubs in County Antrim 1892 establishments in Ireland