Queen's University Belfast Rugby Football Club is the
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 ...
team of
Queen's University Belfast
, mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back?
, top_free_label =
, top_free =
, top_free_label1 =
, top_free1 =
, top_free_label2 =
, top_free2 =
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public research university
, parent = ...
, currently playing in Division 2A of the
All-Ireland League.
Founded in 1869, it is the most successful and oldest continuous rugby union club 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 ...
.
[''The Ireland Rugby Miscellany'' (2007): Ciaran Cronin] They originally played as ''Queen's College, Belfast'' and have won the
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 ...
a record 23 times.
In 1993 when the
AIB League was expanded to four divisions with forty six senior clubs, five university clubs, including Queen's, joined the league. Queen's entered Division Four. Since then they played regularly in
Division Three
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the fo ...
and Division Four.
In 2000 they were relegated to the
Ulster Senior League but returned to the AIB League two years later.
Their senior team will play the 2018–19 season in Division 2A of the AIL and Division 1 of the SONI Ulster Rugby Premiership.
Notable players
''See also ''
Ireland
The following Queen's players have represented
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 ...
at full international level.
news.bbc.co.uk
/ref>
* James Allison
* Tommy Bowe
Thomas John Bowe (born 22 February 1984) is an Irish former rugby union player from County Monaghan, Ireland. He played on the wing for Ulster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. In March 2012, after four years with Ospreys in Swansea, Wa ...
* Nigel Carr
* George Cromey
* Alexander Foster
* Noel Henderson
Noel Joseph Henderson (10 August 1928 – 27 August 1997) was a rugby union player from Northern Ireland, who played in the centre position. Henderson played club rugby with North of Ireland F.C., was capped forty times for Ireland, and was a me ...
* David Hewitt
* Kenny Hooks
* David Humphreys
* David Irwin
* Jack Kyle
John Wilson Kyle, (10 February 1926 – 27 November 2014), commonly referred to as Jack Kyle or Jackie Kyle, was a rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s. Kyle is bes ...
* Gary Longwell
Gary Longwell (born 30 July 1971 in Belfast) is an Irish international rugby player. His usual position is as a lock, or second row. He spent his entire career playing for Irish provincial side Ulster, making his debut aged 19 in 1991. He was par ...
* Bill McKay
* Rob Saunders
* Harry McKibbon
* Iain Henderson
* Paddy Mayne
* Henry O'Neill
* Cecil Pedlow
Alexander Cecil Pedlow (20 January 1934 – 9 November 2019) was an Irish rugby union player, particularly remembered for his tenure with the British Lions. He represented Ireland 30 times and the British Lions, earning two caps for them on th ...
* Philip Rainey
* Harry Steele
* Robin Thompson
Robin Henderson Thompson (5 May 1931 – 14 August 2003) was a rugby union international for Ireland, a former British Lions captain and rugby league player.
Robin Thompson won two Ulster Schools Senior Cup medals with RBAI (Royal Belfast Aca ...
* William Tyrrell
* Roger Young
British & Irish Lions
The following Queen's players have also represented the British & Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
.
* Alexander Foster: 1910
* William Tyrrell: 1910
* Henry O'Neill: 1930
* George Cromey: 1938
Events
January
* January 1
** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
* Harry McKibbon: 1938
Events
January
* January 1
** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
* Paddy Mayne: 1938
Events
January
* January 1
** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
* Noel Henderson
Noel Joseph Henderson (10 August 1928 – 27 August 1997) was a rugby union player from Northern Ireland, who played in the centre position. Henderson played club rugby with North of Ireland F.C., was capped forty times for Ireland, and was a me ...
: 1950
* Jack Kyle
John Wilson Kyle, (10 February 1926 – 27 November 2014), commonly referred to as Jack Kyle or Jackie Kyle, was a rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s. Kyle is bes ...
: 1950
* Bill McKay: 1950
* Cecil Pedlow
Alexander Cecil Pedlow (20 January 1934 – 9 November 2019) was an Irish rugby union player, particularly remembered for his tenure with the British Lions. He represented Ireland 30 times and the British Lions, earning two caps for them on th ...
: 1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
* Robin Thompson
Robin Henderson Thompson (5 May 1931 – 14 August 2003) was a rugby union international for Ireland, a former British Lions captain and rugby league player.
Robin Thompson won two Ulster Schools Senior Cup medals with RBAI (Royal Belfast Aca ...
: 1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
* David Hewitt: 1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
, 1962
* Roger Young: 1966, 1968
* Richard Milliken: 1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
* David Irwin: 1983
* Trevor Ringland
Trevor Maxwell Ringland, (born 13 November 1959) is a Northern Irish solicitor, former rugby union player and politician. From June 2013 to July 2014, he served as Co-Chairman of the NI Conservatives. After attending Larne Grammar School, he rea ...
: 1983, 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
* Nigel Carr: 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
* Phillip Matthews
Phillip Michael Matthews (born 21 January 1960) is a former Ireland rugby union international. He was a member of the Ireland team that won the 1985 Five Nations Championship and the Triple Crown. He represented Ireland at the 1987 and 1991 ...
: 1989
* Tommy Bowe
Thomas John Bowe (born 22 February 1984) is an Irish former rugby union player from County Monaghan, Ireland. He played on the wing for Ulster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. In March 2012, after four years with Ospreys in Swansea, Wa ...
: 2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
Honours
* All-Ireland League
**1923-24, 1931–32, 1936–37
*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 ...
: 24
** 1885-86, 1886–87, 1889–90, 1890–91, 1891–92, 1899–1900, 1902–03, 1908–09, 1911–12, 1920–21, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1946–47, 1950–51, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1980–81, 2009–10, 2013-14, 2021-22
* Ulster Senior League: 17 (3 shared)
** 1890-91, 1899–1900, 1911–12, 1919–20, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1952–53 (shared), 1953–54 (shared), 1956–57 (shared), 1963–64, 1966–67, 1979–80
*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 ...
: 15
** †1888-89, †1889-90, †1920-21, †1932-33, †1933-34, †1937-38, †1946-47, †1947-48, †1948-49, †1950-51, †1951-52, †1958-59, †1963-64, †1968-69, †1969–70
* Irish Universities Dudley Cup
**Winners: 2013, 2015
* SONI Ulster Rugby Premiership Division 2
**2017–18
† Won by 2nd XV
† Won by Freshers
Teams
* 1st XV
* 2nd XV
* 3rd XV (Pirates)
* 4th XV (Raiders)
* Ladies 1st XV
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen's University RFC
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
RFC
RFC may refer to:
Computing
* Request for Comments, a memorandum on Internet standards
* Request for change, change management
* Remote Function Call, in SAP computer systems
* Rhye's and Fall of Civilization, a modification for Sid Meier's Civ ...
Rugby clubs established in 1869
Rugby union clubs in Northern Ireland
University and college rugby union clubs in Ireland
Senior Irish rugby clubs (Ulster)
1869 establishments in Ireland
Rugby union clubs in County Antrim