Manchester Rugby Club, founded in 1860 as Manchester Football Club, is one of the oldest

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 ...

clubs in the world. Home matches are played at Grove Park in Cheadle Hulme,

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is withi ...

. The club has a Senior Men's section (1st XV, 2nd XV and 3rd XV), a Senior Women and Youth Girls section (Manchester Women & Girls' Academy), and also Minis, Juniors and Colts (Manchester Academy). The club's home colours are red and white narrow hooped shirts, white shorts and red and white hooped socks. Away colours are navy shirts with red piping, navy shorts and navy socks. The men's 1st XV currently play in

Regional 1 North West Regional 1 North West is a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the twelve teams drawn from across North West England. The other level five leagues are Regional 1 Midlands, Regional 1 North East, Regional 1 South Central, ...

, the fifth 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 c ...

. The Women's 1st XV compete in Championship North 2, in the third tier of the

History

Although officially founded in 1860 as Manchester Football Club, a Manchester team actually first played in 1857, when the Gentlemen of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

and the Gentlemen of

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

came together to play a friendly game. Richard Sykes, a former Captain of Football at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

set up the Manchester team and provided the ball. The game was advertised as "Rugby versus the World" and some fifty players arrived to play. There is no record of the score, however it appears that five tries were scored and so there must have been a winner. Liverpool FC, who later merged with St Helens RUFC to form Liverpool St. Helens F.C, came into being not long afterwards. It is not known why Manchester did not also form at this date but the Liverpool and St Helens clubs' merger in 1986 left Manchester as one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world. From 1919 until 1968 the club's home ground was at

Moor Lane Moor Lane, known as the Peninsula Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football ground in the Kersal area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which has a capacity of 5,108 and is the home of Salford City Football Club. History Salford ...

Kersal Moor Kersal Moor is a recreation area in Kersal, Greater Manchester, England which consists of eight hectares of moorland bounded by Moor Lane, Heathlands Road, St. Paul's Churchyard and Singleton Brook. Kersal Moor, first called Karsey or Carsall ...

, now the home of

Salford City F.C. Salford City Football Club is a professional football club in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The club competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded as Salford Central in 1940, and pl ...

Manchester had very strong links with the early RFU, with two former presidents of MFC also taking the same office as President of the RFU (James MacLaren 1882-1884 and Roger Walker) 1894–1896. Other members who have been President of the RFU are J.W.H.Thorpe (1898-1900), James Milnes (1934), J.Reg.Locker (1967) and Dr.T.A.Kemp, MD, FRCP (1971). The club has provided a number of international players since 1871. The club provided four England players in the world's first ever international match against Scotland in 1871 ( Richard Osborne, William MacLaren, Arthur Sumner Gibson and H.J.C. Turner). Another former player was Albert Neilson Hornby, the first ever player to captain England at both rugby and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

. The earliest international jersey is still on display in the clubhouse.

Andrew Bulteel Andrew Bulteel (1850–1888) was a rugby union international who represented England in 1875. Early life and family background Andrew Marcus Bulteel was born in September 1850 in Liverpool, the second son of Andrew Hume Bulteel and his wife Ca ...

and

Ernest Marriott Ernest Marriott was a rugby union international who represented England in 1875. Early life He was born on 15 January 1857 in Salford, the son of Henry Marriott, Esq. Rowan Lodge, Whalley Range, Manchester.''Rugby School Register'', (1886), ...

both played for England in the last 20 a-side match against Ireland in 1875. Manchester FC were also the first recognised

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

side in Manchester. In 1894 Newton Heath (present day

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

) were banned from changing their name to Manchester FC by the FA and RFU because of the existence of the rugby side. The full story of Manchester FC's association football history is detailed in ''Manchester A Football History'' where it is revealed they hold many Mancunian firsts. They were also the first English club side to play football competitively in Scotland when they faced Queen's Park F.C. in the second round of the FA Cup in 1883–84, losing 15–0.

Manchester Women's Rugby

Manchester Women's Rugby was founded at Manchester Rugby Club in 1991 in the year of the first ever

Women's Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is the women's rugby union world championship which is organised by World Rugby. The first Rugby World Cup for women was held in 1991, but it was not until the 1998 tournament that the tournament received official backing ...

. The club has gone from strength to strength, rising through the leagues to compete in Championship North 2 in the third tier of the RFU

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 c ...

. The club has established a Women & Girls' Academy section, offering development and competitive rugby to U13, U15, U18 and Senior Women. Manchester Rubies and Manchester Women front the clubs' competitive squads.

Honours

1st XV: *

Glengarth Sevens {{primary sources, date=October 2011 The Glengarth Sevens was an annual 7 a-side rugby union tournament held at Davenport Rugby Club The first Glengarth Sevens was held in 1967 at Headlands Road, home of Davenport Rugby Club. Its celebrated its ...

Davenport Plate winners: 1974 *

North West 2 North West 2 was an English Rugby Union league which was at the eighth tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North West England. Promoted teams moved up to North West 1 while relegated teams dropped to North West 3. ...

champions: 1989–90 *

North West 1 North West 1 (not to be confused with North 1 West) was an English Rugby Union league which was at the seventh tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North West England. Promoted teams moved up to North 2 West while rel ...

champions: 1991–92 * North Division 2 champions: 1992–93 * North Division 1 champions: 1995–96 * Lancashire Cup winners (3): 1998, 1999, 2001 * South Lancs/Cheshire 1 2016–17 *

North 2 West North 2 West is a regional English rugby union league at the seventh tier of club rugby union for teams from Cheshire, Cumbria, Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. The division was introduced for the 2019-20 season to form a new le ...

champions: 2019–20 2nd XV: *

South Lancs/Cheshire 4 South Lancs/Cheshire 4 was a regional English rugby union league at the ninth tier of national competition for teams from the South Lancashire, Cheshire and Manchester area. Teams were promoted to South Lancs/Cheshire 3 and generally there w ...

champions: 2002–03 * South Lancs/Cheshire 3 champions: 2003–04

Current standings

2022-23 North West 12022-23 Women's Championship North 2

Members who have been President of the RFU

*James Maclaren 1882-84 *Roger Walker 1894-96 *J. W. H. Thorpe 1898-1900 *James Milnes 1934 *J. Reg. Locker 1967 *Dr. T. A. Kemp, MD, FRCP 1971

International players

Opponent: E - England S - Scotland I - Ireland W - Wales NZ - New Zealand F - France A - Australia * H.J.C. Turner S 1871 * Arthur Sumner Gibson S 1871 * William MacLaren S 1871 * Richard Osborne S 1871 * James Genth S 1874/75 * Roger Walker S 1874/76/79/80 I 1875 * W. H. Hunt S 1876/77 I 1876/78 *

I 1876 *

I 1876 * D. Drew E 1871/1876 * W. Gregg S 1876 I 1876 * R. Todd S 1877 * T. Blatherwick I 1878 * Albert Neilson Hornby S 1877/78/81/82 I 1877/78/80/81/82 * F. D. Fowler S 1878/79 * W. E. Openshaw I 1879 * J. Heron E 1879 S 1877 * Hugh Rowley S 1879/80/81/82 I 1879/80/81/82 W 1881 * W. R. Richardson I 1881 * J. W. Schofield I 1880 * R. Hunt S 1881 I 1880/82 W 1881 * J. T. Hunt S 1881 I 1882/84 *

Charles Allen Charles Allen may refer to: Politicians *Charles Allen (Massachusetts politician) (1797–1869), American politician and congressman in Massachusetts * Charles Allen (Australian politician) (1833–1913), Australian politician and member of the ...

E 1884 S 1884 * F. T. Wright S 1881 * J. H. Payne S 1882/83 I 1883/84/85 W 1883/85 * C. Anderton NZ 1889 * F. A. Leslie Jones IW 1895 * D. C. Woods S NZ 1889 * J. E. Orr E 1890/91/92/93 I 1889/90/91/92/93 W 1890/91/92 * E. F. Fookes S 1896/97/99 I 1896/97/98/99 W 1896/97/98 * C. J. Fleming E 1896 I 1896/97 * A. O. Dowson S 1899 * H. Rottenburg E 1899/1900 W 1899/1900 I 1897 * Capt. E. I. M. Barrett S 1903 * Leonard Haigh S 1910/11 I 1910/11 W 1910/11 F 1911 * F. G. Handford SIWF 1909 * C. S. Williams F 1910 * Dr.T. Smyth E 1908/09/10/11/12 W 1908/09/10/11 S 1908/09/10/11 F 1910 * J. A. Schofield W 1911 * W. J. Cullen E 1920 * G. S. Conway S 1920/22/23/24 I 1920/22/23/24 W 1922/23/24/27 F 1920/21/22/23/24 NZ 1925 * R. S. Simpson I 1922 * A. L. Gracie I 1921/22/23 E 1921/22/23 W 1921/22/23 F 1921/22/23/24 * B. S. Chantill WESF 1924 * Dr. A. C. Gillies E 1924/25/27 I 1924/27 W 1924/25/26/27 F 1925/26/27 * P. H. Davies I 1927 * G. S. Wilson WI 1929 * Dr. T. A. Kemp W 1937/47 I 1937 S 1938 A 1947 * T. F. Huskinson S 1936/38 W 1936/37/38 I 1936/37/38 * A. H. Drummond WI 1938 * R. S. L. Carr WIS 1939 * C. B. Holmes S 1947 I 1948 F 1948/1955 * H. Scott F 1955 * Fr. J. M. Cunningham E 1955 F 1955/56 S 1955/56 W 1955/56 * A. B. W. Risman W 1959/61 I 1959/61 S 1959/61 F 1959/61 A 1961 * N. J. Drake-Lee W 1963/64/65 I 1963/64 S 1963 F 1963 NZ 1964 * D. W. A. Rosser W 1965/6 ISF 1965 * B. J. O’Driscoll FESW 1971 * J. O’Driscoll S 1978/80/81/82/83 A 1979 E 1980/81/82/83 F 1980/81/82/83 W 1980/81/82/83 * M. Moylett E 1988

Captains of Manchester Football Club

Senior Men: * 1860/67 R. Sykes * 1868 William MacLaren * 1869/70 W. Grave * 1871 J. McLaren * 1872/79 Roger Walker * 1880/81 Albert Neilson Hornby * 1882 J. W. Schofield * 1883 E. Storey * 1884 J. E. Fletcher * 1885/87 J. D. Wormaid * 1888 F. A. Andrew * 1889/90 A. H. Molesworth * 1891/92 G. N. M. Cameron * 1893 D. C. Woods * 1894 W. B. Steel * 1895 K. P. Birley * 1896 W. Parlane * 1897 W. G. Hogg * 1898 W. Parlane * 1899 T. A. Kingscote * 1900 G. Cookson * 1901/03 F. J. Milne * 1904 J. Milnes * 1905 V. P. Gamon * 1906 F. I. Dixon * 1907/08 J. Hunter * 1909 H. Whitehead * 1910 L. Haigh * 1911 H. E. Latham * 1912 J. Tolson * 1913 T. Entwisle, J. C. Barrett * 1919 G. Folds * 1920 W. Sutcliffe * 1921 G. Folds * 1922 W. M. Hoyle * 1923 H. S. Jones * 1924 D. Peak * 1925/27 A. L. Gracie * 1928/29 Dr. A. C. Gillies * 1930 L. J. O’Reilly * 1931 H. C. S. Jones * 1932 F. Hughes * 1933/35 T. A. Bell * 1936 J. M. Lee * 1937/38 T. A. Bell * 1939 J. M. Lee * 1945 G. W. Singleton * 1946/48 A. G. Komrower * 1949/50 P. G. Clemence * 1951/53 A. Ferguson * 1954/55 P. T. Baines * 1956 D. Stewart * 1957 J. E. Cooper * 1958 P. Batten * 1959 G. D. Parker, H. Scott * 1960/62 K. Jones * 1963 G. St. J. L. Goddard * 1964 P. D. G. Ross * 1965/66 Dr. J. B. O’Driscoll * 1967 M. Wright * 1968 E. A. Wright * 1969 W. J. Chadwick * 1970 D. A. Hancock * 1971 R. J. K. Newitt * 1972 N. P. G. Ross * 1973/74 C. R. Unsworth * 1975 J. R. Gadd * 1976 J. Wharton * 1977 P. Jarvie * 1978 G. Hughes, L. Sampson * 1979 L. Sampson * 1980 C. Hanson * 1981 S. Bell * 1982 S. Burnage * 1983 D. Cotter * 1984 G. Stewart * 1985 S. Litster, G. Birch * 1986 G. Birch * 1987 R. Smith * 1988/94 D. A. Kelly * 1995 A. S. Hanson * 1996 N. Hitchen, S. Swindells * 1997/98 S. Swindells * 1998/2000 S. Swindells * 2000 G. Gerrard * 2001/02 D. Mukalt * 2002/03 A. Aylesbrook * 2003 M. Armstrong * 2004 M. Armstrong * 2005 J. Bramhall * 2006 J. Bramhall * 2007 J. Bramhall * 2008 N. Flynn * 2009 J. Doney, D. Carlton * 2010 D. Carlton * 2011 D. Carlton * 2012 R. McCartney * 2013 R. McCartney * 2014 T. Fantom * 2015 B. Jenkins * 2016 K. Higginson Senior Women: * 1991 M. Waugh * 1993 J. Hawkins * 1994 S. Shotton * 1995 J. Deakin * 2007 J. Canner-Farrington * 2008 A. Wood * 2011 L. Dudbridge & R. Sallaway * 2012 H. Gaunt & J. Taylor-Reid * 2013 R. Prescott & V. Calder * 2014 K. Bailey * 2015 A. Smith * 2016 S. Hobday * 2017 H. Gaunt & K. Barker * 2018 E. Gallimore & K. Bailey * 2019 J. Pugh * 2020 J. Wells * 2022 E. Houghton

Notes

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website

Official Twitter

Manchester Women's Rugby
Rugby clubs established in 1860 English rugby union teams Sport in Stockport 1860 establishments in England Sport in the City of Salford