Rams RFC is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 based near the village of

Sonning Sonning is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, east of Reading. The village was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book ''Three Men in a Boat'' as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river". Geogr ...

on the outskirts of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

in the county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. The first XV play in the third level league 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 ...

National League 1 National One (last season known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Leagu ...

, following their promotion from

National League 2 South National League 2 South (known before September 2009 as National Division Three South) was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, N ...

as champions at the end of the 2018–19 season. Up until 2018, the club was previously known as Redingensians and then Redingensians Rams before being renamed simply as Rams for the 2018–19 season onwards.

History

Rams consist of five senior teams of differing playing ability and a full complement of mini and junior sides. The first team currently plays in National League 1 (level 3) of the rugby union league structure. The second team play in Canterbury Division 3, the third team play in Berks/Bucks & Oxon Prem A, and the fourths in Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1. The fifth team participates in the Thames Valley Invitational Leagues. Both the under-17s and colts play in division 1 of their respective Berks/Bucks & Oxon leagues. Rams RFC is also renowned for its Rugby 7s capability and participates in several major international tournaments across Europe from March through to August.

Ground

Rams play home fixtures at Old Bath Road in the village of Sonning on the north-east outskirts of

. As it is next to the A4 travel links are decent, with parking available at the ground and regular bus services going into Reading which is accessible by train. The ground consists of a main pitch next to a modern club-house, along with a number of other pitches for second XV and junior rugby. The capacity is approximately 1,250 (all standing) around the main pitch and on the club-house balcony.

Honours

1st team: * Southern Counties champions: 1987–88 *

Southern Counties South Counties 1 Southern South (formerly known as Southern Counties South) is a level 7 league in the Rugby Football Union South West Division, the rugby union governing body for South West England, part of the Rugby Football Union. When league rug ...

champions: 2000–01 *

Southern Counties North Counties 1 Southern North (formerly known as Southern Counties North) is a division at level 7 of the English rugby union system. When league rugby first began in 1987 it was a single league known as Southern Counties but since 1996 the divisio ...

champions: 2005–06 * South West Division 2 East champions: 2006–07 *

National League 3 South West Regional 1 South West (formerly South West Premier and National League 3 South West) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. When this division began in 1987 it was known as South West D ...

champions: 2014–15 *

champions: 2018–19 2nd team: * Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier A champions: 2007–08 4th team: * Berks/Bucks & Oxon 4 South champions: 2014–15 *

Berks/Bucks & Oxon 3 Berks, Bucks and Oxon Division 3 is an English rugby union league featuring teams from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. As with all of the divisions in this area at this level, the entire league is made up of second, third and fourth t ...

champions: 2015–16

Current standings

Notable former players

* Dennis Easby (DH Easby) - captain of Redingensians in 1950–51, Easby became the first person from the Berkshire RFU to become national

RFU 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 pro ...

president in 1994–95. He died in 2017.

References

External links

Redingensians R.F.C. website
{{Rugby union in England English rugby union teams Rugby clubs established in 1924 Rugby union in Berkshire Sonning Sport in Reading, Berkshire