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 ...

in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

is a popular

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

. It has no national competitive side of its own, and is not affiliated to the IRB in its own right. For this reason, it has no IRB ranking.

Governing body

Rugby Union is played in the Isle of Man under the auspices of the

Cheshire Rugby Football Union The Cheshire Rugby Football Union (CRFU) is a rugby union governing body in the historic county of Cheshire and the Isle of Man. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for Cheshire. The CRFU administers and organis ...

which is affiliated to the (English) Rugby Football Union. The sport is organised and operated by a Manx Executive Committee which is a sub-committee of Cheshire RFU.The Isle of Man is politically neither part of the UK nor of England, but Manx rugby has a relationship with English rugby for practical reasons.

History

Ronaldsway Airport AOA IOM - Isle of Man - kingsley - 30-APR-09

Due to its proximity to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and the major rugby nations of

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 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, Manx rugby is amongst the oldest in the world, dating back to the mid 19th century.

King William's College King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and ...

, the island's best known private school took the game up early and it is still one of the school's main sports, and a number of other Manx schools also play, such as Castle Rushen High School,

Ramsey Grammar School Ramsey Grammar School is a coeducational comprehensive secondary school located in Ramsey, on the Isle of Man. History A grammar school has existed in Ramsey since 1681. It moved to Lezayre Road in 1933 and was housed in a building that now f ...

. The Manx Government also funds a full-time rugby development officer. An early club was Mona RFC, which is now defunct. There are a number of

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 within the island that contest the domestic competitions the Manx Shield and the Manx Cup. Reigning Shield Champions are

Douglas Rugby Club Douglas Rugby Club (also referred to as DRUFC) are a rugby union club based in Douglas on the Isle of Man. The club has two senior sides and age-range teams encompassing both mini and junior rugby. The men's 1st XV currently play in Regional Two ...

with the Manx Cup yet to be decided. Other clubs include Castletown Rugby Club, Ramsey Rugby Club, Southern Nomads Rugby Club, Vagabonds Rugby Club and Western Vikings R.U.F.C There is also a London Manx RFC side. Ramsey Rugby Club,

and Vagabonds Rugby Club all had teams participating in the English Clubs Championship until 2020. At levels 8 & 9 of the structure there were insufficient teams to run a worthwhile league system. Ramsey & Vagabonds were therefore back in domestic competition only. Douglas and Vagabonds Ladies fell victims to the COVID-19 pandemic and are in a similar position. Like many small islands, the Isle of Man has a population problem. The main sport is

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 ...

, and the national population is under 80,000. As yet, the Isle of Man has fielded a national team only on a sporadic basis.

Notable players connected with the Isle of Man

The following are notable Manx rugby union players, or people with a connection to the island. * G.A.M. Isherwood, British Lions player, attended

, but was born and spent most of his life in England... for which he was strangely never selected.Sporting Honours : Old Alleynians from the 1910 yearbook Page 245/395
* A.P. Penketh, of Douglas RC, who took part in the first 1888 British Isles tour to New Zealand and AustraliaGriffiths, John (1990). British Lions. Swindon: Crowood Press. * Doug Davies, 24 caps for , died in Peel. * Neil Bennett, played for England, born in Ramsey. *

Douglas Bader Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared p ...

, better known as a flying ace, spent the first two years of his life in the IOM.

Broadcast media

The Isle of Man has no television of its own, but does have its own radio station. However, British and Irish television can both be received on the island, and often include extensive rugby coverage - such as the

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

and Six Nations Championship

Teams

* Castletown R.U.F.C. * Douglas R.U.F.C. * Ramsey R.U.F.C. * Southern Nomads R.U.F.C. * Vagabonds R.U.F.C. * Western Vikings R.U.F.C.

References

External links

Manx Rugby Football Union

Manx Rugby (Commonwealth Games)

BBC's Manx sports page
* * http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-171460343.html
Sale Sharks To Stage Rugby Camps For Manx Children

RFU launch Manx learning courses

Western Vikings RUFC
{{Rugby union in Europe Sport in the Isle of Man