Tunbridge Wells 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 ...

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 that plays in

Regional 1 South East Regional 1 South East (up until 2022-23 known as London & South East Premier and up until 2016-17 known as National League 3 London & South East) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. ...

from

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

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 ...

History

Tunbridge Wells RFC was officially formed as Old Skinners RFC in 1931 as a rugby union club for former pupils of

The Skinners' School The Skinners' School (formally The Skinners' Company's Middle School for Boys and commonly known as Skinners'), is a British Grammar School with academy status for boys located in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Established in ...

. In 1970, membership of the club became open to non-Skinners pupils with Old Skinners being renamed as Tunbridge Wells RFC in 1973. Despite becoming an open club, Tunbridge Wells retain their links with The Skinners' School, specifically by not selecting Skinners pupils who represent Skinners while they are competing in the

Daily Mail Cup The National Schools Cup are a set of annual English schools' rugby union cup competitions, with the U18 Cup being the main competition. The finals of the Cup and Vase competitions are held at Twickenham Stadium, whilst finals for the Plate and Bow ...

to assist them. In 1985, Tunbridge Wells had a new clubhouse constructed, which was opened by

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

. Since the creation of league rugby in 1987, Tunbridge Wells played mainly in

London 1 South London 1 South was an English level 6 rugby union regional league for rugby clubs in London and the south-east of England including sides from East Sussex, south Essex, south Greater London, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex. When this d ...

where they also played league matches against future

RFU Championship The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men’s English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when ...

side,

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...

and regularly attempted to enter

National League 3 London & SE Regional 1 South East (up until 2022-23 known as London & South East Premier and up until 2016-17 known as National League 3 London & South East) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. ...

. In 2011, Tunbridge Wells were relegated to

London 2 South East London 2 South East is an English level 7 Rugby Union League. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 3 South East, changing to its current name ahead of the 2009–10 season. The division is made up of teams predominantly from ...

. The following season they were relegated again to London 3 South East. The club managed to reverse the trend and win promotion back to the London 2 South East league after finishing in the runner up position in the London 3 South East league in the 2012–13 season. They also compete in Kent cup competitions. In addition to the 1st XV the club regularly fields other adult sides (including a social and Vets side) competing in various Kent RFU league competitions. In the 2012–13 season the 2nd XV won the Invicta 1 league. In 2012, Tunbridge Wells set up a scheme where players from their youth teams would act as ambassadors to local schools for the club to assist with coaching and participation in rugby. This innovative plan was praised by the

Rugby Football Union 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 ...

as "a great idea" as a number of other rugby clubs also set up similar schemes following on from Tunbridge Wells'. Tunbridge Wells are also affiliated to English Premiership team,

Saracens upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

. The 1st XV went unbeaten in the 2015/16 season winning the London 2 South East league title and the

RFU Intermediate Cup The RFU Intermediate Cup is a rugby union national knockout cup competition in England run by the Rugby Football Union. It is contested by teams at level 7 of the English rugby union system. While the competition is a national one, it is howeve ...

. They were then promoted again in the 2016/17 season to the London and South East Premier League.

Honours

champions (4): 1987–88, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2015–16 *

Kent 1 Kent 1 (known as Shepherd Neame Kent 1 for sponsorship reasons) is an English level 9 Rugby Union League and is made up of teams predominantly from south-east London and Kent. The teams play home and away matches from September through to April ...

champions: 1995–96 *

Kent Plate The Kent Plate is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organised by the Kent Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced during the 2001–02 season, with the inaugural winners being Bromley. It is the fourth most important rugby ...

winners (3): 1999, 2000, 2008 *

winners: 2015–16 * London 1 (north v south) promotion play-off winners: 2016–17

Notable players

* Colin Smart –

Bill Hayward William Louis "Colonel Bill" Hayward (July 2, 1868 – December 14, 1947) was a track and field coach at the University of Oregon and a track coach for six United States Olympic teams, from 1908 through 1932. Athletic career Hayward was born in ...

–

USA Eagles The United States men's national rugby union team represents the United States in men's international rugby union. Nicknamed the Eagles, it is controlled by USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United Stat ...

* Martin Corry –

Captain,

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; ad ...

Captain,

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

Captain,

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be les ...

Captain * Matthew Cook –

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

* Will Edwards – England 7s, Harlequins * Robert Greig –

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

* Mark Davey –

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

References

{{Royal Tunbridge Wells Rugby union teams in England Rugby clubs established in 1931 Sport in Royal Tunbridge Wells Rugby union in Kent