Banbridge RFC

Last updated

Banbridge
Banbridge rfc logo.png
Full nameBanbridge Rugby Football Club
Union IRFU flag.svg IRFU
Branch Ulster
Founded1926;98 years ago (1926)
Region Down
Ground(s)Rifle Park, Banbridge
ChairmanJohn Ewart
PresidentChris Nelmes
Director of RugbyMarc Eadie
Coach(es)Head Coach- Rob Logan, Assistant Coaches- Paddy McAllister, Charlie Farrell & Rob Lyttle
Captain(s)Peter Cromie
League(s) All-Ireland Div. 2A
2023–244th. [1]
Kit left arm goldborder.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body gold and claret horizontal.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm goldborder.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks hoops navy gold.png
Kit socks long.svg
Team kit

Banbridge Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland, in the province of Ulster. It plays in Division 2A of the Energia All-Ireland League since gaining promotion in 2017, and Division 1 of the Ulster Rugby Premiership. In addition to the senior team, the club fields another 4 adult junior-standard teams, a Women's Team, an U21, youth U18, U16, U14 and U12 teams (boys & girls), as well as a large mini rugby section and a Mixed Ability Rugby Team named The Barbarians.

Contents

Formation

Late in 1925, a group of former Banbridge Academy pupils interested in the game of rugby, got together to form a team to play Newry. The date of that historic first game was 2 January 1926. One of the players in that first game was F. E. McWilliam; later the well known Irish surrealist sculptor.

Banbridge spent the next 72 years in the ranks of Ulster junior rugby, with mixed fortunes.

Honours

Senior status

At the end of the 1997–98 season, Banbridge won the round-robin play-offs against the other provincial qualifying champions Naas, Monivea and Midleton. Their victory secured promotion to Division Four of the All Ireland League for the 1998–99 season. They have remained as an AIL senior club since then. In the 2016–2017 season Banbridge gained promotion to AIL 1B.

Touring team

Notable current players

Notable past players

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster Rugby</span> Rugby union team in island of Ireland

Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Irish regional pool of the United Rugby Championship and in the European Rugby Champions Cup, each of which they have won once. Ulster were the first Irish team and the first team outside England and France to win the European Cup in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terenure College RFC</span> Rugby team

Terenure College RFC is an amateur rugby union club based in the Terenure suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The institution, founded on 5 November 1940, plays in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League.

Tyrone Gyle Howe is a former rugby player who played on the wing for University of St Andrews RFC, Ulster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All-Ireland League (rugby union)</span> Irish rugby league

The All-Ireland League (AIL), known for sponsorship reasons as the Energia All-Ireland League, is the national league system for the 50 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The league was inaugurated in the 1990–91 season.

Old Crescent is a senior rugby club in Limerick, playing in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Ireland</span>

Rugby union is a popular team sport on the island of Ireland, organised on an all-Ireland basis, including players and teams from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Its governing body, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), was founded in 1875, making it the third oldest rugby union in the world after the RFU (England) and the SRU (Scotland), which were both founded in 1871.

Old Wesley Rugby Football Club was founded in 1891 from the past pupils of Wesley College, Dublin. It plays in Division 1B of the All-Ireland League. The club won the Leinster Senior Cup in 1909 and 1985 as well as winning the AIL Division 2 title in 1989 and the AIL Division 2A title in 2015. They celebrated their Centenary year in 1991 with a match against a star-studded Barbarians team featuring Internationals such as Eric Rush, Pierre Berbizier and Tony Underwood. They won the eleven-try match in dramatic fashion with a last minute drop-goal to win 37-36.

Old Belvedere R.F.C. is a senior Irish rugby union club based on Anglesea Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland. Old Belvedere was originally founded in 1918–19 by former pupils of Belvedere College. Old Belvedere enters senior men's teams in the All-Ireland League, the Leinster Senior League and the Leinster Senior Cup. In 2010–11 they were All-Ireland League champions. Between 1940 and 1946 the club won the Leinster Senior Cup seven times in a row. This remains a competition record. Old Belvedere also enters men's and women's teams in various senior, junior and youth leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clontarf F.C.</span> Irish rugby union football club

Clontarf Football Club is an Irish Rugby union club based in Clontarf, Dublin. The club play in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Harlequins</span> School in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Belfast Harlequins is a multi-sports club located off the Malone Road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club name provides the overall umbrella for rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey, and squash. The club is associated on and off the field with Methodist College Belfast (MCB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instonians</span> Sporting society

Instonians is a sports club based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that incorporates rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey and cricket sections. There is also a golf society that plays under the Instonians name.

Ards RFC is a rugby club based in Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland, playing in the Ulster Rugby Championship Division 2. It is affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club currently fields three adult teams and a women's team, North Down Women, who are a combination of players from Ards, Bangor and Donaghadee. Three youth teams also play at under-18, under-16 and under-14 levels. There is also a rapidly developing girls' junior section and a very successful mini rugby section in the club. The club works in close collaboration with local schools such as Regent House Grammar School, Movilla High School and Strangford College who provide much of the playing talent at the club.

Rainey Rugby Football Club is situated in the market town of Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland playing in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suttonians RFC</span> Rugby union football club in Dublin, Ireland

Suttonians Rugby Football Club is affiliated to the Irish Rugby Football Union. The men's 1st XV team plays in Division 1A of the Leinster League. The women's 1st XV, nicknamed 'Tribe', play in Division 1 of the women's All Ireland League.
The clubhouse and grounds are based at the JJ McDowell Memorial Grounds on Station Road, Sutton, Fingal.
The Club fields five senior sides with underage teams from under 6 age grade up to under 20, men's and women's.
Suttonians is one of only four Northside Dublin clubs to have played in the All Ireland Leagues.

The Ulster Senior League is a league competition for the first teams of men's hockey clubs affiliated to the Ulster Hockey Union of Hockey Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruff R.F.C.</span> Irish rugby union club

Bruff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in County Limerick, Ireland. As at September 2024 it was playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League. The club plays at home in Kilballyowen Park, near the town of Bruff in County Limerick. As at the 2017/18 season they were fielding 16 rugby teams at the club including 3 men's adult squads, girls' youth, minis and boys' youth rugby teams ranging in age from under-7 to under-18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballynahinch RFC</span> Rugby team

Ballynahinch Rugby Club is an Irish rugby union club based in the County Down town of Ballynahinch. Founded in 1954, the club is affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Malta</span>

Rugby union in Malta is a small but growing sport. The national senior men's team are ranked 46th by the World Rugby.

The 2022–23 season was Ulster Rugby's 29th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union. They competed in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Dan McFarland's fifth season as head coach.

The 2024-25 All-Ireland League, known as the Energia All-Ireland League for sponsorship reasons, is the 33rd season of Irish Rugby's top level domestic competition. The League began on 20 September 2024 and will finish with the League final at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin on 27 April 2025.

References

  1. League Tables 2023–24 at irishrugby.ie