| Full name | Halifax Rugby Union Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Fax Lads |
| Website | Official website |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Ground | Ovenden Park, Halifax, West Yorkshire (Capacity 500 (100 seated)) |
| Key people | Terry Higgins (President) Fran Hellawell (Chair) Tony Curtis (Captain) |
| League | Yorkshire 4 |
| 2009 - 2010 position | Champions Yorkshire 6 |
Halifax RUFC is a rugby union club founded in 1919, after the 1st World War, when the British Expeditionary Force returned home victorious from France. Halifax RUFC holds the record for the most wins in the Yorkshire Challenge Cup, having carried off the ancient trophy thirteen times including three times in succession in 1926-7-8. International honours for England have been gained by Philip Horrocks-Taylor (nine caps - 1958/64), Harry Wilkinson (four caps - 1929/30) and Lt.Col. K.T. Faithfully (three caps - 1926/27), whilst Michael Campbell Lammerton (twenty three caps - 1961/66), gained great fame with Scotland touring Australia , New Zealand and South Africa with the British Lions whilst also receiving the supreme honour of Captain. Horrocks and Wilkie were also tourists to Australia and New Zealand. More recently, prop Richard Szabo the first Hungarian International gaining two caps in 2004/2005.
With the arrival of League Rugby in 1987/88, Halifax gained promotion from North 2 to North 1 at the first attempt, before being relegated twice, back to North 2 in 1990/91 and to North East 1 in 1997/98. Then in three successive seasons, Halifax were crowned Champions of North East 1 in 1999/2000 and Champions of North 2 East in 2000/2001, and of North 1 in 2001/2002 reaching National League status. In addition to winning North 1, and to crown a successful season, Halifax won through to the Final of the Powergen Intermediate Cup at Twickenham where they triumphed over Gosport and Fareham (43-19). This was a considerable achievement, considering that 512 clubs from throughout England entered the competition. Halifax had to win nine rounds to win the trophy, which included a memorable 20-19 win over the famous Richmond Club in the Quarter Final.
After a substantial loss in funding, Halifax RUFC pulled out from the National League set-up and decided to start afresh in Yorkshire Six, the lowest possible league, in which they finished top with only one defeat in the last game away to Wetherby. The club was forced to officially use the name Halifax Vikings for the Yorkshire Six campaign. The club had wanted to revert to the traditional name of Halifax RUFC. However, as the Vikings were already registered as the team that would compete in Yorkshire Six before the senior side pulled out of the National League set-up, the Ovenden Park club had to keep the Vikings label for that season.
The club successfully won the Yorkshire Six title, winning 11 out of 12 games - with Halifax promoted to Yorkshire Four as a result, with the old Yorkshire Six division merging with Yorkshire Five.
The Yorkshire RFU and Northern Competitions Committee of the RFU have accepted the reversion back to Halifax RUFC for the 2010/11 campaign.