Ruthin RFC

Ruthin RFC
Full name Ruthin Rugby Football Club
Location Ruthin, Wales
Ground(s) Cae Ddol
President David Williams
J. Gower Hughes
Coach(es) John Tudor
League(s) WRU Division One North
2009-10 6th[1]
Team kit
Official website
www.rygbirhuthun.com

Ruthin Rugby Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Rygbi Rhuthun) is a rugby union team from the town of Ruthin, North Wales. Ruthin RFC presently play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Four North League and is a feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets.[2].

Contents

Club history

A rugby club was first formed in Ruthin in the 1920s but this early club eventually folded in 1933 and was not reformed until the 1960s. Ever since then Ruthin has been one of the premier clubs in North Wales and has produced a number of players for North Wales and other representative teams. The list of honours below highlight that the club had successful side in the 1970s and many from that Ruthin team are still actively involved in the club.

Ruthin returned to Division 4 North in the 2006-7 season after 2 years in Division 3 South East. The club were not relegated, but elected to return to the North Wales league in advance of a decision by the WRU that they would not have been able to play in the South Wales leagues in 2007. Ruthin had gained promotion to Division 3 in 2004 after winning the league in North Wales and the 2005-06 North Wales Cup under two of the most successful coaches Ruthin have had in Paul Threlfall and Russell Penrhyn Jones, both former players. They guided the club to their first North Wales league win for almost 30 years, this highlighted the clubs leading position in North Wales. Having lost over 15 players due to injury, retirement and transfers at the end of the 2005-06 season, 2006-07 was one of rebuilding and a number of promising young players have emerged to take the club forward in the next few years. Winning the North Wales Cup again in 2007-08 was a notable achievement for Ruthin's young side.[3] For the 2009/2010 season Rhuthun returned to wearing the original Blue and White hoop kit for the club 10th anniversary after returning in 1999,the current away kit is a pink and white hoop kit.

Former players of note

In 1992, James Salisbury became the first Ruthin produced player to earn a Welsh Youth Cap and after playing for Liverpool St Helens and Widnes RL. Two other members include Eifion Lewis-Roberts and Rob Higgitt who are recent first team players and products of Ruthins youth system. Lewis-Roberts plays in the Top 14 for Toulon and Higgitt plays for the Sale after having played for Scarlets for several years. Lewis-Roberts is the first former Ruthin player to have donned a Wales senior team shirt when he made his debut appearance against Canada in November 2008. Hollywood actor Rhys Ifans is also a product of the clubs youth system having played mini-rugby for Ruthin along with his brother Llŷr.

Club honours

Welsh Rugby Union National Sevens Group Finals Winners 1967

North Wales Club Championship 1972/73, 1974/75, 1976/77, 2003/04

North Wales Cup 1971/72, 1972/73, 1974/75, 1976/77, 2005/06, 2007/08

North Wales (District J) 1973/74, 1976/77, 1984/85, 2005/06

North Wales (District J) Sevens Shield 1974/75, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1980/81

Machynlleth Sevens 2006/07

References