| Club information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wolverhampton Rugby League Football Club | ||
| Website | www.pitchero.com/clubs/wolverhamptonrlfc | ||
| Colours | Primarily black, but with red and gold trim | ||
| Founded | 2010 | ||
| Current details | |||
| Competition | Midlands Rugby League | ||
Wolverhampton RLFC are a rugby league team based in the city of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. They currently play in the Midlands Rugby League. The team was formed in 2010 from the merger of Wolverhampton Wizards and Wolverhampton Warlords.
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Wolverhampton Wizards were formed in 1998 by a group of rugby league enthusiasts interested in bringing rugby league back to Wolverhampton, following the demise of the Wolverhampton Borough team that had played in MASWARLA (Midlands and South West Amateur Rugby League Association) in the late 80s and early 90s.
The team joined the Western Conference of the Rugby League Conference for the 1999 season. All home matches were played at Castlecroft, home of Wolverhampton RFU. Wolverhampton Wizards kicked off their first game, in front of TV cameras recording for Rugby League World on Sky Sports, against Manchester Knights on 5 May 1999. Results were poor with two 90+ points defeats, as well as the departure of coach Mike Rowan before the game against Worcestershire Saints. Paul Yuen took over as Caretaker Manager. The season ended on a low note with a 98-4 defeat to Leicester Phoenix.
2000 started with Paul Yuen becoming the permanent coach. The Wizards entered the Western Division once again. Wizards were overpowered by a rampant Bulldogs effort and slipped to an 86-4 defeat, which signalled the start of a difficult season for Wizards. The promise of the previous season was starting to fade as heavy defeat followed heavy defeat. Despite the defeats and setbacks, Wizards salvaged something from the season by claiming their first ever win in the Conference.
On 8 July 2000, Wizards took the field against 11-man Leicester Phoenix and, in a see-saw battle, won 32–20. Despite finishing the season with heavy defeats against Rotherham Giants and Gloucestershire Warriors, the club did celebrate some post-season success after being invited to the Bedford 9s. Despite losing the opening game to St Ives Roosters, the club recorded a close win over Bedford A, before crushing Bedford B by 30 points to win the round robin and a final place against St Ives.
2001 saw a transitional year for the Wizards as new players came in from all parts of the local area, it also saw a new coach in Lee Mannifield, who had previously played in the Pennine League and brought with him coaching qualifications and plenty of experience. The club took part in the Midlands Division and celebrated its first ever-away win at Worcestershire Saints. Although the club was not to win again that season, they were never out-classed and battled in every game.
2002 proved a difficult year for Wizards, Lee Mannifield left at the start of the season and the coach-less Wizards found the going hard, losing by more and more every week before taking the field in the last league game of the season against Leicester and suffering their biggest ever defeat 108-5. Wizards were in a group with Birmingham, Bedford and Cambridge from the Eastern Division for the RLC Shield. Despite competing well with Birmingham and leading 3 times against Cambridge at Walsall RFC, Wizards slumped to four more defeats and finished the season without a win.
Following the 2002 season, Wizards regrouped to a new location of Heathbrook, home of Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Union club. This move, plus a number of new arrivals from Stourbridge and Halesowen rugby union clubs, gave new hope of a much-improved year for the club. The season started early with an entry into the RLC Cup. The Wizards were entered into a group with Worcestershire Saints and Aberavon Fighting Irish. Despite the drama of a 26-26 draw at home to Worcestershire, the competition would be marred by events at Aberavon. Half-way through the second half, and with Aberavon comfortably ahead, the referee abandoned the game after a pitch brawl. The result was awarded to Aberavon and left Wizards with a battle to qualify. Hopes eventually faded with a defeat at Worcestershire and that was that for the RLC Cup.
Wizards took on Paris University at Heathbrook in an international friendly. The game was settled by a try with a few minutes remaining after Paris had come back from 10 points down. Wizards celebrated a 26-20 win, which proved a great booster for the new season. The Wizards were placed in the South Midlands division. The season kicked off with a home game against Coventry and brought a dramatic contest settled by Mark Austin’s late try to win the game for Wizards. The club then celebrated its second win on the bounce with a 47-20 thumping of Bedford, although this was to be later annulled by the league following Bedford’s mid-season withdrawal from the league. Results dipped slightly after Bedford with defeats against Telford, Birmingham and a revenge thumping at Coventry before another landmark win in Wizards history against Telford, where the club did not concede a try for the first time ever. Despite a heart-breaking late defeat at Leicester and a heavy defeat at Division winners Birmingham, the club finished third as the result of Leicester not travelling to Heathbrook, gifting Wizards the points and home games in the Shield. After a hard fought 26-0 win over Worksop, a win which garnered another landmark (first Conference game without conceding a point), before eventually grounding to a halt against Rotherham Giants.
Following the successes of 2003, Wizards regrouped and prepared themselves for a long season. Despite pulling out of the RLC Cup after defeats against Telford and Luton Vipers rendered the remaining two games meaningless, was focussed on more of the same, which would take place once again at Four Ashes, an area that would become the Wizards' home. With Captain Garry Morgan also coaching the side, a number of new recruits came in during the pre-season, including several players from Willenhall rugby union club. As the club moved into the Midlands division, another winning start was needed and duly came with a close fought 26–20 win over Birmingham.
The club repeated its trick of winning the opening two games of the season by winning 28–26 against Rugby Raiders in a game officiated by Super League referee Russell Smith at Rugby School. Despite losing the next couple of games to Leicester Phoenix, Birmingham Bulldogs and scratching the first game in Wizards' history, the club was starting to resemble a more professional outfit. Notably, the club was the only team in the Midlands division to produce a match-day programme and also had regular features on 107 The Wolf FM and in the local press.
Another two wins emerged as Rugby Raiders failed to travel to Four Ashes and St Albans were overcome 38–28 in a battle for fourth place and home advantage in the Shield play-offs. Despite this, a home defeat by Coventry left Wizards fifth in the table, although with the same number of points and wins as the previous year. Thoughts moved onto the Shield and a home game against Rugby Raiders. For the second time that year, Rugby did not travel and left Wizards with a week off and an away trip to St Albans. Despite being undermanned because of a number of injuries, the club travelled to St Albans and almost pulled off the win, going down 38-28.
2005 began early for Wizards as new Head Coach Stuart Bennett showed his keenness to improve general fitness at the club by instigating regular training sessions in February. It was Redditch Ravens who provided Wizards with their opening RLC fixture. From Alan Stoneley’s debut try after just 56 seconds to further debut tries from Craig Goodall and Steve Timmins, Wizards, under the captaincy of 2004 Player of the Year Pete Reynolds, produced a record win of 76–6 and numerous club records.
A poor performance led to a 48-20 loss away at Leicester Phoenix, but that proved to be the last regular-season defeat for a Wizards side who, under the coaching of Stuart Bennett, started to show signs of what was to come with a big derby win at Four Ashes against Birmingham Bulldogs and a first ever away win at Coventry Bears. Wizards were starting to build momentum and, after an awarded win when Plymouth did not travel and a second win against Redditch Ravens in a game played at Four Ashes when Redditch’s ground was unavailable, took on Leicester in a top of the table clash at Four Ashes. In a classic encounter, inspired performances by Stuart Bennett, Graham and Lloyd Shelley and Tommy Huggins saw Wizards overcome a concerted attack by Leicester to triumph 26-12 in front of a sizable crowd. Wizards also made the news a week later when, on the same day they beat Birmingham at Moor Green, club Media Officer James Vukmirovic made his debut for Serbia.
Another landmark came against Coventry Bears at Four Ashes as Wolverhampton Wizards played their 100th senior game. The winning run ended with a 34-34 draw. The Coventry game was the last regular-season game that Wizards played as Plymouth forfeited the last game, the final league position was not known until a week later when Leicester lost to leave Wizards as Minor Premiers by one point. This left Wizards with a bye to the West Midlands Grand Final. In front of Wizards' biggest crowd for many years, Wizards and Leicester clashed in what would be the last game at Four Ashes after the land was sold. It started explosively as Leicester's centre was sent off after just five minutes for punching. Wizards took immediate advantage of the extra space to take a big lead. However, Leicester came back at Wizards and levelling things up at 35–35 with extra time looming. Wizards scored a drop goal to win the game. The season ended on a sad note as the number of injuries collected from the clash with Leicester caused Wizards to pull out of the RLC Cup quarter-final against Gloucestershire Warriors. Despite this setback, Wizards were nominated for RLC Club of the Year.
Wolverhampton Wizards planned to a second team called the Wahoos in 2006 but did not because they had not got enough players. 2006 did not win a game. Head coach left club at the end of the season. 2007 won one game all year. Head Coach left club part-way through the season.
Wolverhampton Warlords were founded in November 2006 by Richard Lord after many months of work on the project.
On 10 November, Paul Yuen with many years' experience in the game was recruited as head coach. The first training and recruiting sessions began in January 2007 at West Park, Wolverhampton. Within the first three months a foundation of players were put together consisting of a mix of players from the north and the local area. In April Wolverhampton City Council granted the sole use of a pitch for a rugby league for the first time in its history.
Wolverhampton Warlords entered into the RL Merit League in 2007. Wolverhampton Warlords' first game was played on 12 May 2007 away to Chesterfield Spires RLFC. The Warlords were defeated 52 - 12. The club's first try was scored by James Noble, the first conversion by Richard Lord. ame was played against German Exiles. The season was finished off with a couple of games against local rivals Birmingham Bulldogs and Telford Raiders who were two leagues above the Warlords.
Wolverhampton Warlords continued to play in the 2008 RL Merit League. Kicking off with a competent friendly performance against Aberystwyth University the Warlords went from strength to strength finally registering their first ever win versus Birmingham Bulldogs in June 2008 in a game played at Hilton Road, Wolverhampton. This success was followed by their first ever away win in the heartlands of rugby league versus Heavy Woollen Donkeys of Dewsbury.
In 2010, the Warlords linked up with Super League side Castleford Tigers.
Wolverhampton RLFC was formed on Monday 15 February 2010. The club was created after Wolverhampton Warlords and Wolverhampton Wizards agreed to a merger. The club entered the Midlands Rugby League.
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