Taunton R.F.C.

Taunton
Full name Taunton Rugby Football Club
Union Somerset RFU
Founded 1875 (1875)
Location Taunton, Somerset, England
Ground(s) Hyde Park, Bathpool (Capacity: 2,000)
Chairman John Wrelton
President Jack Matthews
Coach(es) Tony Yapp
Captain(s) Dan Lee
Top scorer Mike Pope (2012–13)
League(s) National League 2 South
2016–17 4th
Team kit
Official website
www.tauntonrfc.co.uk

Taunton Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Taunton, Somerset. The first XV, Taunton Titans, play in National League 2 South, having achieved back-to-back promotions in 2009 and 2010.[1] The second XV (The United) play in the Somerset Premier League and the third XV (The Wanderers) play in Somerset 2 South. The club also operates the full range of junior teams for both boys and girls.[2]

History

The club was founded in 1875,[3] and play their home matches at Hyde Park, next to the M5 motorway.[4] They moved to Hyde Park in November 2001, having previously played at Priory Park for 66 years.

Playing record

The team's achievements in 2008–09, when they remained unbeaten, saw them rewarded by being named 'BBC West Team of the Year'.[5]

In the 2009–10 season the Taunton 1st XV were champions of National League 3 South West, winning 24 of 26 matches.

In the 2010–11 season the Taunton 1st XV finished in 7th position in their first season in National League 2 South.

Honours

1st team:

2nd team:

3rd team:

Current standings

2016–17 National League 2 South Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1 Bishop's Stortford (C) 30 25 0 5 1053 549 504 25 4 129
2 Old Elthamians (P) 30 25 0 5 1071 533 538 19 3 122
3 Chinnor 30 24 2 4 1111 546 565 21 1 122
4 Taunton Titans 30 19 3 8 901 735 166 19 4 105
5 Redruth 30 19 1 10 824 609 215 18 5 101
6 Redingensians Rams 30 16 1 13 756 618 138 12 9 87
7 Cinderford 30 16 2 12 746 725 21 16 5 84[b 1]
8 Canterbury 30 15 0 15 720 732 −12 11 7 78
9 Henley Hawks 30 13 1 16 775 840 −65 14 7 75
10 Clifton 30 14 0 16 683 843 −160 11 4 71
11 Bury St Edmunds 30 11 1 18 675 818 −143 11 7 64
12 Worthing Raiders 30 9 0 21 657 938 −281 9 8 53
13 London Irish Wild Geese 30 8 0 22 664 960 −296 14 6 52
14 Barnstaple 30 9 1 20 532 886 −354 6 7 51
15 Barnes (R) 30 6 3 21 599 817 −218 12 9 51
16 Exmouth (R) 30 3 1 26 554 1172 −618 9 6 29
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place. Blue background is the play-off place. Pink background are relegation places.
Updated: 29 April 2017
Source: "National League 2 South". NCA Rugby. 
Notes
  1. ↑
    • Cinderford were deducted 5 points for fielding unregistered players against Canterbury on 3 September 2016.[7]

M5 motorway crash

On the evening of 4 November 2011 seven people were killed and fifty one injured in a multi-vehicle accident on the M5 south of the area where Taunton RFC were holding a fireworks display. Police said that they were investigating whether smoke from the event had been a significant factor in the accident.[8] Taunton Rugby Club management committee issued a statement regarding the crash on 7 November 2011.[9] On 13 December 2011, it was reported that the Highways Agency advised that fog warning systems be upgraded 18 months before the crash.[10]

On 19 October 2012, Geoffrey Counsell, the provider of a fireworks display, was charged with seven counts of manslaughter.[11] At the 15 January hearing the manslaughter charges against Counsell were dropped. He will instead face a single charge of failing to ensure the safety of others, under health and safety laws.[12] On 9 April he entered a not guilty plea and was bailed.[13]

On 10 December 2013 Geoffrey Counsell was cleared of the blame for the firework deaths. He had denied the charge of failing to ensure public safety for the Taunton Rugby Club display. A judge at Bristol Crown Court directed the jury to find him not guilty.

The pile-up involved about 30 cars when they were engulfed by a thick fog on the M5 on 4 November 2011.

Speaking outside court, Mr Counsell said he believed the decision to prosecute him was "motivated by a desire to find someone to blame for this terrible accident, simply for the sake of doing so".

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it sought evidence from experts and eyewitnesses before making the decision to charge Mr Counsell.

The court had previously been told the smog was so thick that motorists on the northbound carriageway likened it to having a tin of paint thrown over their windscreens.

Mr Justice Simon ruled Mr Counsell had "no case to answer" following an application from the defendant's barrister at the halfway point in the trial.

He said the prosecution's case was "heavily weighted" on "hindsight" and there was not sufficient evidence to show that Mr Counsell ought to have foreseen that smoke from the display could have drifted and mixed with fog to create thick smog.

"I have therefore concluded that the evidence is such that the jury cannot continue in these circumstances and it is my duty to stop the trial and order an acquittal," he added.

Mr Counsell, who ran Firestorm Pyrotechnics, was the contractor hired by Taunton Rugby Club to run the £3,000 display, which was watched by about 1,000 people.

He set off 1,500 shots in 15 minutes – just 200 yards from the motorway.

References

  1. ↑ "Team Info — Taunton 1st XV". Taunton RFC. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  2. ↑ Club website home page
  3. ↑ "Club Contacts". Taunton RFC. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  4. ↑ "Address Details:". Taunton RFC. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  5. ↑ "Golden girl Millward, Powell and Weale win BBC sports awards". The Bath Chronicle. 2009-12-07. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  6. ↑ http://www.trelawnys-army.org.uk/ta/tables089.html
  7. ↑ "Club Discipline Season 2016-2017". NCA. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "M5 crash: Firework display is 'major line of inquiry'". BBC News. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  9. ↑ TAUNTON M5 CRASH: Latest rugby club statement. thisisthewestcountry.co.uk. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  10. ↑ M5 fog warning ignored in 2010. thisissomerset.co.uk. 13 December 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "BBC M5 crash deaths: Geoffrey Counsell on manslaughter charges". BBC News. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "Manslaughter charges dropped in M5 crash case". BBC News. 15 January 2013.
  13. ↑ "M5 crash deaths accused Geoffrey Counsell pleads not guilty". BBC News. 9 April 2013.
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