Leicester Lions RFC

Last updated

Leicester Lions
Leic lions rfc logo.png
Full nameLeicester Lions Rugby Football Club
Union Leicestershire RU
Founded1998;26 years ago (1998)
Location Blaby, Leicestershire, England
Ground(s)Westleigh Park (Capacity: 2,000 [1] )
League(s) National League 1
2023–24 12th
Kit left arm black hoops.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm black hoops.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks hoops black.png
Kit socks long.svg
Team kit
Official website
www.lionsrfc.co.uk

Leicester Lions are a rugby union club which currently play in the third tier of the English rugby union system, National League 1, following their promotion from National League 2 West in 2023. The Lions are a leading amateur club in Leicester and along with Loughborough University and Hinckley are the senior clubs in Leicestershire after Premiership Rugby side Leicester Tigers. The club was formed as a result of an amalgamation between two local clubs in 1998, these being Westleigh RFC (established in 1904) and Wigston RFC (established in 1946). [2] [3]

Contents

Leicester Lions boast several high-profile names amongst their former and current players and coaching staff. Jason Aldwinckle, the former Leicester Tigers' hooker is the forwards coach, while the former club captain and England Counties outside back Gareth Collins has taken over as head coach. Notable former Lions, Westleigh and Wigston players include England World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson, England lock Louis Deacon, Tigers back-rower Brett Deacon and Gloucester and England centre Billy Twelvetrees.

Current standings

2024–25 National League 1 table
PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDTBLBPtsQualification
1 Rams 22008436+482010Promotion place
2 Sale FC 22005242+102010
3 Birmingham Moseley 22006127+34109
4 Rotherham Titans 22007649+27109
5 Richmond 22005239+13008
6 Sedgley Park 21018348+35116
7 Blackheath 21015941+18105
8 Dings Crusaders 210166693105
9 Bishop's Stortford 210146515105
10 Plymouth Albion 2002537421213
11 Rosslyn Park 2002405212011
12 Darlington Mowden Park 2002408646101Relegation place
13 Esher 20024810860101
14 Leicester Lions 2002195738000
Updated to match(es) played on 14 September 2024. Source: National League 1 RFU [4]
Rules for classification: 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

Honours

Leicester Lions (1998–present)

Westleigh (Parent club)

Wigston (Parent club)

Notes

  1. If you count the wins by parent clubs Westleigh RFC (5) and Wigston (1) then Leicester Lions have won the Leicestershire County Cup nine times.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester Tigers</span> English rugby union club, based in Leicester

Leicester Tigers are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Johnson (rugby union)</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player & coach

Martin Osborne Johnson CBE is an English retired rugby union player who represented and captained England and Leicester in a career spanning 16 seasons. He captained England to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and is regarded as one of the greatest locks ever to have played, and one of England's greatest ever players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Back</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Neil Antony Back MBE is a former international rugby union footballer for England and the British & Irish Lions who also played for Nottingham RFC, Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Deacon</span> England international rugby union player

Louis Deacon is a former English professional rugby union footballer. He played lock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinnor R.F.C.</span> English rugby union club, based in Oxfordshire

Chinnor Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Thame, Oxfordshire. They currently play in the second tier of the English league system, RFU Championship following their promotion from National League 1 having won promotion in the 2023-24 season.The club regularly runs five senior teams as well as a full youth setup from age 5 upwards. Chinnor's youth setup is widely thought of as one of the best in the country having produced top Premiership players such as Tom Varndell, Tom Johnson, Dave Seymour (Saracens), Paul Volley (Wasps), and Sam Jones (Wasps). Chinnor became the first club in Oxfordshire or Buckinghamshire to establish an under-19 academy.

Dean Richards is a rugby union coach and former player for Leicester Tigers, England and British & Irish Lions. He was most recently the Director of Rugby at Newcastle Falcons, a position he held for ten years between 2012 and 2022.

Stephen Paul Redfern is an English former rugby union and professional rugby league player in the 1970s and 1980s. He played one test for England in 1984, and between 1976 and 1984 played club rugby for Leicester Tigers. His position was tighthead prop. He then played professional rugby league for Sheffield Eagles, but injury limited him to only 9 appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosslyn Park F.C.</span> English rugby union club, based in London

Rosslyn Park Football Club is a rugby union club based in south west London.

Regional 1 Midlands is a level five semi-professional league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. When this division began in 1987 it was known as Midlands Division 1. The format of the league was changed at the beginning of the 2009–10 season following a reorganisation by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), and the name change from National League 3 to Premier was introduced for the 2017–18 season by the RFU in order to lessen confusion for what is a series of regional leagues. Regional 1 Midlands is the highest regional rugby union league in the English Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loughborough Students RUFC</span> English rugby union club, based in Loughborough

Loughborough Students Rugby Football Club represents Loughborough University in rugby union competition. Of the British universities, Loughborough has unparalleled success, having won the BUCS championship on twenty-seven occasions. It fields sides in the BUCS league, (inter-university) and in the fourth tier of the English rugby union system, National League 2 West. The club has fielded over seventy internationals, many of whom won caps while playing for the club.

Oxford Harlequins Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Oxford, England. The men's 1st XV currently play in National League 2 East, a level 4 league, following their promotion from Regional 1 Midlands at the end of the 2023–24 season.

Dorset and Wilts Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in the counties of Dorset and Wiltshire, England. Dorset & Wilts RFU is a Constituent Body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and is responsible for the management and administration of the game within the counties of Dorset and Wiltshire of all forms and at all levels. Originally Dorset and Wiltshire had their own county teams but would start to merge into one body towards the end of the 1930s, having already played a combined match against Hampshire in 1935–36 which Dorset & Wilts won 9–6. By 1939 Dorset & Wilts agreed to become a unified rugby football union to take part in the 1940–41 County Championships but this was postponed by the outbreak of World War II. After the war Dorset & Wilts played its first official county match in 1947 and attained full county status from the RFU in 1949.

Syston Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Queniborough, Leicestershire. The club run four senior sides, a vets, colts and all age groups from under-7 to under-19. The first XV currently play in Regional 1 Midlands, at the fifth tier of the English rugby union system, following their promotion from Midlands 1 East at the end of the 2019–20 season.

The Leicestershire Rugby Union (LRU) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for those counties. The LRU administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in those two counties and administers the Leicestershire county rugby representative teams.

Jon Boden is a rugby union footballer/coach, currently playing at Fly-half or Centre for Leicester Lions in National League 2 North. He has played higher level rugby for Rugby Lions and Doncaster Knights, as well as European rugby with Italian side Gran Parma. An excellent kicker, as of the end of the 2015–16 season, Jon is the all-time points scorer in National League 2 North with over 2,000 points.

Gareth Collins is a former English-Welsh rugby union player who is currently head coach at Leicester Lions and Head of Psychology at The King's School Grantham. A Leicester Tigers youth player, Collins was a versatile back who made his name scoring tries, being one of the most prolific finishers in National League 2 North history with 152 tries scored during his time with Rugby Lions and Leicester Lions, which included a joint divisional record 32 tries in a season. As well as playing club rugby he has also represented Warwickshire in the county championships and has captained the England Counties XV.

The Leicestershire County Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Leicestershire Rugby Union. It was first introduced in 1890 with the inaugural winners being South Wigston. The competition was known as the Leicestershire League Cup until 1893 when it was changed to Leicestershire Senior Cup. The first competition was open to the top sides in the county apart from the Leicester FC first XV, who were considered too strong and would instead enter an 'A' team up until 1906. Smaller clubs in the county, as well as senior club second sides, played in the Leicestershire Junior Cup which had its inaugural competition three seasons earlier in 1887.

East Midlands/Leicestershire 2 was a tier 10 English Rugby Union league with teams from Bedfordshire, parts of Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire taking part. Promoted teams moved up to East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 and relegated teams dropped to East Midlands/Leicestershire 3.

Leicestershire 1 was a tier 10 English Rugby Union league with teams from Leicestershire taking part. Promoted teams moved up to East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 and relegated teams dropped to Leicestershire 2. The league ran for two spells between 1987–1992 and 1996–1998 before it was permanently cancelled and the majority of teams transferred into either East Midlands/Leicestershire 1 or East Midlands/Leicestershire 2.

National League 2 West is a rugby union league at level four in the English rugby union system and provides semi-professional competition for teams in the Midlands and South West England. The remainder of England is covered by two other regional leagues; National League 2 East and National League 2 North. The champion club is promoted to National One. The last two teams are relegated to either Regional 1 Midlands or Regional 1 South West.

References

  1. "Leicester Lions RFC Fixtures History and Club Information". 29 May 2013.
  2. "History". Leicester Lions RFC (Pitchero). Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  3. "Leicester Lions (Team History)". Rugby Archive. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  4. "National League 1". England Rugby.
  5. "Leicester Lions savour promotion". Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.