The club was formed in 1924 by a group of Old Boys of St Albans School. They acquired their first pavilion, which was a timber World War I Barrack Hut, located at Beech Bottom. They are the largest community sports club in Hertfordshire.[citation needed]
The club won promotion from National League 2 South in 2011–12 to National League 1, and in 2012–13 finished 5th, their highest place in the English rugby union system. The club was relegated from National One at the end of the 2014–15 season, after an administration error led to a five-point deduction; this meant that the club missed out on staying up by just a single point. They were promoted back into the division after winning the play-off in 2015–16[1] before being relegated again to National League 2 South at the end of the 2017–18 season. Following the implementation of a new competition structure for the National Leagues that took effect for the 2022–23 season, Old Albanians was placed in National League 2 East.
1996 — Won London NW Division 3 gaining promotion to London League Division 2 North
1998 — Won the Herts. President's Cup
2001 — Won the County Sevens and were runner-up in the Herts. President's Cup
2003 — Promotion to London League Division One
2005 — Reached their then highest league position (5th place in Powergen London One)
2009 — Won the Herts County 7s, runner-up in the Herts County Cup Final. OA Colts reach both National Cup & Herts County Cup Finals and finish as runner-up.
2013 — Achieved their highest position in National League rugby, 5th place in National League 1
Mini and junior rugby
OAs has recruited over 900 mini and junior rugby players. The MINIS enjoy good success in the Hertfordshire leagues[citation needed], whilst the JUNIORS are well represented in the Saracens Herts and Middlesex Junior leagues. Most age groups are able to provide three squads to the leagues and provide very good competition.[citation needed]
Junior & senior women's rugby
OA Saints are the women's section of Old Albanians (OA) Rugby Football Club. The women's section were originally part of St Albans RFC, based in Smallford, which formed in 1989 from only four female players and grew to a squad of over 45 with a place in the top flight National Premiership League One in 1997–98 returning to the Women's Rugby Premiership for two seasons in 2010–11 and 2011–12.
In 2003, a year after the Old Albanians moved from Beech Bottom and took up residence in the new facilities at Woollam's playing fields, the Saints were invited to join OA Rugby. The women's section brought with them and keeps to this day their title ‘Saints’ as a nostalgic reminder of their roots at St Albans RFC.
Since joining OA Rugby, the Saints have established an excellent women's section with a reputation as one of the top women's club in the county, with regional, divisional and international representative honours amongst its ranks. In 2005 the first women's XV ('OA SAINTS'), unbeaten since November 2003, secured the South East One league title without losing a game. They won promotion to National League 2 in the subsequent play-off competition, securing victory over each of their regional rivals. In 2010 the OA Saints 1st XV gained promotion to the RFUW Premiership. They currently compete in the National South East 2 Championship and finished 3rd in the league for the 2016–17 and 2017–18 season, so are targeting to win the league in the 2018–19 season. In the 2018–2019 season with England and Saracens full back Sarah McKenna now established in the coaching team, the Saints won the Championship SE2 league by 8 points and then gained promotion to Championship 1 South by beating Guildford Gazelles in the play-off. They also completed the double by beating Harrogate RFC in the RFU National Intermediate cup final to record their most successful season
In 2017–18 the junior sides have won a multitude of tournaments and their league as well as getting Saracens, County and England Talent Development Group honours (detailed below)
2017–18 Saints success summary
Under 13s The U13s don't play in a league but had a very successful season only losing three games.
Waterfall Series – played a series of round robin tournaments, topped 3 of the 4 and finished 2nd in one
Peterborough Tournament – finished top of their pool, lost semi-final 10–15 so finished 3rd.
St George's Day (Middlesex) Tournament, finished top of their pool, no play-offs.
RAF Halton Tournament – finished top of their pool, no play-offs.
Worthing Tournament – won the tournament.
Under 15s National Cup-Topped their pool in Area 2 overall finished 4th in Area 2 (A1, A2, A3 are South England &
A4, A5, A6-North)
St George's Day (Middlesex) Tournament – finished 4th.
RAF Halton Tournament – finished 4th.
Worthing Tournament – runner-up in Plate.
7 selected to represent Herts County under-15s
Under 18s
National Cup – (A1, A2, A3 are South England & A4, A5, A6-North)
A Team –- topped their pool in Area 2 and are Area 2 cp wnners, then played A1 & A3 winners to
establish the South of England Champion but lost those finals so ended up as 3rd best team in the South.
B Team – topped their pool in Area 2, won their quarter-final but lost the semi-final finishing 4th in Area 2.
Inv XV Series – runner-up
St George's Day (Middlesex) Tournament – finished 1st, cup winners.
RAF Halton Tournament – finished 3rd.
Worthing Tournament – Plate winners.
Seventeen selected to represent Herts County U18s
One selected to represent Essex County U18s
Ten selected to represent Saracens U18 Centre of Excellence (Academy).
Ladies
Women's Intermediate Cup – reached the last of the pool stages
Women's South East 2 Championship – finished 3rd in the league – 3 tops from top spot.
Five players selected to represent Herts County
One player selected to represent Essex County
Ten players taking part in summer 7s tournaments in the UK and Europe.
Facilities
After 78 years based at Beech Bottom, the club moved to their current playing fields following the development of Cheapside Farm into The Woollam Playing Fields, generally referred to as "Woollam's". The playing facilities opened in 2002 with a club-selected XV match against a star-studded international XV led by Peter Winterbottom which formed the centre-piece of the opening ceremony.
The state-of-the-art[citation needed] sporting complex on the northern outskirts of St Albans was acknowledged as the largest sporting development in Europe during its construction.[citation needed] It is regarded by many[who?] as the finest amateur sporting venue in the land.[citation needed] The Woollam Playing Fields is the choice of Saracens for their home training base and has hosted both England Under 16 and England RFUW International matches.[citation needed]
Representative honours
OAs have had players recognized at county level and national level.
St Albans is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, 20 miles (32 km) north-west of London, 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Welwyn Garden City and 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman road of Watling Street for travellers heading north and became the city of Verulamium. It is within the London commuter belt and the Greater London Built-up Area.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promotes and runs the sport, organises international matches for the England national team, and educates and trains players and officials.
Hemel Hempstead Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Affiliated to the Hertfordshire County Football Association, they are currently members of the National League South and play at Vauxhall Road.
Sport in Milton Keynes covers a range of professional and amateur sport in the City of Milton Keynes unitary authority area. In 2019, Milton Keynes was officially designated as a European City of Sport for 2020. There are professional teams in football, in motorsport and in ice hockey. The National Badminton Centre, and the Marshall Milton Keynes Athletic Club train professional and amateur athletes. Most other sports feature at amateur level although there are semi-professional teams in rugby union and football among other sports. There is an international-standard karting track owned by Daytona Motorsport.
The St Albans Centurions are a rugby league club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The club plays their home games at Toulmin Drive, St Albans and their clubhouse is in High Oaks, St Albans.
Hitchin Rugby Club is a rugby club based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. They currently play in Counties 1 Herts/Middlesex - a league at the 7th level of the English rugby union system - following their promotion from London 3 North West in the 2021-22 season.
The Women's Premiership, also called the RFUW Premiership was the top level of women's rugby union in England until 2017. It was formed in 1990 and was run by the Rugby Football Union for Women. It was superseded in the 2017/18 season by Premier 15s.
Chess Valley RFC is a rugby union club originally from Rickmansworth but now based in Croxley Green, Hertfordshire. It is a member of the Hertfordshire Football Union and the Rugby Football Union. It is a community club and fields adult Men's, Youth and Minis sides
Andrew James Kalen Daish is a Swedish rugby union player of Welsh parentage. As well as playing for Old Albanian as part of the back row
The Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) was the governing body for women's rugby union in England. In 2014 the RFUW and Rugby Football Union (RFU) combined to be one national governing body. The headquarters are at Twickenham Stadium, London.
Herts/Middlesex 2 is a tier 10 English Rugby Union league. It is organised by the London and South East Division Rugby Football Union and is the second division competition for clubs in Hertfordshire and parts of north-west London that traditionally was encompassed by the historic county of Middlesex. Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.
Counties 1 Herts/Middlesex is a tier 7 English Rugby Union league. It is organised by the London and South East Division Rugby Football Union and is the top tier competition for clubs in Hertfordshire and parts of north-west London that traditionally was encompassed by the historic county of Middlesex. It was previously known as London 2 North West. After the restructuring of the English rugby union system ahead of the 2022-23 season, the league was renamed to Counties 1 Herts/Middlesex.
St Albans Rugby Club is a rugby union club based in St Albans, South-east England. The 1st XV currently plays in London NW3 following promotion from Herts/Middlesex1 at the end of the 2019-20 season.
London 2 North West is an English rugby union league which is at the seventh tier of club rugby union in England and is made up of teams predominantly from north-west London and Hertfordshire. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 3 North West, changing to its current name ahead of the 2009–10 season.
Ralph Adams-Hale is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Premiership Rugby club Saracens.
The Hertfordshire Rugby Football Union is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the county of Hertfordshire in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for Hertfordshire, and administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in the county. It also administers the Hertfordshire county rugby representative teams.
The Hertfordshire presidents' Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organised by the Hertfordshire Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced during the 1970–71 season, with the inaugural winners being Fullerians. It is the most important rugby union cup competition in Hertfordshire, ahead of the Hertfordshire presidents' Tankard and Hertfordshire presidents' Trophy.
The Hertfordshire Presidents' Tankard is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Hertfordshire Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced during the 2010–11 season, with the inaugural winners being St Albans. It is the second most important rugby union cup competition in Hertfordshire, behind the Hertfordshire Presidents' Cup but ahead of the Hertfordshire Presidents' Trophy.
Maxim Hugo Malins is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a wing for Premiership Rugby club Bristol Bears and the England national team.
Sarah McKenna is an English rugby union and rugby sevens player. She is a member of the England Women's Rugby Team and plays for Saracens Women's at club level.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
