Roscrea RFC

Roscrea

Roscrea RFC Crest
Full name	Roscrea Rugby Football Club
Union	IRFU Leinster
Founded	1950
Ground(s)	Streamstown, Roscrea
President	John Kirby
Coach(es)	Robert Dempsey
Team kit

Roscrea RFC is an Irish Rugby union club based in Roscrea, County Tipperary, playing in Division 3 of the Leinster League. The club colours are maroon and white.

History

A rugby club was formed in Roscrea following a meeting in 1940. The club colours were all white, and all home games were played at Beechwalk.^{[ citation needed ]} The highlight of this club's activities was probably the defeat of Thurles in the Mansergh Cup.^{[ citation needed ]} This was only the club's fourth match. Travel was restricted during the period of The Emergency (WWII), so the games were limited. The club seems to have faded by 1944.^{[ citation needed ]} Subsequently, there was the Rossory Rangers who had their pitch at Shanboe. This team only lasted a short time as well with some players switching to Rathdowney. Meanwhile, some Roscrea players played with Birr in subsequent years, and it was after Birr's exit from the PTC^{[ clarification needed ]} in 1949–50, when seven of the team were from Roscrea, that the idea was mooted of a club being formed in the town.^{[ citation needed ]}

The first meeting was held in March 1950. H.M. Read (a local man who had won 13 caps for Ireland and who became president of the IRFU 6 years later) was elected president. The club colours are maroon and white. Originally the committee had opted for an all-white strip, but when they attempted to register the colours with the Leinster branch they were refused on the grounds that other clubs were using the colours. Shortly afterward, the club secretary went to a hurling match between Tipperary and Galway. He was very taken with the Galway colours of maroon and white, so Roscrea has used these colours ever since. The jerseys were subsequently re-designed and now they are maroon with white stripes.^{[ citation needed ]}

As regards a ground, the club seems to have initially looked at acquiring a pitch at Benamore, a possible pitch on the Limerick road, with eventually a pitch being obtained at Mount Heaton.^{[ citation needed ]}

The first official match was on 1 October 1950, when Birr were the visitors to Roscrea for a friendly, and was beaten 12–0.^{[ citation needed ]}

Success came quickly when Roscrea won the Garryowen cup in 1952 but it was not until 1970 that the second trophy the Manseragh Cup was won.^{[ citation needed ]} Roscrea scaled the heights^{[ clarification needed ]} in 1975 and again in 1980 when they won the Provincial Towns cup - the premier competition for junior clubs in Leinster. Midland's leagues were won during this period and they also qualified to compete in the Leinster senior cup twice. The structure of Leinster rugby changed in the 1990s with the junior league and 4 divisions.^{[ citation needed ]}

For a number of years, Roscrea played in division two and in 1999 they gained promotion to division one. Roscrea had to compete against teams from larger towns like Dundalk, Kilkenny, Naas and Navan. This they did and finished in the top half of the league, retaining their division status.^{[ citation needed ]}

Roscrea were relegated at the end of the 2017–18 season and, as of 2020, were playing in Division 3 of the Leinster League.^{[ citation needed ]}

Honours

• Garryowen Cup: 1953–'54
• Manseragh Cup: 1969–'70
• Emerson Cup: (Provincial 7-a-side) 1974–'75; 1977–'78
• Leinster Senior Cup: (Qualified) 1971–'72; 1979–'80
• Gale Cup: 1974–'75; 1976–'77; 1982–'83; 2000–'01; 2005–'06
• Provincial Towns Cup: 1974–'75; 1979–'80
• Provincial Towns Plate: 1976–'77; 1984–'85; 1997–'98; 2005–'06
• Midland League: 1970–'71; 1971–'72; 1979–'80; 2001–'02; 2006–'07
• Midland League 2nd XV: 1974–'75; 1976–'77; 1979–'80; 1983–'84; 2002–'03; 2003–'04; 2006–'07; 2009–'10; 2011–'12

References

• 2008 Leinster Contacts PDF{{dead}]
• Domestic Fixtures & Results