| Rugby union in the Isle of Man | |
|---|---|
 The 1888 British Isles side including Manx player A.P. Penketh | |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Governing body | Rugby Football Union |
| National team(s) | Isle of Man |
| First played | late 19th century |
| Clubs | 6 |
Rugby union in the Isle of Man is a popular sport. It has no national competitive side of its own, and is not affiliated to the IRB in its own right. For this reason, it has no IRB ranking.
Rugby Union is played in the Isle of Man under the auspices of the Cheshire Rugby Football Union which is affiliated to the (English) Rugby Football Union. The sport is organised and operated by a Manx Executive Committee which is a sub-committee of Cheshire RFU.The Isle of Man is politically neither part of the UK nor of England, [1] but Manx rugby has a relationship with English rugby.
Due to its proximity to England, and the major rugby nations of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Manx rugby is amongst the oldest in the world, dating back to the mid 19th century. King William's College, the island's best known private school took the game up early and it is still one of the school's main sports, [2] and a number of other Manx schools also play, such as Castle Rushen High School, Ramsey Grammar School. The Manx Government also funds a full-time rugby development officer. [3]
An early club was Mona RFC, which is now defunct. [4]
There are a number of rugby union clubs within the island that contest the domestic competitions the Manx Shield and the Manx Cup. Reigning Shield Champions are Douglas Rugby Club with the Manx Cup yet to be decided. Other clubs include Castletown Rugby Club, Ramsey Rugby Club, Southern Nomads Rugby Club, Vagabonds Rugby Club and Western Vikings R.U.F.C
There is also a London Manx RFC side. [5]
Ramsey Rugby Club, Douglas Rugby Club and Vagabonds Rugby Club all had teams participating in the English Clubs Championship until 2020. At levels 8 & 9 of the structure there were insufficient teams to run a worthwhile league system. Ramsey & Vagabonds were therefore back in domestic competition only. Douglas and Vagabonds Ladies fell victims to the COVID-19 pandemic and are in a similar position. [6]
Like many small islands, the Isle of Man has a population problem. The main sport is association football, and the national population is under 80,000.
As yet, the Isle of Man has fielded a national team only on a sporadic basis.
The following are notable Manx rugby union players, or people with a connection to the island.
The Isle of Man has no television of its own, but does have its own radio station. However, British and Irish television can both be received on the island, and often include extensive rugby coverage - such as the Rugby World Cup and Six Nations Championship
The Isle of Man has an extensive communications infrastructure consisting of telephone cables, submarine cables, and an array of television and mobile phone transmitters and towers.
Douglas is the capital city and largest settlement of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021) and an area of 10.5 km2. It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of two miles. The River Douglas forms part of the city's harbour and main commercial port.
Castletown is a town in the Isle of Man, geographically within the historical parish of Malew but administered separately. Lying at the south of the island, it was the Manx capital until 1869. The centre of town is dominated by Castle Rushen, a well-preserved medieval castle, originally built for a Viking king.
Ramsey is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,845 according to the 2016 Census. It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of the main points of communication with Scotland. Ramsey has also been a route for several invasions by the Vikings and Scots.
Vagabonds RUFC also known as simply Vagabonds or by their nickname Vagas is a rugby union club located in Douglas, Isle of Man. They are affiliated with the English Rugby Football Union with their Men's Team currently playing in the South Lancs/Cheshire 3 division and the Ladies team playing in North West 1.
Douglas Rugby Club are a rugby union club based in Douglas on the Isle of Man. The club has two senior sides and age-range teams encompassing both mini and junior rugby. The men's 1st XV currently play in Regional Two North West, at the sixth tier of the English rugby union system, following their promotion from South Lancs/Cheshire 1 via the playoffs at the end of the 2016–17 season.
Castletown R.U.F.C. is a Rugby union football club in Castletown, Isle of Man.
Southern Nomads R.U.F.C. is an amateur Rugby Football club in Port Erin, Isle of Man.
For a small country, sport in the Isle of Man plays an important part in making the island known to the wider world. The principal international sporting event held on the island is the annual Isle of Man TT motorcycling event. However, the Isle of Man is represented internationally in a number of other sports at the Commonwealth Games and the Island Games.
Ramsey Rugby Club is a rugby union team based in Ramsey, Isle of Man. Until the end of the 2019/20 season, the club's First XV played in the English Clubs Championship. The League Structure at levels 8 and 9 disintegrated in March 2020 leaving Ramsey confined to Isle of Man domestic rugby only.
Raad ny Foillan is a coastal long-distance footpath in the Isle of Man. Because it is a closed loop around the coast, it can be walked in either a clockwise or an anti-clockwise direction.
Rugby union is a popular sport in Jersey.
The Anti-Assassins Rugby Union Football team (A-As) was an invitation team that selected players from the northern counties of England to play friendly charitable matches locally and to go on tour. The team was remodelled in 2004, teaming up with the Wooden Spoon Society to become the Spoon AAs.
Lancs/Cheshire Division 1 was a regional English Rugby Union league for teams from Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester, ranked at tier 8 of the English league system. The top two clubs are promoted to North 2 West and the bottom two clubs are relegated to Lancs/Cheshire 2. Each season two teams from Lancs/Cheshire 1 are picked to take part in the RFU Senior Vase - one affiliated with the Cheshire RFU, the other with the Lancashire RFU.
Lancs/Cheshire 3 was an English rugby union league. Promoted teams entered South Lancs/Cheshire 2, ranked at tier 9 of the English league system. This was the basement level for club rugby union for teams in the South Lancashire, Manchester and Cheshire areas and any team from this area wanting to begin in club rugby union had to join this league. Up until 2008–09 there was relegation with teams dropping down and coming up from South Lancs/Cheshire 4.
Western Vikings Rugby Club is a rugby union team based in Peel, Isle of Man. They are affiliated to the Cheshire Rugby Football Union and in turn the English Rugby Football Union.
The Cheshire Rugby Football Union (CRFU) is a rugby union governing body in the historic county of Cheshire and the Isle of Man. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for Cheshire. The CRFU administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in the county and administers the Cheshire county rugby representative teams.
The Cheshire Plate is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organised by the Cheshire Rugby Football Union. It was introduced in 1981 for teams that were eliminated from the preliminary and 1st rounds of the Cheshire Cup, with Old Instonians being the first ever winners. Initially the secondary competition in the region, in recent years the Plate has become stand-alone competition open to club sides based in either Cheshire, Merseyside or the Isle of Man that are ranked at tier 8 and 9 of the English league system – although some teams that compete are invited come from outside the official league structure. It is currently the fourth most important club competition organised by the Cheshire RFU behind the Cheshire Bowl (3rd), Cheshire Vase (2nd) and Cheshire Cup (1st).
The Cheshire Bowl is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Cheshire Rugby Football Union, and was introduced during the 2009–10 season with Winnington Park being the first ever winners. The Bowl is currently a stand-alone competition that is open to club sides based in Cheshire, Merseyside or the Isle of Man that are ranked at tier 8 of the English league system - although some teams may be invited from outside the official leagues. It is the third most important competition organized by the Cheshire RFU behind the Cheshire Vase (2nd) and Cheshire Cup (1st).
Lancs/Cheshire Division Two was a regional English Rugby Union league for teams in Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Greater Manchester at level 9 of the English rugby union system. Teams were promoted to Lancs/Cheshire 1 and after the cancellation of Lancs/Cheshire 3 at the end of the 2019–20 season there was no relegation.