| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1920 |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Country |  Jersey and  Guernsey |
| Holders | Guernsey |
The Siam Cup is an annual rugby union competition held between the Channel Islands clubs of Jersey Reds and Guernsey. It was first contested in 1920. [1] The trophy is the second oldest rugby trophy in the world to be contested after the Calcutta Cup. [2]
The trophy is a large circular rose-bowl made from coinage of Siam ticals and required the permission of King Rama VI to melt the coins down. The King not only permitted it, he had the trophy created within the Royal Crown Silversmith. [3]
It is beautifully decorated in traditional Siamese style, with figures of dancing girls and elephant heads. It stands on an ebony base and is engraved with the cup winner's names, dating as far back as 1920.
The Cup was brought to the Channel Islands by Lieut-Colonel C H Forty, an officer based in Siam with the Durham Light Infantry. A fellow officer in his regiment was the son of the King of Siam. He was befriended by Forty and his fellow officers, and on eventually becoming King he presented the cup to Forty and his fellow officers as a token of their friendship.
Forty donated the cup to the islands to be played for annually between Victoria College in Jersey and Elizabeth College in Guernsey (These are the CI equivalents to UK Public Schools). When rugby was no longer played by the two colleges it was decided that the cup should be contested between the two island rugby clubs each season, thus began the annual 'battle' for the Siam Cup.
During the German occupation of the Channel Islands by Nazi Germany in the Second World War, the Germans wanted it to be sent to their homeland to be melted down and used as funds to support the Third Reich. Strangely enough the cup 'disappeared' and was not rediscovered until after the end of the occupation. To this day, there is no record of the whereabouts of the cup during this period.
By the 1970s the trophy started to deteriorate from age and a replica was commissioned. The original was handed to the Rugby Football Union in 1977 where it is placed on display at the World Rugby Museum at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. [4]
The competition has been contested annually since 1920, each island hosting it every other year. The only breaks in competition were due to the Second World War. [5]
Previously there had been no restrictions as to who could play in the Siam Cup. Following Jersey's rise through the English leagues to Level 2 and turning professional it was argued that it made the competition unfair. In 2016, it was declared that Jersey could only select players for the Siam Cup if they had been on the island for three years, Guernsey, playing in a league at Level 5, would be unaffected by the change. [6] Equivalent competitions are held at academy, women's and veterans level. [7]
The rivalry is fierce, leading to fights that have spilled into off field scuffles. In 2010 a Jersey player was allegedly assaulted by two Guernsey players in apparent reprisal for an assault on a Guernsey player by drunk Jersey players after a Siam Cup game. [8]
The centenary edition of the cup, due for 2020, was eventually played in November 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was narrowly won by Jersey 14-13. It was still referred to as the 2020 competition as both clubs played the 2021 staging of the event in May 2022 a week before the 2022 date. [9]
As of the 2020 competition, Jersey had won 62 times, with Guernsey winning 16. There has only ever been one draw.
The culture of Guernsey in the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a culture which has been shaped by its indigenous Norman language and traditions as well as French and British cultural influences. Cultural trends from immigrant communities such as the Portuguese have also been added.
The Muratti Vase is an annual men's and women's football competition, inaugurated in 1905, between teams representing the Channel Islands of Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey. The larger islands of Guernsey and Jersey dominate the competition, with Alderney's sole match final championship victory – and sole victory in any tournament fixture – occurring in 1920.
Les Quennevais R.F.C. was a rugby union club based in Jersey in the Channel Islands.
Hampshire Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in the county of Hampshire, England. It represent clubs sides not just from Hampshire but also from the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands, who take part in many of the competitions organized by the Hampshire RFU.
Inter-Insular cricket refers to cricket contests between representative teams of Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands. An inter-insular match has been played annually between the two sides since 1950 and often attracts crowds above 1,000. It is often referred as ‘reds vs greens’ contest. The format has varied over the years but has been played as a 50-over contest in recent times and a Women’s Inter-Insular match was first played in 2009. In 2018, the format switched to a series of Twenty20 matches, although the traditional 50-over match returned from 2019 in addition to the Twenty20 series. The Twenty20 matches have had men's Twenty20 International (T20I) status since 2019, as the International Cricket Council granted T20I status to all of its members from the start of the year. On 31 May 2019, there was also a one-off women's Twenty20 International fixture between the two women's teams. It was the first T20I match for both the teams.
Guernsey participates in its own right in the Commonwealth Games.
The Irish Universities Rugby Union (IURU) is the representative body for University Rugby Union in Ireland. The Union was established in 1904 and currently consists of the following members; University College Dublin RFC, Dublin University FC, Queen's University RFC, University College Cork RFC, NUI Galway R.F.C., Maynoooth University R.F.C., University of Ulster Coleraine RFC, Dublin City University. In addition University of Limerick annually competes in IURU competitions.
Rugby union is a popular sport in Jersey.
Rugby union in the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a popular sport. Outside the island of Guernsey itself, it is occasionally played in Alderney and Sark. Sark has its own rugby team, although it regularly has to pick up "guest" players to make up its numbers.
Rugby union trophies and awards have been given out to teams and participants from the very earliest days of the sport's history. In common with many other sports rugby union has an array of competitions, both domestic international, covering the spectrum of competition structures from season long leagues, to one-off matches. The list below is divided into sections such that trophies and awards competed for by national sides are grouped together, as are those competed for by club and provincial sides. In both cases, the type of award can differ. The award might be a perpetual trophy, which is one competed for in perpetuity by two sides such that on each occasion they meet, which may or may not be on a regular basis, that honour is contested. The award may be one that is given to the winner of a tournament, or as a subset of this, as an award for a particular honour attained in that tournament. Additionally, the sport of rugby union bestows certain honours on individual players, and these too have their own dedicated section below.
Jersey Reds was a rugby union club based in Jersey, Channel Islands. On 28th September 2023, the club ceased trading and shortly thereafter went into liquidation following the withdrawal of financial support from a key investor.
Footes Lane is a multi-use sports stadium in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey and is the main sports venue on the island. It has a capacity of 5,000 with 720 seated. The stadium is the national stadium of the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
Guernsey Football Club is a community football club located in St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands. The club was formed in 2011 and became a member of the Combined Counties Football League Division One for the 2011–12 season.
St. Peter is a Rugby ground in Saint Peter, Jersey and is home to Jersey Reds, who have played in the RFU Championship, the second level of the Rugby Football Union's league pyramid, since 2012–13. The ground is located within walking distance of Jersey Airport. The ground also hosts Jersey's Siam Cup games against Guernsey every 2 years.
Jon Brennan was a Jersey rugby player who played at prop for Jersey Reds for 12 seasons, with 200 appearances. As of 2013, he was the club's longest-serving player, playing in his tenth season, while also teaching at De La Salle College.
Michael Le Bourgeois is a Jerseyman professional rugby union player who plays for Championship side, Bedford Blues as a centre and can also play as a fullback or as a fly-half.
Guernsey Rugby Football Club is an amateur rugby union team who play at Footes Lane in St Peter Port on the Channel Island of Guernsey. The club was formed in 1928. The club runs two senior teams, a veterans side and a colts side.
Myles Landick is a rugby union player from Jersey. He plays as a prop for RFU Championship team, Jersey, and is also employed as the groundsman of St. Peter, the ground on which Jersey plays.
Guernsey cricket team hosted Jersey cricket team from 31 May to 1 June 2019 to contest the 2019 T20 Inter-Insular Cup, consisted of three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. The series took place at two grounds in Guernsey: College Field in Saint Peter Port and King George V Sports Ground in Castel. The two sides had played an Inter-Insular match annually since 1950, generally as 50-over contests. A Twenty20 series was played for the first time in 2018, with Jersey winning the inaugural series 3–0.
The 2022 Men's T20I Inter-Insular Series, consisting of three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches, was held in Guernsey from 20 to 21 May 2022. The first match was played at College Field in Saint Peter Port, and the remaining matches were played at King George V Sports Ground in Castel.
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