Cambridge R.U.F.C.

Cambridge (CRUFC)

Full name	Cambridge Rugby Union Football Club
Founded	1923
Location	Cambridge, England
Ground(s)	Grantchester Road (Capacity: 1,250)
Coach(es)	Ross Stewart
League(s)	National League 1
2015–16	Champions (promoted to National League 1)
Team kit
Official website
www.crufc.co.uk

Cambridge Rugby Union Football Club or CRUFC ('The Blood & Sand') is a rugby union club representing the city of Cambridge, England. Formed in 1923 the club currently competes in the third tier of the English rugby union system, National League 1, following promotion from National League 2 South in 2016. The club plays its home matches at the 1,250 capacity Grantchester Road ground, in the suburb of Newnham, approximately two kilometres south-west of the city centre.

The club runs three senior squads: the national league squad, a development squad, and a social squad. At junior level the club runs one of the oldest mini and youth rugby sections in the country, starting back in the early 1970s, with a colts team for under-18s.

History

Cambridge RUFC was formed in 1923 and was settled in its current ground by the 1950s. In 1993 the club was offered the opportunity to buy the lease on its existing three pitches and to buy adjoining land for a further three pitches from King's College. Floodlights were added to one of these pitches in 2003 so that evening games might be played and the light available for training was improved.

Cambridge RUFC joined the newly formed league structure in 1988 and by 1991 was playing in London 3 North East. After five years in this division, the club was promoted to London 2 North and after four years in this division, was promoted at the end of the 1998–99 season to London 1, which feeds into the National Leagues. In the Club's first season in London 1, they achieved 4th place, plus a run to the semi-final of the NPI Cup, falling just one match from Twickenham, after defeat away at Hull by 21–17. London 1 status was secured again for the 2001–02 Season, but the squad led to relegation at the end of that season. However, by the end of the 2003–04 season, a rebuilt side regained promotion to London 1. Cambridge also won the Eastern Counties Cup for the first time and regained the Cambridgeshire Cup from perennial rivals Shelford. This time, the stay in London 1 was to be even shorter; At the end of an exciting season the League championship lay between Worthing and Cambridge at the start of the final round of matches: Worthing at home to Canterbury and Cambridge at home to Basingstoke. The championship would go to the team achieving the greatest points difference. In the event, Cambridge won by 96–15 and Worthing were condemned to the play-offs. Cambridge went on to beat Norwich in the Eastern Counties Cup Final and Shelford in the Cambridgeshire Cup Final — the second successive treble, and promotion to National League rugby for the first time.

In the 2005–06 season Cambridge once again secured promotion after a two horse race. This time with Norfolk & East Anglian Giants North Walsham who had been present in this league for well over a decade. Cambridge squeezed past them with a last day win at Reading while North Walsham failed by 21–20 at Southend. This was all the more lucky as North Walsham had secured the bonus point for four tries but failed with all four conversions. In the 2006–07 season Cambridge managed to consolidate their position in National Division Two with a 9th-place finish. In the 2008–09 season Cambridge finished second in the league and would have been promoted had it not been for the re-organisation of the leagues in mid season.

Current season

2016–17 National League 1 Table
	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Try bonus	Losing bonus	Points
1	Hartpury College	14	14	0	0	634	186	448	14	0	70
2	Birmingham Moseley	14	11	0	3	402	310	92	6	1	51
3	Plymouth Albion	14	10	0	4	430	287	143	8	3	51
4	Blackheath	14	10	0	4	376	261	115	8	1	49
5	Ampthill	14	10	0	4	369	294	75	6	1	47
6	Coventry	14	8	0	6	438	354	84	6	2	40
7	Rosslyn Park	14	6	1	7	369	286	83	4	5	35
8	Old Albanian	14	6	0	8	360	375	−15	8	3	35
9	Loughborough Students	14	6	1	7	435	473	−38	7	1	34
10	Cambridge	14	6	0	8	371	469	−98	8	2	34
11	Esher	14	5	0	9	376	388	−12	6	5	31
12	Fylde	14	5	0	9	326	457	−131	7	3	30
13	Darlington Mowden Park	14	5	0	9	257	400	−143	3	2	25
14	Hull Ionians	14	4	0	10	279	458	−179	2	4	22
15	Blaydon	14	2	1	11	296	520	−224	5	3	18
16	Macclesfield	14	2	1	11	293	493	−200	4	3	17
Points system: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 point if a team loses by seven points or less (losing bonus); 1 point if the team scores four or more tries in a match (try bonus) If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place. Pink background are relegation places. Updated: 3 December 2016 Source: "National League 1". NCA Rugby.

Current squad

2016–17 Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union Ean Griffiths Hooker England James Palmer Hooker England Cameron Ruddock Hooker England Chayse Taylor Hooker England David Coutts Prop England Ben Ibrahim Prop England Tom Jones Prop England David Langley Prop England Sisi Naqasima Prop Fiji Ricky Reeves Prop England Dan Seal Prop England Matthew Worrall-Clare Prop England Gareth Baxter Lock England George Bretag-Norris Lock England Sam Copeland Lock England Alex Moon (D/R) Lock England Wade Schoeman Lock England Sam Johnson Flanker England Kiefer Laxton Flanker England Matt Meek Flanker England Tom Nutley Number 8 England Lous Rawlings Number 8 England

Player Position Union Ross Kevan Scrum-half England Stefan Liebenburg Scrum-half England Roddy Giles Fly-half Canada Jack Green Fly-half England Dan Lewis Fly-half England Ben Penfold Fly-half England James Ayrton Centre England Jack Barnard Centre England Freddie McKibbin Centre England Albert Portsmouth Centre England Greg White Centre England Mike Ayrton Wing England Owain Collard Wing England Matt Hema Wing New Zealand Lawrence Hutchinson Wing England Oli Petrides Wing England George Furbank (D/R) Fullback England Mike Gillick Fullback England Chris Leathem Fullback England

League history

Overall

Year	League	Position	Notes
1987–88	No League	N/A
1988–89	Eastern Counties Division One	N/A
1989–90	London Division Four North-East	N/A
1990–91	London Division Three North-East	N/A
1991–92	London Division Three North-East	N/A
1992–93	London Division Three North-East	N/A
1993–94	London Division Three North-East	N/A
1994–95	London Division Three North-East	N/A
1995–96	London Division Two North	N/A
1996–97	London Division Two North	4th
1997–98	London Division Two North	3rd
1998–99	London Division Two North	1st	promoted to London Division One
1999–00	London Division One	4th	NPI Cup semi-finals
2000–01	London Division One	8th	–
2001–02	London Division One	12th	relegated
2002–03	London Division Two North	4th
2003–04	London Division Two North	2nd	promoted via play-off, Eastern Counties & Cambridgeshire Cup champions
2004–05	London Division One	1st	promoted, Eastern Counties & Cambridgeshire Cup champions
2005–06	National Division Three South	1st	promoted, Eastern Counties & Cambridgeshire Cup champions
2006–07	National Division Two	9th	5th round in Powergen National Trophy
2007–08	National Division Two	5th
2008–09	National Division Two	2nd	would have been promoted but for the RFU league structure changes
2009–10	National League 1	4th	league renamed
2010–11	National League 1	3rd
2011–12	National League 1	12th
2012–13	National League 1	16th	relegated
2013–14	National League 2 South	7th
2014–15	National League 2 South	6th
2015–16	National League 2 South	1st	promoted to National League 1

Players

A number of players have gone on to gain International rugby honours, including Dickie Jeeps (England and British Lions), Andy Hancock (England), Bob Steven (Scotland), Trefor Evans (Wales) and most recently Simon Culhane who represented New Zealand, including appearances in the 1995 World Cup Finals. The clubs most capped player is the late Shaun Gadsby who made 505 appearances for the club, his last being in the 2003/04 season aged 40.

Honours

Senior team

• London Division Two North (1): 1998–99
• Eastern Counties (3): 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
• Cambridgeshire Cup (3): 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
• London Division One (1): 2004–05
• National League 2 South (2): 2005–06, 2015-16

Youth teams

• Eastern Counties U-17s Cup (3):: 1992, 2002, 2006
• Eastern Counties U-19s Cup (3): 1994, 2003, 2004
• National U-19 Plate (1): 2002

References

External links

• Official website