Devonport Services Rugby Football Club is an

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rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

team based in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. The club was originally called United Services Devonport and had their first recorded match back in 1904. Devonport Services play their homes games at the Rectory Field and their strip and club colours are dark blue and red. They are currently competing in Regional 1 Tribute South West of the English rugby union league system following their promotion from

South West 1 Regional 1 South West (formerly South West Premier and National League 3 South West) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. When this division began in 1987 it was known as South West D ...

via the play-offs. At the end of season 2021–22 they were 2nd in the league and were promoted to

Regional 1 South West Regional 1 South West (formerly South West Premier and National League 3 South West) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. When this division began in 1987 it was known as South West D ...

Current club

Once open to the members of the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, ...

only, the rules were relaxed in 1994 when the youth teams joined the club, therefore allowing civilians to play alongside serving armed forces players. However, the club rules stipulate that at least 50% of the club's senior squad playing must be members of the Armed Forces - mainly from the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

and

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

. As well as first team the club runs 2nd and 3rd teams, colts, and the occasional Vets team. There are also multiple youth teams for boys (7-16) and girls (15-18). Rectory Field Inside Ground

History

Early beginnings

Although the beginnings of the club are hazy they were certainly established during the first decade of the 20th century. The team, then known as United Services Devonport, was initially open to officers of the

, with the first recorded match being on 1 October 1904 when Services played out a 2–2 draw against Plymouth RFC (a parent club of Plymouth Albion) in front of a crowd of 6,000. During the early stages of the club the team did not perform particularly well until 1912 when the club opened its playing membership to other ranks in the military and results improved dramatically. The first mention of the club using the current name of Devonport Services with any regularity was around 1910/1911, although occasionally the press covering games would call them United Services leading to a degree of confusion. In 1912 the club got given its nickname "The Sporting Blues" by the

South Wales Echo The ''South Wales Echo'' is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Cardiff, Wales and distributed throughout the surrounding area. It has a circulation of 7,573. Background The newspaper was founded in 1884 and was based in Thomson House, Ca ...

who used this name as part of their headline when covering the Services game away to Swansea. The Services initially played home games at Keyham, owned by the RNEC but during 1920s they moved to the Rectory Field in Devonport. The Rectory Field had previously been occupied by Devonport Albion, who were the strongest side in Devon during the early 20th century, but the ground was sold for £6,500 to the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

in 1920. In the same year Devonport Albion merged with Plymouth RFC to form

Plymouth Albion Plymouth Albion Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club who play in Plymouth, England. The present club was founded in 1920 from a merger between Plymouth RFC (founded 1876) and Devonport Albion RFC (founded 1876). Since 2003 they have pl ...

and subsequently moved to Beacon Park. In 1928 the Rectory Field was procured by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Sports Control Board who rented it out to Devonport Services who have remained there ever since.

Postwar years

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the Rectory Field was destroyed by fire due to

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

bombing raids, leaving only a small section of stand considered safe enough for spectators. The post war years would see the Rectory Field rebuilt, leaving Devonport Services without a home ground for several years. By 1948 the damaged main stand was rebuilt and space for around 1,200 supporters, while additional facilities such as separate changing rooms and a bar were added and a second stand was also added - leading to the ground becoming known as the “Twickenham of the West”. After being rebuilt the Rectory Field had a capacity of around 7,000 - which was the largest recorded attendance when the

Combined Services The Combined Services cricket team represents the British Armed Forces. The team played at first-class level in England for more than forty years in the mid-twentieth century. Their first first-class match was against Gentlemen of England at L ...

played the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 198 ...

on the 30 November 1993.

Up to present day

As well as hosting the All Blacks, the early 1990s were a successful time for the club as they won back to back league titles by winning

Devon League 1 Devon League 1 is an English level eight rugby union league for clubs based in Devon (and sometimes includes one Cornish club — St Columba & Torpoint). The champions are promoted to Cornwall/Devon and the runner-up plays the second team from ...

in 1992, followed by

Tribute Cornwall/Devon Cornwall/Devon League (known as Tribute Cornwall/Devon League for sponsorship reasons) was an English level eight, rugby union league for clubs principally based in Cornwall and Devon. Following the reorganisation of the English rugby union le ...

in 1993. They spent four seasons in

Western Counties West Counties 1 Western West (formerly known as Western Counties West for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league. Originally a single division called Western Counties, in 1996 the division split into two regional leagues called Wester ...

before being relegated in 1999. In 2003 Devonport Services won promotion by winning the

for the second time. Once again they enjoyed a number of seasons in Western Counties West until 2005 when a torrid season saw the go down in last place which just one league win all season. This relegation was short-lived as Services came second in Tribute Devon/Cornwall to earn promotion back to Western Counties West. Since 2005 the main stand (south stand) of the Rectory Field was closed due to safety concerns (it is made of wood and a fire hazard), leaving the current capacity at around 2,000 which includes the (still open) Luddington north stand and standing areas. The stand was named after MAA Bill Luddington who won 13 England caps while with the club. In 2020–21 the South stand was demolished. The Chairman. Captain Ben Stafford RN. Secretary. Lt Fraser Pearson RN. Club captain; Charlie Rowlands-Stewart Esq. Season 2021–22. Ended the season in 2nd place to gain promotion to Regional 1 Tribute South West.

Season summary

Honours

* Courage Devon 1 champions: 1991–92 * Cornwall & Devon champions (2): 1992–93, 2002–03 * Tribute Western Counties (north v west) promotion play-off winners: 2017–18

Representative honours

International

37 players have gained men's senior international caps whilst at Devonport Services including 97 caps for England. *

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

(14 players): Clarke.S, Eyres.W.C.T, Faithful.C.K.T, Gardener.E.R, Gilbert.F.G, Gilbert.R, Harding.E.H, Hosking.D'Arcy, Luddington.W.G.E, Moore.W.K.T, Sharp.R, Vaughan.D.B, Webb.C.S.H, Woods.T *

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

(14): D. Bebb, G. Bevan, J. Collins, T. Davies, C. James, B. Jones, L. Jones, D. Main, H. Mainwaring, A. Meredith, B. Meredith, M.C. Thomas, L. Williams, W. Williams *

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

(3): W.F. Horsey-Brown, H.W.V. Stephenson, M. Sugden *

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

(5): J. Aitkin, T. Rodd, K. Ross, G. Waddell, P. Waklastow *The Philippines: Liam 'Rufio' Williams. *

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...

(7): M.C. Thomas, B. Gray, J. Highton, E. Hosking, SA. Lewis Jones, G. Waddell, J.K. Watkins

Youth internationals

Twelve players have gained youth international caps while at Devonport Services. * England under 18s: Jack Arnott *England under 16s: R. Haddlington, N. Batchelor, S. Trethewey, J. Currie, Jack Arnott, Richard Bayliss, Dan Pullinger-Ham, Tom Mumford *England Colts: S. Trethewey, N. Batchelor * Scotland under 18s: S. Meakin

Men's county/representative

95 players have gained county or representative caps while at Devonport Services. *

(71): B. Badcock., C.A. Baker, S. Bennett, F.W. Bristow., Broome. Leading seaman, D. Brown, A.E. Carter, S. Clarke, M. Connolly., W.L. Copley, J.H. Dalyrymple, T.E. Davies, W. Davies, W.CT. Eyres, G. Fabian, E.J. Gardener, ERA. George, B.M. Gray., Sub-Lieut Hargrave, R. Hart., M. Hewitt, J. Highton., A. Higginson., R.M. Holgate.R.M., G.R. Hoskin, J. Husson, B. Jones, S. Jones, L. Kenny, J. Lane, K.A. Lavelle, T.S. Lee, Midshipman, W.M. Lowery, J. Martin, Meadows, A. Meredith, C. Miller, Lieutenant Middleditch, G. Morgan., J.K. Morrison., M.A. Pearey, B. Penfold, N. Penny, A. Pond, G. Price, F.A. Prosser, D. Pulford, G.D.O. Randel, Lieutenant Robotham, T.L. Scott, J. Shone, D.H. Smaldon, C.S. Stafford, L.S. Stovell, J.H. Tarr, D.G. Wixon * Devon 7's: Ben Ashford *

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

: Campbell, Lieutenant Carter, E.J. Gardener, F.G. Gilbert, Instructor Lieutenant B. Glastonbury, B.C. Gosling., S.J. Kealey, Lieutenant Kelly, Ldg Shiells, Instructor Lieutenant Thomas, Midshipman Walsham *

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

: G. Criddle, H.W. Hoar * Surrey: J. Lion *

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

: M.J. Brosnan, T.G.P. Crick, B.G. Gosling, Lieutenant Mares * Dorset & Wilts: T. Hodgins *

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

: Lieutenant Fenner * Oxfordshire: Lieutenant Elvy *

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

(1): Coyte * Cumberland (1): Sub-Lieutenant Webster

Youth county/representative

11 players have gained youth county or representative caps while at Devonport Services. * Devon under 20s: M. Anstis, S. Bennett,

Tom Arscott Tom Arscott (born 25 August 1987) is a rugby union player most recently with Newcastle Falcons. Arscott joined Bristol from Plymouth Albion before the start of the 2007–08 Guinness Premiership season, joining his brother Luke who had joined ...

, J. Daley, L. Stannard, T. Wheale. * Devon Under 18's, Richard Goldsby-West, Jordan Patey. *South West under 20s: Charlie Attis, Richard Baylis. *South West under 16s: Richard Bayliss, Dan Pullinger-Ham, Tom Mumford, Chalie Attis, Mike Lewis, Richard Goldsby-West.

Ladies international/representative

2 players have gained international or representative caps while at Devonport Services. *

Lagi Tuima Lagilagi Tuima (born 16 June 1998) is an English rugby union player. She represents England women's national rugby union team internationally and plays for Harlequins Women in the Premier 15s. International career Tuima made her debut as a re ...

under 18s):

, * England under 20s : Jess Thomas.

. *England Students (Ladies): Marcia Burgess

Notes

References

External links

Devonport Services RFCDevon RFU
{{Use dmy dates, date=February 2017 Rugby union teams in England Rugby clubs established in 1904 Rugby union in Devon Sport in Plymouth, Devon