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Penyrn RFC is a Cornish
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
club based in the town of Penryn, and is the oldest club side in the county having been formed in 1872. The club currently has two senior men's teams (the seconds are known as the Saracens) as well as a ladies team, colts, and multiple mini/youth sides (male and female). Nicknamed "The Borough" the club's colours are black and red. The men's first team play in Counties 1 Western West - a league at level 7 of the
English rugby union system Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England consi ...
- having been promoted from Cornwall/Devon as champions at the end of the 2018–19 season. They enjoy a rivalry with neighbours, Falmouth RFC.


History


Cornish dominance

Formed in 1872, Penryn are the oldest club side in Cornwall. The 1960s and 1970s were the glory days for the club as they dominated domestic rugby. This period of dominance began during the 1964–65 season when the club claimed a hat-trick of titles including the South West Merit Table, the Cornwall Knock-out Cup and the Cornwall Sevens Cup. In 1968 they claimed the inaugural Cornwall Cup when they defeated
Redruth Redruth ( , ) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. According to the 2011 census, the population of Redruth was 14,018 In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, ...
5–0 at the Recreation Ground in nearby Falmouth. Between 1968 and 1975, Penryn appeared in six finals, winning the cup five times which included sharing the 1970 cup after a 7–7 draw with St Ives (who also enjoyed great success during the early years of the cup). The glory days would not last forever and the 1975 final victory over Penzance & Newlyn would be the club's fifth and last Cornwall Cup title, as they began to be overtaken by other clubs in the region such as Redruth and
Camborne Camborne (from Cornish language, Cornish ''Cambron'', "crooked hill") is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth, C ...
.


League rugby

The advent of the Courage leagues in 1987–88 saw Penryn placed in Courage Cornwall/Devon, a regional league ranked at tier 8 of the new league system. Penryn started league rugby well, winning successive league titles in 1989 and 1990 and gaining promotion to South West 2. In 1992 the club gained a third promotion in five seasons when they went up to South West Division 1 – which at tier 5 is the highest league ranking the club have achieved in its history. Early success in the league was counteracted with relegation in 1993 after just one season in South West Division 1. The club would stabilize in South West 2 for the rest of the 1990s but as they moved into the millennium they were relegated to Western Counties West in 2001. Two years later Penryn had one of their best seasons of recent memory as they won all 22 league games in Western Counties West on the way to claiming the title and promotion, scoring over 1,000 points in the process. The club retained momentum the following season as they finished second in South West 2 West, qualifying for a promotion play-off which they won 23–19, away to South West 2 East runner-up Swanage and Wareham. The 2005–06 season saw Penryn in South West Division 1 which at tier 5 was the highest league ranking they had achieved since 1993. Although Penryn were competitive in the division, taking place in a furious relegation battle, they ended up going down on points difference (for/against) in 10th place, despite being tied on league points with relegation rivals,
Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is a seaside town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, England. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 in 2019. It lies ...
and Oxford Harlequins. As is sometimes the case with a relegated team, Penryn struggled the following season and went down for the second year running, after a poor league campaign that saw only 2 wins. The slump was halted in 2009 when Penryn won the Tribute Cornwall/Devon title, following up with a second promotion in 2011 when they won Tribute Western Counties West. Life in Tribute South West 1 West was short lived, however, and Penryn were relegated at the end of the 2011-12 season. The 2015–16 season was a disappointing one for the club as they were relegated from Tribute Western Counties West, falling back down to Tribute Cornwall/Devon. They did have a chance of silverware at the end of the season but lost heavily to a very strong
Camborne Camborne (from Cornish language, Cornish ''Cambron'', "crooked hill") is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth, C ...
in the final of the Cornwall Cup held at Tregorrick Park in
St Austell Saint Austell (, ; ) is a town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon. At the 2021 Census in the United Kingdom, census it had a population of 20,900. History St Austell was a village centred ...
. The club finished their first season back in Cornwall/Devon League in fifth place at the end of the 2016–17 season after relegation from Western Counties West. At the end of the 2018–19 season Penryn were promoted as champions of Cornwall/Devon back into Western Counties West.


Season summary


Honours

* South West Merit Table champions: 1965 * Cornwall Knock-out Cup winners: 1965 * Cornwall Sevens Cup winners: 1965 * Cornwall Cup winners (5): 1968, 1970 (shared), 1972, 1973, 1975 * South-west promotion play-off (east v west) winners: 2003–04 * Tribute Cornwall/Devon champions (3): 1988–89, 2008–09, 2018–19 * Tribute Western Counties West champions (3): 1989–90, 2002–03, 2010–11


Notable former players

* Roger Hosen – born in Mabe he started career with Penryn before going to play for a number of clubs including
Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The club plays in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby union. It was formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. ...
, gaining 10 caps for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. As well as playing rugby union he was also a keen cricketer, representing
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
. * Ken Plummer – Penryn born winger who played for the club as well as
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
and Welsh side Newport. Went on to gain 4 caps for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. * Vic Roberts – played part of his career with Penryn. Gained 16 caps for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
as well as being selected for the
British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...
tour of 1950. * Adryan Winnan – Penryn born full-back who started his career with the club. Went on to play Premiership rugby for
Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
as well as appearing for the
Cornish Pirates The Cornish Pirates () are a professional rugby union team who play in the RFU Championship, Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. The Cornish Pirates team are the 'First XV' o ...
late in his career. * Tom Voyce
Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...
born player whose position was full-back or
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
and who started his career with the minis at Penryn. Went on to play in the Premiership with the likes of
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
and
Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
as well as gaining 9 caps for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. * Hugh Vyvyan – spent a season with Penryn in the 90s. Went on to forge a Premiership Premiership career playing at
lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...
for
Newcastle Falcons Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union. The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...
and
Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
, which included a solitary international cap for
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.


Notes


See also

*
Rugby union in Cornwall Rugby union in Cornwall is Cornwall's most popular spectator sport with a large following. The followers of the national side are dubbed Trelawny's Army. In 1991 and 1999 Cornwall won the County Championship (rugby union), County Championship f ...


References


External links


Penryn RFC

Cornwall RFU
{{RFL League 1 venues Rugby union teams in Cornwall Rugby clubs established in 1872 1872 establishments in England Penryn, Cornwall