The Somerset County Rugby Football Union (SCRFU) is the

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

for the sport of

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 ...

in the county of

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

in England. The union is the constituent body of the

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

(RFU) for Somerset. The SCRFU administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in the Somerset including the county rugby representative teams.

History

The first Somerset rugby team played against Devon at Taunton in the 1875–76 season and the Somerset County Rugby Football Union was founded at a meeting in

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

in September 1882. The county men's senior team has reached the

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

final on five occasions, winning in their first final in 1923 but losing the remaining four. They currently play in Division 2. Honors *

winners: 1923

Affiliated clubs

There are currently 57 clubs affiliated with the Somerset RFU, most of which have teams at both senior and junior level, and are based in

as well as parts of

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 ...

. * Avon * Avondale *

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 ...

* Bath Old Edwardians * Bath Saracens * Bath Spa University College * Blake Bears *

Bridgwater & Albion Bridgwater & Albion Rugby Football Club is an England, English rugby union team based in Bridgwater, Somerset and run two senior teams, a newly formed senior women's team, a colts side and a youth section featuring the full range of age-groups. ...

* Bristol Barbarians * Bristol Harlequins * Burnham-on-Sea * Butleigh Amateurs * Castle Cary *

Chard Chard (; '' Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, or Swiss chard, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf b ...

* Cheddar Valley * Chew Valley * Clevedon * Combe Down * Crewkerne * Evercreech Barbarians * Frome * Gordano *

Hornets Hornets (insects in the genus ''Vespa'') are the largest of the eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to yellowjackets, their close relatives. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other vespine wasps by ...

* Imperial * Keynsham * Martock * Midsomer Norton * Milborne Port * Millfield Old Boys * Minehead Barbarians * Morganians * Nailsea and Backwell * North Petherton * North Wootton * Old Alruedians * Old Bristolians * Old Culverhaysians *

Old Redcliffians Old Redcliffians Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Brislington, a suburb of Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West E ...

* Old Sulians * Oldfield Old Boys * Somerton * St. Bernadette's Old Boys * St. Brendan's Old Boys *

Stothert & Pitt Stothert & Pitt was a British engineering company founded in 1855 in Bath, Somerset, Bath, England. It was the builder of various engineering products ranging from Crane (machine), Dock cranes to construction plant and household cast iron items. ...

* Taunton Titans * Tor *

University of Bath The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University ...

* Walcot * Wellington * Wells *

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...

* Wincanton *

Winscombe Winscombe is a large village in the North Somerset unitary district of Somerset, South West England, close to the settlements of Axbridge and Cheddar, on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, southeast of Weston-super-Mare and southwest of ...

* Wiveliscombe * Wyvern * Yatton * Yeovil

County club competitions

The Somerset RFU currently runs the following club competitions for club sides in

and parts of

Leagues

Somerset Premier Counties 2 Somerset (formerly Somerset Premier (which was known as Tribute Somerset Premier for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league which sits at the eighth level of league rugby union in England involving teams based in the c ...

- league ranked at tier 8 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 ...

) *

Somerset 1 Counties 3 Somerset (formerly known as Somerset 1 or Tribute Somerset 1 for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league which sits at the ninth level of league rugby union in England involving teams based in the county of Somerset as ...

- tier 9 league *

Somerset 2 North Counties 4 Somerset North (formerly known as Somerset 2 North or Tribute Somerset 2 North for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league which sits at the tenth level of league rugby union in England alongside its counterpart Somerset ...

- tier 10 league *

Somerset 2 South Counties 4 Somerset South (formerly known as Somerset 2 South or Tribute Somerset 2 South for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league which sits at the tenth level of league rugby union in England alongside its counterpart Somerset ...

- tier 10 league *

Somerset 3 North Somerset 3 North (known as Tribute Somerset 3 North for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league which sits at the eleven level of league rugby union in England alongside its counterpart Somerset 3 South. When the division was found ...

- tier 11 league *

Somerset 3 South Somerset 3 South (known as Tribute Somerset 3 South for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league which sits at the eleven level of league rugby union in England alongside its counterpart Somerset 3 North. When the division was foun ...

- tier 11 league

Cups

Somerset Senior Cup The Somerset Senior Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organised by the Somerset Rugby Football Union. First contested between 1906-07 and 1913-14, it was reintroduced during the 1970–71 season, with the winners being Ba ...

- for club sides that typically play between tiers 4-7 of the English rugby union league system. * Somerset Senior Vase - open to club sides that typically play between tiers 7-9.

Notes

References

External links

* {{County rugby union in England Rugby union governing bodies in England 1882 establishments in England Rugby union in Somerset