Southend Rugby Club (also known as Southend Saxons) is an English
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 ...
football club based in
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
,
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
. The club currently plays in the
fifth tier of English club rugby, participating in
Regional 1 South East
Regional 1 South East (formerly known as London & South East Premier and National League 3 London & South East) 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 ...
following their promotion from
Regional 2 Anglia
Regional 2 Anglia is an English level 6 rugby union regional league for rugby clubs in London and the south-east of England including sides from Essex, Hertfordshire, Greater London, Suffolk and Norfolk. It was created as a product of 2022 Ad ...
at the end of the 2023–24 season. The club runs six senior sides, including a women's team (the Saints) and a full range of age grade teams.
History
Southend RFC was formed in 1870 and was originally called Southend Foot Ball Club.
The club moved to its current location in 1978 and this heralded a golden period for the club, including three county cup victories in the decade before club rugby was introduced. The club was placed in Area 4 South but relegations saw the club relegated to London North East 3 by the turn of the millennium. However, a major turnaround saw the club back in the national leagues by 2003 and the club has remained at that level ever since, having returned to the level in which the club when the leagues were founded in 1987.
[ In 2014, the first team name was changed to Southend Saxons.
]
Honours
* London Division 3 North East champions: 2000–01
* London 2 (north v south) promotion playoff winners: 2001–02
* London Division 1 champions: 2002–03
* National League Division 3 South champions: 2006–07
* Essex Senior Cup winners: 2003–04Regional 2 Anglia
Regional 2 Anglia is an English level 6 rugby union regional league for rugby clubs in London and the south-east of England including sides from Essex, Hertfordshire, Greater London, Suffolk and Norfolk. It was created as a product of 2022 Ad ...
champions: 2023–24
See also
* Essex RFU
* 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 ...
References
External links
Official website
{{Rugby union in England
Rugby clubs established in 1870
Rugby union clubs in Essex
Sports clubs and teams in Southend-on-Sea
1870 establishments in England