Taunton Rugby Football Club is an English

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 ...

club based in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by t ...

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 ...

. The first XV, Taunton Titans, play in

National League 1 National One (last season known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Leagu ...

, having achieved promotion in 2020. The second XV (The Warriors) play in the Somerset Premier League and the third XV (The Wanderers) play in

Somerset 2 South Somerset 2 South (known as 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 2 North. When the division was found ...

. The club also operates the full range of junior teams for both boys and girls.

History

The club was founded in 1875, and play their home matches at Hyde Park, next to the

M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

. They moved to Hyde Park in November 2001, having previously played at Priory Park for 66 years. In 2011, they began their partnership with local

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than tha ...

s firm, Commsplus. This partnership developed over many years and in October 2017, the Taunton Rugby Club ground at Hyde Park in Taunton was officially renamed the 'Commsplus Stadium'. For the 2019–20 season, the ground will be known as the 'Towergate Stadium' after new sponsors Towergate – an insurance company.

Current standings

Playing record

The team's achievements in 2008–09, when they remained unbeaten, saw them being named 'BBC West Team of the Year'. In the 2009–10 season, the Taunton 1st XV were champions of

National League 3 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 ...

, winning 24 of 26 matches. In the 2010–11 season, the Taunton 1st XV finished in 7th position in their first season in

National League 2 South National League 2 South (known before September 2009 as National Division Three South) was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, N ...

Honours

1st team (Titans): * Somerset Senior Cup winners (3): 1986, 1989, 2008 * Tribute Western Counties (north v west) promotion play-off winner: 2000–01 *

Western Counties North Western Counties North (known as Tribute Western Counties North for sponsorship purposes) is an English rugby union league. Originally a single division called Western Counties, in 1996 the division split into two regional leagues called Weste ...

champions: 2004–05 * South West 2 West champions: 2008–09 *

champions: 2009–10 *

champions: 2019–20 2nd team (Warriors): *

champions: 2007–08 * Somerset Senior Cup winners: 2019 3rd team (Wanderers): *

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 ...

champions (2): 2007–08, 2017–18 *

champions: 2018–19 *Notes:

M5 motorway crash

On the evening of 4 November 2011 seven people were killed and fifty one injured in a multi-vehicle accident on the M5 south of the area where Taunton RFC were holding a

fireworks display Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices i ...

. Police said that they were investigating whether smoke from the event had been a significant factor in the accident. Taunton Rugby Club management committee issued a statement regarding the crash on 7 November 2011. On 13 December 2011, it was reported that the

Highways Agency National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency and later Highways England, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in England. It al ...

advised that fog warning systems be upgraded 18 months before the crash. On 19 October 2012, Geoffrey Counsell, the provider of a fireworks display, was charged with seven counts of manslaughter. At the 15 January hearing the manslaughter charges against Counsell were dropped. He will instead face a single charge of failing to ensure the safety of others, under health and safety laws. On 9 April he entered a not guilty plea and was bailed. On 10 December 2013, Geoffrey Counsell was cleared of the blame for the firework deaths. He had denied the charge of failing to ensure public safety for the Taunton Rugby Club display. A judge at

Bristol Crown Court The Bristol Crown Court is a Crown Court venue in Bristol, England. It is located at the Law Courts in Small Street. Until 1993 the Crown Court met in the Guildhall, on the opposite side of the road. The new Crown Court, which has ten courtrooms ...

directed the jury to find him not guilty. Speaking outside court, Mr Counsell said he believed the decision to prosecute him was "motivated by a desire to find someone to blame for this terrible accident, simply for the sake of doing so". The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it sought evidence from experts and eyewitnesses before making the decision to charge Mr Counsell. The pile-up involved about 30 cars when they were engulfed by a thick fog on the M5 on 4 November 2011. The court had previously been told the smog was so thick that motorists on the northbound carriageway likened it to having a tin of paint thrown over their windscreens. Mr Justice Simon ruled Mr Counsell had "no case to answer" following an application from the defendant's barrister at the halfway point in the trial. He said the prosecution's case was "heavily weighted" on "hindsight" and there was not sufficient evidence to show that Mr Counsell ought to have foreseen that smoke from the display could have drifted and mixed with fog to create thick smog. "I have therefore concluded that the evidence is such that the jury cannot continue in these circumstances and it is my duty to stop the trial and order an acquittal," he added. Mr Counsell, who ran Firestorm Pyrotechnics, was the contractor hired by Taunton Rugby Club to run the £3,000 display, which was watched by about 1,000 people. He set off 1,500 shots in 15 minutes – just 200 yards from the motorway.

References

External links

Official website
{{Rugby union in England English rugby union teams 1875 establishments in England Rugby clubs established in 1875 Rugby union in Somerset Sport in Taunton