The Yorkshire Rugby Football Union is the governing body responsible for rugby union in the historic county of Yorkshire, England. It is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union having formed in 1869, the union was formerly called Yorkshire County Club.
The county has won the county championship on 15 occasions, and finished as runners-up on a further eight occasions. The Yorkshire RFU also organises the Yorkshire Cup, which was inaugurated in 1878.
History
Early years of County representative team The first match arranged for the county of Yorkshire took place in 1870, at Leeds against Lancashire. This match was immediately known as the "Battle of the Roses" and was considered the "blue ribbon" of Northern rugby football. To be selected to represent the county was an honour bestowed long before the foundation of the Yorkshire RFU and it was seen as "the high road to International honours".Francis Marshall, Football; the Rugby union game, page 373, London
Formation of the Yorkshire Football Union Any form of sporting interest with appeal to a Yorkshireman promptly engenders demand for a match with Lancashire. Before Rugby football had even acquired commonly acceptable laws or pattern of play Yorkshire and Lancashire were eager to compete with each other and from this eagerness grew, in course of time and through disharmonious days, the Rugby Football Unions of Yorkshire and Lancashire. A Yorkshireman, J. G. Hudson, was innovator; not of the Yorkshire Rugby Union, but of matches with Lancashire, which originated county Rugby, thereby demanding the creation of county authorities. Hudson was a founder of the Leeds Athletic Club which was built on the simple basis of a newspaper invitation to play football on Woodhouse Moor "from 7 to 8 o'clock a.m.". The Victorian virtue of early rising brought extension of playing hours; morning football came to start at 6.30 a.m.-presumably when daylight permitted-and either the power of the Press or the inherent fascination of the new pastime induced attendances of 500, participants in practice games numbering 60 to 150, all, apparently, served by one ball and goalposts consisting of broom handles identified by fluttering cotton. These practices on Woodhouse Moor were not conducted entirely for their own sake. There were other Northern nurseries of the same, or a similar, game and in 1864 matches were played against Sheffield. Winds of challenge blew across the Pennines; in 1865 Leeds played Manchester. This, of course, was not enough. Yorkshire had to meet Lancashire and at Hudson's instigation they did, so instituting county history in Rugby football. The first Yorkshire authority and the first Yorkshire team were representative of the county only in their representation of Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and Hull and no formal committee was required because no formal business had to be transacted. Match management was by venue, Leeds, Bradford, and Huddersfield finding the grounds and choosing the teams for home matches and Hull undertaking responsibility for away fixtures. The Northern counties are prideful communities and Rugby football quickly extended county pride and loyalties. Yorkshire's founding fathers, spurred by Harry Wharfedale Tennant Garnett of Bradford, wanted county matches to become occasions offering hospitality off the field as well as a contest in sport and to this end preparation was necessary. By 1874 the representatives of Leeds Athletic, Bradford, Huddersfield, Hull and York were meeting as a committee to promote county interests. They were a self-created authority, serving a current need and they sought to be no more than the machinery of a county club as distinct from a union of represented clubs within a geographical and administrative area. The committee of the five held county reins through a period of accumulating discontent as the Rugby game spread and the number of clubs increased. They were challenged in 1880 and, with no great show of enthusiasm, invited two other clubs to join them. They bent further before the wind in 1883 when they proposed a revised constitution, but dismissed a request for county organisation under elected members from Yorkshire clubs within the now established national Rugby Union. They conceded the inevitable in 1888 when the Yorkshire County Club formally became the Yorkshire Rugby Union.J. M. Kilburn, Yorkshire Rugby Union - Centenary 1869-1969, Page-5, Chadwick Studios/Frederick Duffield & sons Ltd.
County side The county side has reached the County Championship Final 23 times, winning the title on 15 occasions.
Honours Year Winner 1889 Yorkshire 1890 Yorkshire 1892 Yorkshire 1893 Yorkshire 1894 Yorkshire 1895 Yorkshire
Year Winners Home team Score Away team Venue Notes 1896 Yorkshire Surrey 4–16 Yorkshire Athletic Ground, Richmond 1910 Gloucestershire Gloucestershire 23–0 Yorkshire Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester 1911 Devon Yorkshire 3–12 Devon Kirkstall, Leeds 1920 Gloucestershire Yorkshire 3-27 Gloucestershire Bradford 1926 Yorkshire Yorkshire 15–14 Hampshire Bradford 1928 Yorkshire Yorkshire 12–8 Cornwall Bradford 1953 Yorkshire Yorkshire 11–3 East Midlands Bradford 1957 Devon Devon 12–3 Yorkshire Home Park, Plymouth 1963 Warwickshire Warwickshire 13–10 Yorkshire Coundon Road Stadium, Coventry 1983 Gloucestershire Gloucestershire 19–7 Yorkshire Memorial Stadium, Bristol
From 1984 all Championship finals were played at Twickenham Stadium.
Year Winners Score Runner's Up Venue Notes 1987 Yorkshire 22–11 Middlesex Twickenham Stadium 1991 Cornwall 29–20 Yorkshire Twickenham Stadium After Extra Time (AET) 1993 Lancashire 9–6 Yorkshire Twickenham Stadium 1994 Yorkshire 26–3 Durham County Twickenham Stadium 2000 Yorkshire 16–9 Devon Twickenham Stadium 2001 Yorkshire 47–19 Cornwall Twickenham Stadium Challenge match 2008 Yorkshire 33–13 Devon Twickenham Stadium
Games played against international opposition YearDateOpponentResultScoreTourGroundNotes188812 DecemberNew Zealand NativesLossSee notes1888–89 New Zealand Native football team tourManningham, BradfordThe Natives won by 2 goals, 4 tries, 2 minors to Yorkshire's 1 goal, 3 tries, 6 minors.188919 JanuaryNew Zealand NativesWinsee notes1888–89 New Zealand Native football team tourBelle Vue (Wakefield), WakefieldYorkshire won by 5 goals, 1 try, 6 minors to Natives' 1 goal, 1 try, 1 minor.190513 DecemberLoss0-40The Original All BlacksHeadingley, Leeds190613 OctoberLoss0-341906–07 South Africa rugby union tourHeadingley, Leeds190821 NovemberLoss0-241908–09 Australia rugby union tour of BritainBelle Vue (Wakefield), Wakefield191913 OctoberNew Zealand ArmyLoss5-41New Zealand Army tourLidgett Green, BradfordGame marked the opening of Bradford RFC's new ground at Lidgett Green192418 October Loss4-421924–25 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and FranceLidgett Green, Bradford192627 OctoberNew Zealand MaoriLoss9-171926–27 New Zealand Māori rugby union tourLidgett Green, Bradford
Games played against international opposition by composite teams including Yorkshire YearDateOpponentResultScoreTourGroundNotes19278 October New South WalesLoss3-91927–28 Waratahs tour of the British Isles, France and Canada Lidgett Green, BradfordJoint Yorkshire and Cumberland XV19326 JanuaryLoss5-271931–32 South Africa rugby union tourWorkingtonJoint Yorkshire and Cumberland XV193521 September Loss3-141935–36 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and Canada Lidgett Green, BradfordJoint Yorkshire and Cumberland XV1946February ArmyLoss0-411946 New Zealand army tourManchesterJoint Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumberland XV194718 OctoberLoss0-251947–48 Australia rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland, France and North America WorkingtonJoint Yorkshire, Westmoreland and Cumberland XV
Notable players for the County side See Yorkshire County RFU players
Notes; ★ RFU President
Club sides Amongst the clubs falling within the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union are several clubs of national renown including; Doncaster R.F.C., Hull Ionians, Leeds Tykes, Rotherham R.U.F.C., Wakefield RFC (now non-playing), and Wharfedale R.U.F.C.
Rugby league clubs that were members of the Yorkshire RFU before switching codes during or shortly after the schism include Batley, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Hunslet, Hull FC, Hull Kingston Rovers, Keighley, Leeds, Wakefield Trinity and York.
Affiliated club sides
There are currently 94 clubs affiliated with the Yorkshire RFU, most of which have teams at both senior and junior level. These clubs are based in the districts that make up modern Yorkshire - East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.
A Acklam (website) Adwick Le Street (website) Aireborough (website)
B Baildon (website) Barnsley (website) Beverley (website) Bradford & Bingley (website) Bradford Salem (website) Bramley Phoenix (website) Bridlington (website) Burley (website)
C Castleford (website) Cleckheaton (website)
D Dinnington (website) Doncaster Knights (website) Doncaster Phoenix (website) Driffield (website)
G Garforth (website) Goole (website)
H Halifax (website) Halifax Vandals (website) Harrogate (website) Harrogate Pythons (website) Heath (website) Hemsworth (website) Hessle (website) Hornsea (website) Huddersfield (website) Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. (website) Hull (website) Hull Ionians (website) Hullensians (website)
I Ilkley (website)
K Keighley (website) Knaresborough (website) Knottingley (website)
L Leeds Corinthians (website) Leeds Medics & Dentists (website) Leeds Tykes (website) Leodiensians (website)
M Malton & Norton (website) Marist (website) Middlesbrough (website) Moortown (website) Morley (website) Mosborough (website)
N Nestle Rowntree (website) Northallerton (website) North Ribblesdale (website)
O Old Brodleians (website) Old Crossleyans (website) Old Grovians (website) Old Modernians (website) Old Otliensians (website) Old Rishworthians (website ) Ossett (website) Otley (website)
P Pocklington (website) Pontefract (website)
R Rawmarsh (website) Redcar (website) Richmondshire (website) Ripon (website) Rodillians (website) Rossington (website) Rotherham Clifton (website) Rotherham Phoenix (website) Rotherham Titans (website) Roundhegian (website)
S Sandal (website) Scarborough (website) Selby (website) Sheffield (website) Sheffield Medicals (website) Sheffield Oaks () Sheffield Tigers (website) Skipton (website) Stocksbridge (website)
T Thirsk (website) Thornensians (website)
W Wakefield Wath-upon-Dearne (website) Wensleydale (website) West Leeds (website) West Park Leeds (website) Wetherby (website) Wharfedale (website) Wheatley Hills (website) Whitby (Whitby website) Wibsey (website) Withernsea (website)
Y Yarnbury (website) York (website) York Railway Institute (website)
County club competitions
The Yorkshire RFU currently runs the following competitions for club sides based in the districts that make up modern day Yorkshire - East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire:
Leagues
Counties 1 Yorkshire - league ranked at tier 7 of the English rugby union system Counties 2 Yorkshire - tier 8 league Counties 3 Yorkshire - tier 9 league Counties 4 Yorkshire - tier 10 league
Cups
Yorkshire Cup - founded in 1877, open to clubs at tiers 4-6 of the English rugby union system Yorkshire Shield Yorkshire Trophy Yorkshire Vase
Discontinued competitions Yorkshire 4 - tier 11 league that was restructured into Yorkshire 4 (North West) and Yorkshire 4 (South East) in 2017 Yorkshire 5 - tier 11 league that was discontinued in 2017 Yorkshire 6 - tier 12 league that was discontinued in 2010
See also Northern Division English rugby union system
References
External links Yorkshire RFU website