One of the two home games this weekend sees our 1st XV host Old Priorians on pitch 1. Colchester's last two matches have seen them score over 50 points in each game proving our boys have definitely got their mojo back! Last weekend's game against Fullerians was a spectacle of rugby magic, which you can read all about in Jon Smith's review, or better still, watch the highlights reel as featured later in Raven Mad. Despite sitting below us in the league, Old Priorians have also won their last two games in style by similar margins, so this could be a very interesting encounter. Kick off time has been confirmed as 3pm- so make sure you're at Mill Road to cheer our boys to another victory!

Our A XV are the only team on the road this weekend as they make their way over the Suffolk border to Ipswich Magpies. After scoring 12 tries in their last game, the As are a class act and continuing to improve week by week. If you're travelling to watch the game, it kicks off at 2pm and you can find the directions here.

Our Cavaliers also compete at home this weekend as they host Halstead. Our Cavs secured a momentous win over local rivals Bury St Edmunds last weekend, beating them 77-19! The Cavaliers are in top form and proves the strength and depth of players Colchester has to offer across the whole senior section. They're definitely worth a watch so check them out as they kick off at 2pm.

We will be holding a minutes silence before the 1st XV game to mark our respect for those fallen in warfare, we ask that you'll join us in this moment.

As always our fantastic bar will be open from 12pm for you to grab a drink before cheering on our home sides.

#COMEONCOL

Youth on Sunday

After a morning of expert teaching from our dedicated coaches, our youth section are ready to get stuck into their fixtures this weekend. This weekend our youth section are all over the county as they compete in their weekly games All the weekend's fixtures below:

Fireworks Extravaganza HUGE success!

Last Sunday we held our Fireworks Extravaganza Evening here at Mill Road for club members and residents of the local community to enjoy. With over 1,500 people visiting, Colchester RFC had a fun packed evening planned for everyone involved.

Our Amusement Area on the training grids kept children entertained as they flew through the sky on an airplane ride, giggled through the dizziness on the teacups, and roared around the Go-Kart track.

Homemade food kept the visitors warm as they strolled around in the chilly evening. Hot jacket potatoes, freshly made soup with baked rolls and of course sizzling chips were all extremely popular.

HRC All Stars Cheerleading Troop entertained the large crowds with two performances. Firstly from their Primary section followed by their Secondary section whose athletic acrobatics impressed the watching public.

The highlight of the evening was of course the Fireworks display which was so skilfully put together and provided by Dynamic Fireworks. This professional display had our crowd gasping at the amazing light show in the sky.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who made the event possible, from the car park attendants to the kitchen staff- we could never have achieved this without you.

Ultimately the event was a roaring success, raising lots of money for our much-loved club and the charities we support, as well as bringing together the local community. With people already demanding tickets for next year we’ve booked in for Sunday 4 of November- so save the date!

Upcoming Events at CRFC

Curry, Beer, and International Rugby..!

Got your attention? Is there anything better than a belly full of a curry, a pint in your hand whilst watching the English beat the Aussies?! We argue not!

In the absence of any senior games on Saturday 18th of November we’re putting on a curry lunch for anyone who wants to come and watch the England v Australia game on our big screens at the club.

For £10 not only will you get to watch the game in the 2nd best venue after Twickenham, you’ll also get a bowl of curry with all the trimmings and a free pint to get you started! What more could one ask for?!

No need to buy tickets, just save the date and we’ll see you there!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Look away now if you refuse to engage with Christmas this early in the year!

After the success of last year's market our traditional Christmas Market is returning! With beautiful gifts, Colchester RFC stocking fillers, sweet treats and of course mulled wine, our Christmas Market is the perfect occasion to get yourself into the Christmas spirit.

Join us at 6pm on Wednesday the 29th of November to browse through everything we have to offer and catch some fantastic rugby at the same time as we'll have our youth section floodlight sessions as we welcome St Joseph's College to Mill Road.

This is an evening you won't want to miss out on so make sure you've got it in your diary!

Bring in the New Year with Colchester RFC

2017 has been a great year for CRFC and we're determined to get 2018 off to the best possible start with a huge New Year's Eve party up at Mill Road.

From 7.30pm until 1am we're providing special drinks deals at the bar to rival every venue in Colchester including a free glass of prosecco on arrival. We’ve got a brilliant DJ to supply the tunes, a delicious buffet and a photo booth, all we need is YOU! Gather your friends and family and join us for this mega event. Colchester RFC knows how to have a good night- and our New Year’s Eve Party will be no exception!

We also have extremely reasonably priced taxis available exclusively for this event which you can pre-book with Claire beforehand, saving you the headache of finding a taxi.

You can buy your tickets with Claire now, and at only £15 for an adult and £7 for a child you’re getting a real bargain!

1st XV: The Review, with John Smith

Every week Senior Chairman Jon Smith writes a review of the 1st XV's last game and a separate preview to the next game. These articles will give you the behind the scenes low down on what goes on with our 1st XV and in an insight into the inner workings of our club. Jon's review of last weekend is already up on the website here covering the 1st XV's huge win over Letchworth. This week, in his preview, Jon explains the 1st XV selection process.

"This weekend, as well as being able to see some fabulous rugby, we will pay our respects to all those who have made, and continue to make, such great sacrifices in order to enable us to enjoy the freedoms of modern society. It's a sobering thought and one that is especially poignant in a garrison town like Colchester.

On the pitch our 1st XV will face Old Priorians - also known as Old Priorians Twisters. Like so many rugby clubs Old Priorians originate from a school; namely St Benedict's in Ealing, Middlesex. Priorians currently sit in 10th place in London North Division 1, but they will be in really high spirits after inflicting a heavy defeat on Letchworth Garden City (6-57) last weekend. The win at Letchworth was Old Priorians third win of the season and their first away win of this campaign.

There is just one change to the Colchester 1st XV starting line up this week; Will Brown returns to fullback and James Crozier switches to the right wing. The major changes are on the bench. This week we welcome back skipper Liam Pickett. Liam has been itching to get back on the pitch and he has been gradually building up his fitness ready to be unleashed on Priorians this weekend! Jack White retains his place in the squad after a really promising debut at Fullerians. Jack is primarily a fly half. He's got a good defence and he has the ability to provide really smooth delivery. Against Fullerians, Jack entered the fray midway into the second half and didn't miss a beat; he set up the seventh try for Danny Whiteman and vitally he maintained the high tempo that Matt Wadling and Brett Cutbush had set from the moment Fullerians kicked off.

Joe Flexman and George Liversidge continue in the centre; both made significant contributions last Saturday. Flexman made a series of darting breaks in the Fullerians 'red zone' and from watching the match video several times it was clear that he injected a great deal of pace into the midfield that enable Liversidge a little more space and time on the ball; the combination worked well and they unselfishly provided good opportunities for those around them. The final change this week sees Joe Reid return to the 18-man squad to cover the front row. According to the laws of the game, one of the three replacements must be able to provide cover for prop and/or hooker; this is essentially a safety measure in that it is widely recognised that playing front row is a specialised technical role requiring a particular set of skills and attributes. "

You can read Jon's full report including an exclusive look at the 1st XV line up on our website here.

Stock up on all your CRFC stash at our Clubhouse Shop

Our CRFC club shop is open Thursday evenings 7pm-8pm and Sunday mornings 9.30am to 12.30pm for you to grab all the CRFC goodies you need.

We've got playing kit, hoodies, socks, gumshields, new hats and scarfs and much more all ready for you to buy. With the weather getting colder, we recommend you check out the shop so you can stay warm in CRFC style!

Colchester Rugby Club gets social; highlights reel from Fullerians game...

There's plenty going on across our social media all the time. Keep up to date with all CRFC news, rugby content, events, and video highlights. We announce the Man of the Match every weekend over on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter so make sure you're following us to keep up to date! This week we made a special highlights reel from the 1st XV's game to celebrate their success, you'll see why when you watch it- they were unstoppable! Click here to watch the video.

So, make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop. You can also find videos of all the tries from this season and last on our YouTube channel and all the behind the scenes action and live game highlights are on our snapchat: colchesterrugby.

Good luck to all our players in action this weekend and we look forward to seeing you at Mill Road soon!