We're putting on a fantastic fireworks evening exclusively for you; our dedicated club members and supporters. The evening will include a professional fireworks display taking place on the 1st XV pitch, a delicious BBQ run by our superb in house caterers as well as sumptuous home made paella, and of course Claire and her sparkling crew of bar staff will have all the best drink deals available for you.

We also have lots of other activities for you to get involved with on the night including; a pitch up and play touch session for anyone who wants to give touch rugby a try, a guy competition, apple bobbing, Christmas card competition and we're running a raffle with lots of exciting prizes to be won.

We'll also have inflatables and fairground rides for children to play on and our cheerleaders from Community day are back to provide the build up for the main event; the FIREWORKS!

Buy your ticket now to bag your place for you and your family and friends, at the best fireworks event in Colchester (if we do say so ourselves!), you won't want to miss out! Reserve your tickets by emailing us here, or purchase them at the bar when you're next at the club.

Family Tickets (2 adult, 2 U18s): £20
Adult Tickets: £7
Child Tickets (U18): £5

Gates open at 4.30pm, we can't wait to see you there!

Things get Spooooooky at our Halloween Lunch

We've got only a handful of spaces at our Halloween lunch on the 28th of October. Join us and tuck into a delicious three course lunch before our 1st XV take on Letchworth Garden City out on the pitch.

Our fantastic in-house caterer Dawn is currently crouched over her cauldron as she concocts a wicked menu for you to enjoy, so in the meantime book your place now to secure the final few spaces.

Contact Maggie now by emailing her here to book a table for you and your friends.

Fancy dress is very much encouraged and the best outfits will be rewarded!

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.

We're providing special drinks deals at the bar to rival every venue in Colchester and a brilliant DJ to supply the tunes, all we need is YOU! Gather your friends and family and join us for this mega event.

More details on ticket prices and food and drinks offers coming your way soon, keep your eyes peeled on our website and social media for more info..!

Back to the rugby..

We've two senior home games this weekend for you to enjoy...

Our Ravens rested last weekend so are raring to go into tomorrow's game. They host Redingensians on Pitch 1 tomorrow in another fixture in the competitive Zoo League. Battles with injury and the incredibly high standard of opposition has meant our Ravens are yet to secure a victory, but we reckon with your support- tomorrow will be the day! Join us at Mill Road for this exciting fixture as it gets underway at 2.30pm.

The Roundheads have organised a friendly with Bury St Edmunds IV team tomorrow at Mill Road. The Roundheads team sheet boasts some iconic club legends so we'd thoroughly recommend you head over to catch them in action, kicking off on Pitch 2 at 3pm.

All our other senior teams are taking this weekend off to rest their battered bodies before they're back battling it out on the pitch next weekend.

#COMEONCOL

Youth on Sunday

Our Youth section get no such luxury as a rest weekend, a despite a few teams not having games this weekend- the players will still be up at Mill Road on Sunday practising for their next competition. Our Colts Academy team host Braintree on Sunday kicking off at 12pm on pitch 1 and is a great opportunity to watch the up and coming talent. Most of our current 1st XV are previous CRFC Colts so games like this on Sunday are really where it all starts! Our U14s are also at home this weekend as they welcome Saffron Walden, you can catch this game at 11am. Good luck to all teams competing this weekend! You can see a full round up of the weekend's fixtures below.

1st XV: The Review, with John Smith

From now on, Senior Chairman Jon Smith will be writing 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. In the absence of a 1st XV game this weekend John gives us some in depth analysis into last weekend's game against Old Haberdashers'.
"I think many people watching our victory over Old Haberdashers on Saturday will struggle to understand why that team has just victory to their name this season... By their own admission, the team that faced us at Mill Road was a 'full strength' Old Habs side. The Old Habs 1st XV don't train and their starting XV can varying tremendously from week to week depending upon who's around and who fancies a game - but they should never be underestimated because they have access to some excellent players.

Elsewhere in the league, rivals Chingford continued their winning streak season with a victory over our next opponents Ruislip and second place Amersham and Chiltern couldn't edge past North Walsham at the Scottow, sharing the points in a 21-21 draw. Once again, despite the emergence of a breakaway group, it appears that on "any given Saturday" a team can cause an upset.

Our two 18 year olds in the second row did a great job. The second row is the "engine room" of the pack and the fact that two of our youngest players more than held their own in the face of seasoned opposition speaks volumes. I hope everyone will have been really impressed with the performance of Rory Miller on his 1st XV debut. Rory worked well with the pack and made three lineout "steals" off the relatively secure Old Habs throw. As a team we are very much aware of the need to work on our lineout. Consistent components produce consistent lineouts and unfortunately our pack has been ravaged by injury and enforced changes in personnel. We started the season with five fit and available hookers who have all had 1st XV experience; on Saturday Tom Dales stepped up and put in a shift for the club and within another fortnight we should have more competition for the No.2 shirt with Rhys Hartley and Charlie Thorogood on the path to recovery from injury. By the time we face Ruislip we should also have Liam Pickett back from injury to strengthen the pack even further."

You can read Jon's full report up on our website here.

The Bouddica Belles are back!

The Ladies' Touch season recommences and you're invited to join!

This week the ladies' touch side The Bouddica Belles returned to training after the summer off.

The sessions are for all women over the age of 16, regardless of skill set or fitness level. It's a great opportunity for you to get into rugby without the contact. Expert coaches Paul Mills and Graham Seal will take you through the skills you'll need for touch rugby and you'll be into the swing of the game by the end of the session.

The taster sessions are completely free so come and give it a go! Sessions are every Wednesday on the far right pitches, 6.45pm-7.45pm.

International Tickets for Wales vs Australia

As much as us English hate to admit it, the Principality Stadium in Cardiff is a fortress for rugby and builds one of the best atmospheres on the rugby international circuit. We have some tickets available to purchase for any club members who would like to go to the Wales vs Australia game on the 11th of November with the U16s, each ticket is £54 and if there's enough interest we'll organise a coach to take you there too! So to secure your ticket to one of the best venues in the world, email Dan here.

Support your club and get a free pint? Take a look at our new Patrons scheme...

Established some years ago by two former 1st XV Captains, the CRFC Patrons Scheme is a revenue generator to support our 1st XV squad and helps pay for items the Club finds harder to afford from our other income sources. This can include after training food, physios and legitimate travel expenses. It is a great way in which individuals can help sustain our 1st XV at the current level and provide a springboard to move higher back into the National Leagues.

For £150* per annum, you'll get

- Free entry to all 1st XV matches at Mill Road
- Patron’s name alongside the shirt number in each Match Programme
- Patron’s name on the Patron Board in Clubhouse
- An invite to one of 2 home games with a pre match complimentary private reception and lunch
- Entered in a Draw for 2 complimentary tickets to an England game

So, that free pint we were talking about..

Brand new to the patrons scheme, if your shirt scores a try during a home game, or is awarded Man of the Match, you'll get a free pint! You must be in the bar after the game when the announcements will be made in order to receive your beer, so make sure you're at every 1st XV home game and cheer on your number!

*plus the cost of a CRFC membership

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch? Not at Colchester RFC

If you join the CRFC Double Centurion Club then you can choose one of our club lunches to attend*, and we’ll treat you to a three-course meal- on us!

We still have plenty of numbers available in the DCC so grab your spot now in order to ensure you’re in with a chance to win our big jackpots!

Why would you want to join?

+ It’s only £5 a month (less than an [expensive] cup of coffee!)
+ You’ll be entered into monthly draws with prizes of £250 and £50
+ The October draw 1st prize is £750 and April’s draw 1st price is a whopping £1,500!
+ Best yet, all the profits go straight back into Colchester RFC

So now’s your chance, email Kim at kim@amnesiaflowers.com and bag your ticket now!

*Subject to availability

Stock up on all your CRFC stash at our Club House 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...

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!

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!