As the famous photo from our last home game against Brentwood shows, your support at home makes all the difference to our players so we need YOU to come and play your part this weekend...

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

Our 1st XV are determined to get their season back on track after a disappointing defeat at Chingford last weekend. This Saturday they host Old Haberdashers' and hope to restart a winning streak. After battles with injury you'll see new faces making their debut at Mill Road tomorrow, and you can read all about Lewis Williams and Rory Miller in Jon Smith's Preview. Don't miss this exciting game as it kicks off at 3pm on Pitch 1.

The Cavaliers had a rest weekend last week and are now raring to get stuck back into to their season. The Cavaliers have had a fantastic season and currently remain our only unbeaten side. Fully recuperate from their weekend off our Cavs welcome Hadleigh Falcons to Mill Road and kick off at 3pm.

Our A XV are our only traveling side this weekend as they take on Ipswich YM who currently sit at the top of the table. After a heartbreaking defeat last weekend our A XV have been training extra hard this week so they can give everything they've got tomorrow. If you're making your way to the game it kicks off at 3pm and you can find directions here.

Our veteran side the Roundheads had their home game called off by Maldon yesterday. However Manager Dave Rhymes has organised a friendly with Sawston, kicking off at 3pm away in Cambridgeshire, directions can be found here .

Our Ravens put in such a committed game last weekend that the resulting injuries have resulted in them having to postpone the game with London Irish- we'll let you know when we have the new fixture date.

#COMEONCOL

Long-live Oktoberfest!

After the success at our last home game we're continuing our Oktoberfest theme this week. So you can take advantage of our fantastic offers:

+ Buy your own stein filled with German beer for £7.50 and keep the glass.
+ Refill with two pints of Fraulein Claire's hoppy handful produced by colchester brewery for just £5 there after.
+ Bottles of German pilsner on offer exclusively for the day at just £2.50 a bottle.

We look forward to seeing you there!

As always our bar will be open from 12 noon for you to grab your drinks before the games kick off and join in the celebrations!

Youth on Sunday

With fresh boots on their feet and preseason training under their belts, our youth section are raring to get stuck into their season this weekend. All the games have been confirmed and you'll be able to watch 4 exciting home games up at Mill Road. Our U16s, U15s, U14s and U13s all host Woodbridge whilst our Colts travel to Stowmarket festival in their first competitive weekend of the season. The entirety of the weekend's fixtures can be seen below.

1st XV: The Preview, 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. Jon's review of last weekend is already up on the website here. In this week's preview Jon explains the team selection for the Old Haberdashers' game and what our players can expect to come up against.

"Our 1st XV head into this weeks game against Old Haberdashers knowing that many of them will be able to enjoy a free Saturday and a well earned rest next weekend. The break comes at a good time, we have a number of players either missing through injuries or nursing nagging aches and pains. Again this weekend we have made some enforced changes to the starting XV.

Old Haberdashers RFC was set up by former students of the The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Hertfordshire. Former students include comedians Sasha Baron Cohen (Ali G and Borat) and Matt Lucas (Little Britain)! We have already encountered Old Haberdashers - at the Gravesend RFC preseason tournament in August. They have had a tough start to the season, losing four of their first five games but they should never be underestimated - Old Habs are a great club with a proud tradition and we look forward to welcoming them to Mill Road.

In terms of the 1st XV starters, Joe Reid will be given some time to focus on his coaching responsibilities which means that Joe McMillan returns to his preferred position of loose head prop. McMillan missed the clash with Chingford after dislocating a finger in training last Thursday but his experience, power and stamina will be a welcome addition to the pack. Tom Dales will be taking over the hooker jersey after last weeks starting No.2 Simon Gray took a series of heavy contacts (including one that resulted in an early penalty for us and could have easily been interpreted as a red card). We are hoping to bolster our ranks in the near future with experienced 1st XV hookers Charlie Thorogood and Rhys Hartley making progress with nagging injuries that have kept them out of contention since the start of the season - competition for places is crucial and helps maintain intensity within the squad.

Unfortunately, Rob Pickard sustained a rib injury last weekend so there's an opening at second row. This weekend we are delighted to give young second row Rory Miller his 1st XV debut. As I mentioned last week, Rory has impressed everyone both in training and representing the Ravens - today is the right time to bring him into the fray. Rory was a key member of our Colts side last season and having spent time working with senior coaches and players his game has progressed significantly. Rory is developing his line out skills all the time and his handling, speed and athleticism enable him to make a great contribution to open play. "

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

Colchester RFC's Fireworks Evening: 5th November

We've got exciting news as we launch our new, annual Fireworks evening for Colchester RFC Supporters and their families!

We're packing Mill Road full of delicious food & drink, fairground rides, fun activities, and most importantly; FIREWORKS on Sunday 5th of November.

Keep an eye out on our website and social media as we reveal in due course all you can look forward to on that day. However, we can confirm there will be a Forwards vs Backs eating competition so rally up your teammates to get involved so we can finally put to rest who's the best!

You can purchase an adult ticket for £7, child ticket for £5 and a family (2 adults, 2 children) for £20. Tickets will be available from the bar this weekend, and you can also reserve you tickets by emailing here.

Try-lights!

Our try-lights are now up on YouTube for you to bask in their glory. Brett Cutbush scored the crucial opening try against Chingford last weekend and you can now check it out on our YouTube channel, along with all our other tries from this season and seasons passed. Check out the footage of Brett's try here.

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!