Raven Mad! First Home Games of the Season!

3 Senior teams compete at home in the 1st triple header of the season

With the games being played on Pitch 1, 2 and 3 you'll be able to walk around and enjoy all the rugby on offer this Saturday, cheering on our 3 teams as you go!

Our 1st XV are determined to get a winning streak rolling as they take on Diss at 3pm. After a fantastic team performance away at North Walsham the players are in top form as they go into this weekend's game. 

"I can't wait to get back onto the pitch at Mill Road, the home crowd makes all the difference to us" - Liam Pickett, Captain 

Make sure you're there to cheer on our boys as their game kicks off at 3pm on pitch 1. 

Our Raven's take on local rivals Bury St Edmunds in their first home game of the season. After a resilient second half performance against Shelford the players are gearing up for this weekend to get their first win of the season under their belt. Kick off is at 2pm on pitch 2 and your support makes all the difference!

Our A XV go into battle with Stowmarket on pitch 3 at 3pm in their first game of this season. The weeks of preseason preparation is over and the players are keen to get on the pitch. With Stowmarket being the new boys in the league our A XV are looking forward to welcoming into Eastern Counties 1!

Good luck to our travelling side as our Roundheads head off to Ipswich to take on their III XV, it's only up the road so if you're making the journey the game kicks off at 3pm.

Our bar will be open from 12 noon and all are invited to come up for a drink before the games begin. After a summer off we're expecting all your vocal chords to be well rested, ready to cheer on our players! 

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. This week Jon reflects back on the 1st XV's performance that lead to the bonus point win at North Walsham and looks ahead to game tomorrow against Diss.

We've got a snippet here, but to read the whole article you'll have to pick up a copy of the match day programme at tomorrow's game.

"The 1st XV trip to North Walsham was a thorough test of our preseason preparations and new personnel. With just two home defeats in the 2016-17 (to Brentwood and the eventual London 1 champions Tring) the Scottow could be described as a fortress. The statistics show that North Walsham don't make a habit of losing at home.

There were some significant factors to our win; notably, the mobility and athleticism of our dynamic back row. The back row trio of Danny Whiteman, Ollie Pickett and debutant Joe Cook (later replaced by Joe Beckett) became increasingly influential as the game progressed. The second half Colchester performance, both in terms of defence and ball retention, meant that North Walsham could not exert significant influence on the game and the energy-sapping conditions enabled our players to take full advantage and seal a bonus point win.

Man of the Match Ollie Pickett inflicted significant damage to the Vikings throughout the game; he carried consistently and made every collision count. Throughout the second half the Vikings defence found it increasing difficult to halt his carries." 

Welcome Cheryl Bourne; our newly appointed Mini Chairwoman

We're pleased to announce that we now have appointed a brand new Mini Chairwoman for the upcoming season. Cheryl Bourne has dabbled in rugby a lot these past years, supporting her son Alfie through the youth section and now running weekly touch sessions as an O2 Touch Ambassador. Cheryl also trains and competes with our Ladies' Touch Side Boudica Belles. Cheryl is set to immerse herself further in the world of CRFC as she takes on the role of Mini Chairwoman this week. All enquires regarding mini rugby can now be sent to Cheryl via her email address here. We wish Cheryl the best of luck in her new role!

CRFC University Exiles vs Colchester A XV

In an attempt to avoid the dreaded "Freshers' Fifteen" the CRFC U21 University Exiles will be taking on the A XV next week in a Floodlight Special.

It happens to everyone, you go to university, attend lectures for 5 hours a week and spend the rest of your time eating and drinking, right?

Well our University Exiles are determined to at least start Fresher's week in reasonable physical condition as they prepare themselves for a big clash with our A XV.

This friendly will be taking place on Tuesday 12th of September up at the club, kicking off under the floodlights at 7.45pm. The bar will be open and the game is sure to be a fun one, so set The Great British Bake Off* to record and come over to the club for a mid-week rugby fix!

We'll see you there!

#ComeOnCol

*Other lighthearted cookery shows are available (although none of them are better than live rugby at Mill Rd!)

New Kiwi on the Block: Meet Shelford Meads

We’re not sure if it’s our friendly hospitality, our high quality rugby, or perhaps the colour of our shirts… but something about Colchester RFC is attracting New Zealanders over the Pacific.
 
The latest kiwi import to join the squad is Shelford Meads, a 25 year old from Mosgiel, Dunedin on the South Island. An electrician by trade, Shelford is a lightning fast centre making his debut in tomorrows' game against Diss.

So Shelford, what is it that attracted you to Colchester RFC?
I have a family friend who is a rugby agent, who I met and said to him I wanted to have a season abroad after my apprenticeship finished.  Colchester was the first team he put me in contact with and came highly recommended so I gave Ant a ring to try and arrange something. He’d seen my videos already so was happy for me to come over, he was really receptive and enthusiastic so I went for it and everything was confirmed in April.
 
The agent had placed another guy here before and said it was awesome so it was an easy pick really. You guys play good rugby and the club seemed super friendly so it seemed the perfect match.

So far is Colchester RFC all it’s cracked up to be?
Yeah, definitely you guys have good edge of professionalism, everyone is accommodating. Being fed after training is great, Dawn makes the best food and we don’t get anything like that after training at home. Having access to all the protein powders and snacks is great. Everything is just really organised and officially run which I like, whilst also being friendly and welcoming. Colchester has the perfect balance.

What’s most surprised you about Essex?
There’s a real community feel to this club, the fact that there’s stuff other than training going on during the week, there’s people about in the clubhouse, we get food for us. It’s very welcoming, it definitely feels like a family club, you get looked after as a player. I caught 20 minutes of TOWIE and that was definitely different from home although I’ve been assured that that’s not a true representation of the people of Essex!

Shelford will be taking the field with our 1st XV in his debut appearance at tomorrow's game against Diss, kicking off at 3pm. Catch him on the pitch and read the rest of his interview in our match day programme!

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 and if you sign up before next Saturday you will be entered into September’s Draw which boasts a 1st prize of £250 and a 2ndprize of £50. 
 
Our lovely DCC Coordinator Kim Waters will be available before and during the lunch today so make sure to search her if you want to join.

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, find Kim today or email her at kim@amnesiaflowers.com and bag your ticket now!

*Subject to availability

O2 Touch NEEDS YOU!

We’re looking for a new group of ambassadors to help lead and run one of the largest O2 Touch centres in the area. If you are interested please contact Rebecca Hare. 

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. If you head over to our YouTube channel you can witness the four magnificent tries that earnt our 1st XV their bonus point win at North Walsham!

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.