The fate of our 'Unbeatables' is yet to be decided as they boys wait for the result of another playoff. This is all as a result of a league reshuffle in Eastern Counties 1. To summarise it briefly; if Wymondham beat Ilford then Colchester A XV progress to EC 1 without having to compete in a playoff. If Wymondham are defeated them the A XV will have a home playoff against Harwich & Dovercourt on the 7th of May.

We will let you know as soon as we find out the fate of our A XV but in the meantime keep Saturday 7th free just in case we need all your support to cheer our boys to victory!

For more information on why this has all happened you can read our full article on the website here.

Community Fun Day with St Helena Hospice on Monday!

It's that time of year again when we all get together for rugby, food and fun to raise money for the brilliant St Helena Hospice.

At the moment the weather is looking less than fabulous- but when has rugby ever let weather get in the way of anything?!

Join us at Mill Road from 10am on Monday for a whole host of exciting events and activities including:

~ Rugby awards for our fabulous Minis section
~ Players vs coaches rugby match
~ Stalls and activities from local shops and businesses
~ O2 Touch Rugby for everyone to get involved in
~ Displays from local cheerleading troupe
~ Grand Draw with top prizes including a brand new iPad
~ Hog Roast & BBQ
~ Bar with local beers

Last year was a roaring success and we've no doubt this Monday will be as much fun, if not more, so make sure you head down and get involved!

1st XV victorious in final game at Gravesend

Our 1st XV completed their 2015/16 season in style at Gravesend beating them 18-24 thanks to 3 great tries (which you can watch on our YouTube channel) and Higgins' 100% success rate at the tee.

This victory comes at the end of a magnificent season in the new National League with many opponents commenting on Colchester's 'pure class' and talent, with opposition coaches admitting they were surprised by the new boys of the league and look forward to competing with them again next season

Finishing 9th in their first season at national level is a huge achievement, particularly when compared to the other Nat 3 freshmen who struggled to make an impact.

Thanks must go to the coaches; Anthony O'Riordan, Lee Soper & Nic Lloyd whose drive and ambition made sure the players were able to compete at such a high level. To Tom Mitchell whose performance analysis made sure the players knew what they were up against every week and strength and conditioning coach James Elliott who ensured our boys were amongst the fittest in the league.

A huge congratulations must go to the players who were committed in training every week, and put in immense performances every weekend, constantly putting their bodies on the line all in the name of rugby. I'm sure you'll all agree it has been a pleasure to watch them this season, I for one have never been prouder to be a Colchester supporter.

Finally we must thank every single one of you who donned your Colchester hats/scarfs/jumpers and withstood all weather to cheer on our boys. Every single face in the crowd at Mill Road makes a difference and gives the players the extra boost they need before hitting the field. We can't wait to see you all again in September!

Only 121 days to go until we're back for our first preseason game against Bury.. not that we're counting..!

Noticeboard

Congratulations must go to U12's coach Russell Sheldon who was awarded the Essex Alumni Sports Award for his outstanding contribution to sport since graduating from Essex University in 1995. Russell is a long standing coach at Colchester RFC as well as coaching with Eastern Counties and Northampton Saints. Russell also travelled to India where he spent time coaching rugby at an orphanage. Congratulations Russell- well deserved!

We have just received news that there are a few tickets left for our Summer Ball on the 2nd of June. We have 1 table of 10 available and a few extra seats on other tables. If you're interested in coming along, get in touch here quickly as they are sure to sell quickly. All details on the event can be found here.

Last night we had our AGM which saw Brian Borges welcomed as our new President as Andy Wadling ends his 3 year term. All the details from the AGM will be up on the website for members to read in due course.

As the season comes to an end, we will now be sending out Raven Mad once a month to keep you updated with everything going on at the club until we get back into the season in September. In the meantime however, we'll still be posting on our website and on all our social media outlets so be sure to keep a look out!

Here at CRFC we've got a wealth of online outlets filled with great content, so make sure you check out our website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and Snapchat: colchesterrugby.

See you on Monday for our Community Fun Day!