The 1st XV are travelling up to Coventry tomorrow for a double header against Coventry RFC who compete in National League 1 and Bury St Edmunds RFC who compete in National League 2. Director of Rugby Anthony O'Riordan hopes that the challenge of playing against teams in 1 and 2 leagues above the 1st XV will give them the edge when it comes to their 2nd season in National League 3.

We'll be travelling up with them so keep up to date with all the scores on our Twitter @ColchesterRFC and watch all the highlights on our snapchat: @colchesterrugby.

The Ravens are playing Bury St Edmunds II at home tomorrow. After partaking in exactly the same preseason training schedule as the 1st XV our Ravens are more than confident going up against Bury, a team they were unable to beat when they last met in the Zoo Shield. You can catch the game up at Mill Road at 3pm, the bar will be open from 2pm pop up and join us for a drink and a exciting game.

You can see all the photos and videos from our squad's gruelling pre-season sessions, including the infamous 'log race' by visiting our website and YouTube channel.

It's "business as usual" from the 3rd of September

The season officially gets underway on the 3rd of September and to kick it all off we have a brilliant home game as the 1st XV go up against Guernsey, kicking off at 2pm. The Ravens also have a game as they travel to Canterbury for their 1st game of the 16/17 season, all the details will be in next week's Raven Mad.

The unbeaten A XV, Cavaliers and Roundheads all have their first game on the 10th of September so stay tuned for more details about these games in the next coming weeks.

Find the dates of all our fixtures for all 5 teams on our website here, and if you'd like to book your place at a club lunch at a 1st XV home game then email Maggie to reserve your seat now.

O2 Touch has landed at Colchester RFC

O2 Touch Colchester launched last Monday at CRFC and saw more than 40 participants pitch up and give rugby a go.

O2 Touch is a great way to improve your fitness and have fun – whether you're a guy or girl, 18 or 80, a beginner or seasoned player.

Touch Rugby or TOUCH, as it is known, is a minimal contact sport that is played worldwide by men, women and children of all ages. The game emphasizes running, agility and ball handling skills such as passing and catching. Better still it is a great way to keep fit and get your rugby fix, without all the pain of tackling and contact!

For all the details about joining in with O2 Touch on Monday evenings, see our website, here.

Colchester RFC gets Social and we need YOUR help

After our social media overhaul last season we've got plenty of ways for you to keep CRFC in your social timeline, make sure you like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and keep up to date with us on Instagram, and spy on us on snapchat (@colchesterrugby), better still watch all our videos on our YouTube channel. There's plenty to choose from so check them out and indulge yourself in everything CRFC!

This new season sees a new Press Officer, and we're pleased to welcome Roxie Allen to the team. A recent MA Graduate, Roxie can't wait to get stuck in and bring you all the latest news and events from CRFC. Roxie will be taking over towards the end of September so keep an eye out!

After doing such a fab job last season Nick Flexman is turning his attention to his cycling this year and therefore is unable to take the match day photos. If you know anyone with a keen interest in photography who might like to come along and take our 1st XV game photos and feature in local press, social media and CRFC documents then please email us here.

It's Gold Silver and Bronze for CRFC

As the season approaches your commercial team has resisted the temptation to join players in the ‘log run’ and similar fun training exertions and have instead concentrated on recruiting more companies to our merry band of sponsors.

And what a summer we’ve had! The Olympics may have just finished but without any intervention from Putin and friends in the Russian secret service we’ve secured the additional following sponsorships …

· SEVEN GOLD
· TWO SILVER
· FOUR BRONZE

Together with additional contributions from some of our main sponsors we have managed to increase our income for next season considerably this summer! More details and news of exciting new sponsorship offers to follow.

A big thank you to all of our new and existing sponsors.

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 up at the club soon!