Banbridge RFC


Banbridge RFC is a rugby union club based in Banbridge, County Down, in the province of Ulster. It currently plays in Division 1B of the Energia All-Ireland League after gaining promotion in 2017 and Division 1 of the SONI Premiership. In addition to the senior team, the club fields another 4 adult junior-standard teams, and youth U18, U16 and U14 teams, as well as a large mini rugby section and a Ladies Committee which is the envy of the country.

Formation

Late in 1925, a group of former Banbridge Academy pupils interested in the game of rugby, got together to form a team to play Newry. The date of that historic first game was 2 January 1926. One of the players in that first game was F. E. McWilliam; later the well known Irish surrealist sculptor.
Banbridge spent the next 72 years in the ranks of Ulster junior rugby, with mixed fortunes.

Honours

At the end of the 1997-98 season, Banbridge won the round-robin play-offs against the other provincial qualifying champions Naas, Monivea and Midleton. Their victory secured promotion to Division Four of the All Ireland League for the 1998-99 season. They have remained as an AIL senior club since then. In the 2016-2017 season Banbridge gained promotion to AIL 1B.

Touring team