Ipswich Rhinos
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Rhinos Rugby League Football Club is a British rugby league
club based at Ipswich RUFC in Colchester
, in the county of Essex
. Their first team plays in the South Premier
Division of the Rugby League Conference
. Eastern Rhinos A-side play in the London League
and Rhinos run a youth section with teams for boys aged 12,13,14,15,16 and the structure to run under-18s.
coast as Felixstowe Eastern Rugby League Football Club.
Due to the wide catchment area of players' homes the club moved to the county town of Ipswich
in time for the 1995 - 1996 season and were elected to the London Amateur Rugby League
.
The club based itself at Ipswich RUFC in 1995, a club of 125 years standing where Felixstowe Eastern became Ipswich Rhinos in honour of the South African national side the Rhinos. The summer of 1997 saw the birth of the Southern Conference League, which the Rhinos also competed in, and committed themselves to. With no formal winter games to play the club took on friendly fixtures during these months.
In 1998 the SCL became the Rugby League Conference
. Ipswich Rhinos finished fifth out of a total of 15 teams.
The club continues to play in the RLC and in 2005 advanced to the new South Premier division, fielding a second team in the London League. They also launched a feeder club, Colchester Romans, who also played in the London League. In their first competitive season the Romans reached the Grand Final and successfully applied to join the Rugby League Conference in their own right.
In 2006 Colchester entered the RLC in their own right and the two clubs joined their second teams together to form the London League team Eastern Raiders. In 2007 the Rhinos finished fourth in the South Premier in what was a strong and competitive division.
The club became Eastern Rhinos for the 2010 season to consolidate all their teams under one banner and based themselves permanently at Colchester.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club based at Ipswich RUFC in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, in the county of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Their first team plays in the South Premier
Rugby League Conference South Premier
The Rugby League Conference South Premier is a division in the Rugby League Conference. It is the highest level of amateur rugby league in the South of England...
Division of the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
. Eastern Rhinos A-side play in the London League
London League (rugby league)
The London, South and East Merit League is a rugby league competition founded in 1965. It is also known as the London League , London & South East Merit League, London Amateur Rugby League and London Merit League ....
and Rhinos run a youth section with teams for boys aged 12,13,14,15,16 and the structure to run under-18s.
Club history
The club was formed in 1992 from the successful Civil Service South East Team and began life on the SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
coast as Felixstowe Eastern Rugby League Football Club.
Due to the wide catchment area of players' homes the club moved to the county town of Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
in time for the 1995 - 1996 season and were elected to the London Amateur Rugby League
London League (rugby league)
The London, South and East Merit League is a rugby league competition founded in 1965. It is also known as the London League , London & South East Merit League, London Amateur Rugby League and London Merit League ....
.
The club based itself at Ipswich RUFC in 1995, a club of 125 years standing where Felixstowe Eastern became Ipswich Rhinos in honour of the South African national side the Rhinos. The summer of 1997 saw the birth of the Southern Conference League, which the Rhinos also competed in, and committed themselves to. With no formal winter games to play the club took on friendly fixtures during these months.
In 1998 the SCL became the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
. Ipswich Rhinos finished fifth out of a total of 15 teams.
The club continues to play in the RLC and in 2005 advanced to the new South Premier division, fielding a second team in the London League. They also launched a feeder club, Colchester Romans, who also played in the London League. In their first competitive season the Romans reached the Grand Final and successfully applied to join the Rugby League Conference in their own right.
In 2006 Colchester entered the RLC in their own right and the two clubs joined their second teams together to form the London League team Eastern Raiders. In 2007 the Rhinos finished fourth in the South Premier in what was a strong and competitive division.
The club became Eastern Rhinos for the 2010 season to consolidate all their teams under one banner and based themselves permanently at Colchester.