The United Services Portsmouth RFC is a long established rugby union club that although no longer in the top flight of English rugby has a strong history boasting a number of former international players as well as formerly being a regular feature on the fixture list of touring international teams such as the New Zealand All Blacks.

History

It is believed that United Services Portsmouth RFC was founded in 1882, there being records of the club from that date With the exception of the 1884-5 season and the War Years, the club has unbroken records of fixtures. At the beginning of the twentieth century the club found it hard to gain support from service players, because it was considered necessary to turn out for civilian clubs to get first-class games. However, in 1902 the United Services Recreation Ground began to give financial support to the club to stimulate interest and by the time a Royal Navy Rugby Union

Royal Navy Rugby Union

The Royal Navy Rugby Union was formed in 1906 to administer the playing of rugby union in the Royal Navy. It fields a representative side that competes in the Army Navy Match, although a side representing the Royal Navy predates the formation of the union by twenty-eight years...

 was formed in 1906 the club was performing strongly with an excellent reputation and equally strong fixture list. It was described by Wavell Wakefield in the 1930s as one of the strongest clubs in the country. This dominance was helped in no small part by the continued sponsorship of the Royal Navy. As well as the fixture list boasting the elite of domestic football (such as Bath

Bath Rugby

Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...

, Leicester

Leicester Tigers

Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...

, Harlequins

Harlequin F.C.

The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...

, and Devonport Albion) the team was also a regular fixture on the All Blacks tour.

In the professional era, the club no longer features as a first-class side. The early twenty first century saw the club fielding three squads, The Bulldogs, Buccaneers & Crusaders. In order to shore up numbers the club is also open to civilians to join. This results in a club that boasts a combination of players from the Royal Navy, Army, Air Force, local Civilians and the Students from Portsmouth University.

The first squad, the United Service Portsmouth Bulldogs, compete in Hampshire Division 1 and play at the Burnaby Road ground. The club is still backed by the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

.

Notable players

International players include: - W N Lapage  - Fischer Burges-Watson - George Hamilton D'Oyly Lyon - John Skinner Wilson

John Skinner Wilson (rugby union)

John Skinner Wilson was a rugby union player. He was killed in World War I, in the Battle of JutlandHe played for United Services RFC and London Scottish FC and was capped for in 1908-9.-See also:...

 - Louis Greig

Louis Greig

Group Captain Sir Louis Leisler Greig, KBE, CVO was a British naval surgeon, courtier and intimate of King George VI, and a rugby union player.-Rugby union:...

 - H C Harrison - A D W Morris - A C Bolton - Norman Wodehouse

Norman Wodehouse

Vice Admiral Norman Atherton Wodehouse was a Royal Navy officer killed in the second World War. He had gained 14 caps for England at rugby union, including six as captain between 1910 and 1913.- Naval history :...

 - W E Mann - Cecil Abercrombie

Cecil Abercrombie

Cecil Halliday Abercrombie was a Scottish rugby union player and an English first-class cricketer.-Biography:Born on 12 April 1886 in Mozufferpore, India...

 - W B Hynes - A H MacIlwaine - J L Boyd - Francis Oakeley - W. J. A. Davies - A L Harrison - Cecil Kershaw

Cecil Kershaw

Cecil Ashworth Kershaw was a British sportsman during the 1920s. He was an Olympic fencer who competed for Great Britain at two Olympic Games and was also a rugby union player who represented the Royal Navy as a scrum-half and was capped by England 16 times between 1920 and 1923. Kershaw formed a...

 - C F Hallaran - Cecil MacKenzie

Cecil MacKenzie

Cecil James Granville MacKenzie was a Scottish international rugby union player, who played for as a centre. He was capped once in 1921.-References:* on scrum.com...

 - A E Thomson

Alpin Thomson

Alpin Erroll Thomson DSC played first-class cricket for Somerset and the Royal Navy cricket team in 1922 and 1923. He also played international rugby union for Scotland. He was born in Perth, Western Australia and died at Hawridge, Chesham, Buckinghamshire...

 - P B William-Powlett

Peveril William-Powlett

Vice Admiral Sir Peveril Barton Reiby Wallop William-Powlett KCB KCMG CBE DSO was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic Station.-Naval career:...

 - M S Bradby - H W V Stephenson - W F Browne

External links

• Official Website of United Services RFC