 | |
| Full name | Halifax Vandals Rugby Union Football Club |
|---|---|
| Union | Yorkshire RFU |
| Nickname(s) | Vandals, Van |
| Founded | 1923 |
| Location | Warley Town, Halifax, England |
| Region | West Yorkshire |
| Ground(s) | Mount Doom[1] |
| Chairman | Neil Crossley |
| Director of Rugby | Tony Curtis |
| Coach(es) | James Wainright |
| Captain(s) | Danny Mitchell (1st XV) Ben Simms (2nd XV) |
| League(s) | Counties 3 Yorkshire |
| 2022–23 | 6th |
| Official website | |
| www | |
Halifax Vandals RUFC is an amateur rugby union club based in Warley Town, Halifax. The currently run two senior sides, the 1st XV play in Counties 3 Yorkshire while the 2nd XV play in the Central And North West Merit league.[2][3]
History
Formation
Halifax Vandals was formed in November 1923 when a group of college students met under a lamp post on Francis Street in Halifax to form a rugby club. The name "Vandal" is attributed to a warrior tribe who fought against the Roman Empire in 455 AD and came out victorious.[4]
Modern history
With the formation of the national league system in 1987 Halifax Vandals was one of the original members of Yorkshire 5, being the first ever winners of the competition being promoted to Yorkshire 4.
In the 2003–04 season they were relegated back to Yorkshire 5 however was promoted back in Yorkshire 4 the following season. Once again in the 2007–08 season the Vandals were champions Yorkshire 5, this caused them to have the joint record for titles for the now defunct Yorkshire 5.
In 2015-16 they became champions of Yorkshire 4, and went onto go back to back becoming champions of Yorkshire 3.[5] However they were relegated from Yorkshire 2 after only one season.
Rivalries
The Warley-based club have a long-standing rivalry with Old Rishworthians and more recently, with Halifax RUFC. With Halifax RUFC joining the Vandals in Counties 3 Yorkshire for the 2023–24 season now led by former player coach Jamie Bloem the rivalry between the two clubs grows even more.
Club honours
1st XV
- Yorkshire Silver Trophy Champions: 1991-92
- Yorkshire 5 Champions (3): 1987–88, 2004–05, 2007–08
- Yorkshire 4 Champions: 2015–16
- Yorkshire 3 Champions: 2016–17
Season Summaries
| Season | League | Position | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | Yorkshire 2 | 3rd | 11 | 2 | 5 | 24 | |
| 1999-00 | Yorkshire 2 | 4th | 12 | 0 | 6 | 24 | |
| 2000-01 | Yorkshire 3 | 7th | 9 | 2 | 11 | 20 | |
| 2001-02 | Yorkshire 3 | 7th | 9 | 0 | 13 | 18 | |
| 2002-03 | Yorkshire 3 | 12th | 1 | 1 | 20 | 2 | Relegated to Yorkshire 4 |
| 2003-04 | Yorkshire 4 | 11th | 6 | 1 | 15 | 13 | Relegated to Yorkshire 5 North West |
| 2004-05 | Yorkshire 5 North West | 1st | 11 | 1 | 2 | 23 | Champions, promoted to Yorkshire 4 |
| 2005-06 | Yorkshire 4 | 12th | 1 | 0 | 21 | 2 | Relegated to Yorkshire 5 North West |
| 2006-07 | Yorkshire 5 North West | 3rd | 10 | 0 | 6 | 20 | |
| 2007-08 | Yorkshire 5A | 1st | 12 | 1 | 1 | 25 | Promoted to Yorkshire 4 |
| Yorkshire 5C | 2nd | 7 | 0 | 1 | 16 | ||
| 2008-09 | Yorkshire 4 | 5th | 13 | 1 | 8 | 27 | Promoted to Yorkshire Division Three |
| 2009-10 | Yorkshire Division Three | 8th | 7 | 1 | 13 | 15 | |
| 2010-11 | Yorkshire Division Three | 12th | 4 | 1 | 17 | 23 | |
| 2011-12 | Yorkshire Division Three | 14th | 5 | 0 | 21 | 24 | Relegated to Yorkshire Division Four |
| 2012-13 | Yorkshire Division Four | 8th | 9 | 0 | 13 | 42 | |
| 2013-14 | Yorkshire Division Four | 5th | 13 | 1 | 8 | 65 | |
| 2014-15 | Yorkshire Division Four | 6th | 12 | 1 | 9 | 58 | |
| 2015-16 | Yorkshire Division Four | 1st | 19 | 0 | 3 | 90 | Promoted to Yorkshire Division Three |
| 2016-17 | Yorkshire Division Three | 1st | 20 | 1 | 5 | 95 | Promoted to Yorkshire Division Two |
| 2017-18 | Yorkshire Division Two | 14th | 3 | 1 | 22 | 21 | Relegated to Yorkshire Division Three |
| 2018-19 | Yorkshire Division Three | 9th | 9 | 0 | 17 | 45 | |
| 2019-20 | Yorkshire Division Three | 9th | 11 | 1 | 10 | 61 | Play was stopped on the 16/03/20 due to COVID-19 |
| 2020-21 | Yorkshire Three | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No games were played due to the Pandemic |
| 2021-22 | Yorkshire Three | 6th | 13 | 1 | 12 | 64 | |
| 2022-23 | Counties 3 Yorkshire | 6th | 11 | 0 | 11 | 51 |
Notable former players
Internationals
Chris Davies, former England Sevens international also played for Cambridge University and Saracens,[6][7][8]
/ 
Jamie Bloem, former South Africa Rugby League captain as well as playing internationally for Scotland Rugby League. Bloem joined in 2013 as a player coach.[9]
Rehan Mansoor, 16 Cap Pakistan international joined Vandals as a player in 2022 and named forwards coach in 2023,[10][11]
References
- ↑ "Second Xv Secure Victory at Vandals".
- ↑ "RFU". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ↑ "Halifax Vandals RUFC 2nd XV". www.halifaxvandals.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ↑ Davies, Chris. "Halifax Vandals Centenary Year Newsletter - Edition 4 September 2023". Halifax Vandals.
- ↑ "Bloem staying with champs Vandals". Halifax Courier.
- ↑ "England squad for Hong Kong". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ↑ https://www.pressreader.com/uk/halifax-courier/20210401/282501481427470. Retrieved 2 September 2023 – via PressReader.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Chris Davis - Halifax Vandals RUFC 1st XV". www.halifaxvandals.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ↑ "Jamie Bloem - Halifax Vandals RUFC 1st XV". www.halifaxvandals.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ↑ "Rugby: Squad finalised for Asian Championship". The Express Tribune. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ↑ "RFU". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
