By Graham Lyke
Reading Rugby are pleased to announce that they have teamed up with sponsor, SELECT CAR LEASING, a national company based in the town.
It is no surprise that Reading Rugby are able to attract sponsorship from Select Car Leasing as RRFC are the leading community club in the town.
SCL have been prominent in Reading for many years being the main sponsor of Reading Football Club. The stadium where Reading football plays has changed its name to the Select Car Leasing (SCL) stadium and it was a major deal for Reading Rugby when SCL decided it could bring the rugby club as well as the football club into its portfolio.
This must be a unique sponsorship in the country. I don’t think that there are any other rugby and football clubs, both bearing the town’s name that have the same sponsor.
Reading Rugby had the pleasure of unveiling their new shirts, bearing the Select Car Leasing logo, as they beat local rivals Abbey in a hard-fought match.
Reading Rugby were pleased to welcome representatives from SCL to a lunch before the game and would like to thank SCL for their generosity.
So how did Reading Rugby Club start?
The idea of a rugby club in Reading was born when three enthusiasts met one summer evening at Pangbourne in July 1898.
They were England player and RFU president Roger Walker, RFU secretary G. Rowland-Hill and local schoolmaster G.R.Joyce, a Cambridge Blue. The trio felt the county town of Berkshire would make an ideal centre for the game.
Berkshire Wanderers was born.
In 1936, having had a bit of a nomadic existence, the dream came true and 11 acres of ground was bought in Sonning for £900. The changing rooms were the cellars of the nearby Shepherds House Hotel !!
1947-48 saw the Jubilee season and Claude Davey, a Welsh International and Syd Fox, a Cambridge Blue played for the club.
The Club changed its name to Reading Rugby Club in 1956 and the present clubhouse was erected in 1969 . 1973-74 was the 75th anniversary of the club’s foundation and a Reading team played a President’s XV which contained 3 Welsh internationals and one English one.
Reading won the first Berkshire Cup in 1970 but there was little success over the next fifteen years.
The revival came in the mid-eighties when Reading won the Berkshire Cup in 1986 and from 1988 won the trophy seven times.
Club History Continued
This upturn in fortunes was based upon the very successful Colts side and the first major tour for many years, which played four games in Canada.
In 1986-87, the 1st XV won 30 out of 34 games, bolstered by ex-British Lion and Wales player Clive Rees. In their first National Cup campaign they overcame Taunton and Sudbury before going down to Coventry 26-12.
The leagues started and Reading won promotion to South West 1 at their first attempt in 1987-88. Further promotions followed in the 1990’s, up to the third tier of English rugby, which coincided with the advent of the professional game.
The sponsorship of the club by an American company fell through and without a major financial backer, over the years, RRFC found the higher leagues tough going, coming up against clubs with a lot of money.
For about 15 years Reading was in South West 1 with the occasional visit to a higher league and South West 2, holding their own against some more famous names.
In 2017 relegation took them to Southern Counties and with league reorganisation subsequent seasons saw them into Counties 1 Tribute Southern North.
Present Day
And the present day, where the club has a very young team, with a lot of recent ex-Colts playing in the 1st XV.
They have found it hard going against bigger more experienced teams and are currently in Level 7 of the leagues. The club is a community club with ambitions to reach level 5 in the short term.
RRFC operates multiple teams for all ages and genders, including the 1st XV men’s team in level 7 and the women’s team at level 4. There is a Veteran’s team, the Rhinos which has been going since 1986.
The ladies’ team has been very successful and current Red Roses Abby Dowd and Alex Matthews, nominated for Women’s World Player of the year, are former Reading players.
RRFC was the first club in England to start up Walking Rugby, and the guidelines for the game have been the blueprint for many other clubs to take up this sport for their most senior players.
It has extended the playing careers of former players, new players and ladies. There is also Mini rugby for the younger players.
Berkshire Brigands
A unique part of Reading Rugby is the Berkshire Brigands, Berkshire’s first mixed-ability rugby team. Founded in 2020, the Brigands were inspired by a young man at the club who wanted to play alongside his brother.
The team is open to players of all abilities, allowing those with disabilities to participate in contact rugby with experienced players.
Reading RFC is a thriving club which offers rugby from the cradle to the grave and its Community Day on September 7th showed the club at its best.
We became partners with the Wooden Spoon Society and Howdens Insurance, sponsors of the British & Irish Lions in Australia in 2025 presented us with a plaque to commemorate Clive Rees, Lion #512, playing for us.
Reading Rugby celebrated 125 years of rugby in 2023-24 and continues to provide a welcoming playing and social environment for all its members and would welcome anyone looking for a club to join.
