{{Short description|English rugby union club, based in Cambridgeshire}} {{Distinguish|Cambridge University R.U.F.C.}} {{More citations needed|date=March 2014}} {{Use British English|date=June 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox rugby team | teamname = Cambridge | union = Eastern Counties RFU | image = Cambridge_R.U.F.C._logo.png | imagesize = 150 | countryflag = ENG | caption = | fullname = Cambridge Rugby Union Football Club | founded = {{Start date and age|1923}} | location = Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England | ground = Grantchester Road | capacity = 2,200 (200 seats) | url = {{URL|https://cambridgerugby.co.uk/| cambridgerugby.co.uk}} | league = Champ Rugby | season = 2024–25 | position = 12th (no relegation) <!-- home kit --> | pattern_la1 = | pattern_b1 = _red_stripes_red_sh | pattern_ra1 = | pattern_sh1 = | pattern_so1 = | leftarm1 = ff0000 | body1 = ffcc00 | rightarm1 = ff0000 | shorts1 = ff0000 | socks1 = ff0000 <!-- away kit --> | pattern_la2 = | pattern_b2 = _thinamberhoops | pattern_ra2 = | pattern_sh2 = | pattern_so2 = | leftarm2 = ffcc00 | body2 = ffcc00 | rightarm2 = ffcc00 | shorts2 = ff0000 |socks2 = ff0000 }}
'''Cambridge Rugby Union Football Club''' or '''CRUFC''' ('The Blood & Sand') is an English rugby union club representing the city of Cambridge. Formed in 1923, the club competes in the second tier of the English rugby union system, Champ Rugby, following promotion from National League 1 in 2022–23. The club plays its home matches at the 2.200 capacity Grantchester Road ground, in the suburb of Newnham, approximately two kilometres south-west of the city centre. The club runs three senior squads: the national league squad, a development squad, and a social squad. At junior level the club runs one of the oldest mini and youth rugby sections in the country, starting back in the early 1970s, with a colts team for under-18s.
==History== {{Recentism|date=November 2014}} Cambridge RUFC was formed in 1923 and was settled in its current ground by the 1950s. In 1993 the club was offered the opportunity to buy the lease on its existing three pitches and to buy adjoining land for a further three pitches from King's College. Floodlights were added to one of these pitches in 2003 so that evening games might be played and the light available for training was improved.
Cambridge RUFC joined the newly formed league structure in 1988 and by 1991 was playing in London 3 North East. After five years in this division, the club was promoted to London 2 North and after four years in this division, was promoted at the end of the 1998–99 season to London 1, which feeds into the National Leagues. In the club's first season in London 1, they achieved 4th place, plus a run to the semi-final of the NPI Cup, falling just one match from Twickenham, after defeat away at Hull by 21–17. London 1 status was secured again for the 2001–02 Season, but the squad led to relegation at the end of that season. However, by the end of the 2003–04 season, a rebuilt side regained promotion to London 1. Cambridge also won the Eastern Counties Cup for the first time and regained the Cambridgeshire Cup from perennial rivals Shelford. This time, the stay in London 1 was to be even shorter; At the end of an exciting season the League championship lay between Worthing and Cambridge at the start of the final round of matches: Worthing at home to Canterbury and Cambridge at home to Basingstoke. The championship would go to the team achieving the greatest points difference. In the event, Cambridge won by 96–15 and Worthing were condemned to the play-offs. Cambridge went on to beat Norwich in the Eastern Counties Cup Final and Shelford in the Cambridgeshire Cup Final — the second successive treble, and promotion to National League rugby for the first time.
In the 2005–06 season Cambridge once again secured promotion after a two horse race. This time with Norfolk & East Anglian Giants North Walsham who had been present in this league for well over a decade. Cambridge squeezed past them with a last day win at Reading while North Walsham failed by 21–20 at Southend. This was all the more lucky as North Walsham had secured the bonus point for four tries but failed with all four conversions. In the 2006–07 season Cambridge managed to consolidate their position in National Division Two with a 9th-place finish. In the 2008–09 season Cambridge finished second in the league and would have been promoted had it not been for the re-organisation of the leagues in mid season.
==League history== ===Overall===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left" |- !Year !League !Position !Notes |- | 1987–88 || '''No league''' || || |- | 1988–89 || Eastern Counties Division 1 || || |- | 1989–90 || London Division 4 North-East || || |- | 1990–91 || London Division 3 North-East || || |- | 1991–92 || London Division 3 North-East || 1st || |- | 1992–93 || London Division 3 North-East || || |- | 1993–94 || London Division 3 North-East || || |- | 1994–95 || London Division 3 North-East || || |- | 1995–96 || London Division 2 North || || |- | 1996–97 || London Division 2 North || 4th || |- | 1997–98 || London Division 2 North || 3rd || |- | 1998–99 || London Division 2 North || 1st || Promoted to London Division One |- | 1999–2000 || London Division 1 || 4th || NPI Cup semi-final |- | 2000–01 || London Division 1 || 8th || |- | 2001–02 || London Division 1 || 12th || relegated |- | 2002–03 || London Division 2 North || 4th || |- | 2003–04 || London Division 2 North || 2nd || Promoted via play-off; Eastern Counties & Cambridgeshire Cup champions |- | 2004–05 || London Division 1 || 1st || Promoted; Eastern Counties & Cambridgeshire Cup champions |- | 2005–06 || National Division 3 South || 1st || Promoted; Eastern Counties & Cambridgeshire Cup champions |- | 2006–07 || National Division 2 || 9th || 5th round in Powergen National Trophy |- | 2007–08 || National Division 2 || 5th || |- | 2008–09 || National Division 2 || 2nd || Would have been promoted but for the RFU league structure changes |- | 2009–10 || National League 1 || 4th || League renamed |- | 2010–11 || National League 1 || 3rd || |- | 2011–12 || National League 1 || 12th || |- | 2012–13 || National League 1 || 16th || Relegated |- | 2013–14 || National League 2 South || 7th || |- | 2014–15 || National League 2 South || 6th || |- | 2015–16 || National League 2 South || 1st || Promoted to National League 1 |- | 2016–17 || National League 1 || 14th || |- | 2017–18 || National League 1 || 10th || |- | 2018–19 || National League 1 || 13th || |- | 2020–21 || National League 1 || 9th || |- | 2021–21 || National League 1 || N/A || League games cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic |- | 2021–22 || National League 1 || 4th || |- | 2022–23 || National League 1 || 1st || Promoted |- | 2023–24 || RFU Championship || 11th || No relegation |- | 2024–25 || RFU Championship || 12th || No relegation |- | 2025–26 || Champ Rugby || 14th || Relegated |- |}
==Players== A number of players have gone on to gain International rugby honours, including Dickie Jeeps (England and British Lions), Andy Hancock (England), Bob Steven (Scotland), Trefor Evans (Wales), Simon Culhane New Zealand, including appearances in the 1995 World Cup Finals, and Alex Goode (England). Many more have earned age grade or England Counties caps. In 2014 Martin Wolfenden represented Zimbabwe in the qualifying competition for the Rugby World Cup.
The club's most capped player is the late Shaun Gadsby who made 505 appearances for the club, his last being in the 2003/04 season aged 40.
==Honours== ===Senior team=== * '''London 3 North East''': champions: 1991–92 * '''London Division Two North''': 1998–99 * '''Eastern Counties Cup (3)''': 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06 * '''Cambridgeshire Cup (3)''': 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06 * '''London 2 (north v south) promotion play-off winner''': 2003–04 * '''London Division One''': 2004–05 * '''National League 2 South (2)''': 2005–06, 2015–16
===Youth teams=== * '''Eastern Counties U-17s Cup (3)''': 1992, 2002, 2006 * '''Eastern Counties U-19s Cup (3)''': 1994, 2003, 2004 * '''National U-19 Plate (1)''': 2002
==Current standings== {{#section:2025–26 Champ Rugby|Table}}
==Current squad== {{for|player movements before or during the 2025–26 season|List of 2025–26 Champ Rugby transfers#Cambridge}}
The Cambridge squad for the 2025–26 season is:<ref name="Squads">{{Cite news|url=https://cambridgerugby.co.uk/first-xv/ |publisher=Cambridge RUFC |title=1st Team Page |date=17 December 2026|access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cambridge squad for season 2025/2026 |url=https://all.rugby/club/cambridge/squad |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=all.rugby |language=en}}</ref>
{{Rugby union squad start | title = Cambridge 2025–26 Champ Rugby squad | width = 70% }} '''Props''' {{RU squad player|ENG|Jake Barry|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Jack Boal|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Harry Bellamy|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Jake Bridges|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Sam Buckley|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Jake Ellwood|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Tubuna Maka|nolink=y|ex=Leicester Tigers players who are dual-registered with the club for the 2025-26 season.}} {{RU squad player|SAM|Paul Masoe|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Zac Nearchou}} {{RU squad player|RSA|Francois Roussouw|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Ben Shamley|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Billy Walker|ru=y}} '''Hookers''' {{RU squad player|ENG|Jack Doorey-Palmer|nolink=y|ex=Jack Doorey-Palmer is on a season-long loan from Harlequins for the 2025-26 season.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://cambridgerugby.co.uk/harlequins-hooker-jack-doorey-palmer-joins-the-battle/ |publisher=Cambridge Rugby|title=HARLEQUINS HOOKER JACK DOOREY-PALMER JOINS THE BATTLE |date=25 July 2025|accessdate=25 July 2025}}</ref>}} {{RU squad player|NZL|Dylan Irvine|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Joe Plunkett|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|John Stewart|ru=y|born=2002|ex=Leicester Tigers players who are dual-registered with the club for the 2025-26 season.}} '''Locks''' {{RU squad player|ENG|Gareth Baxter|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Charlie Friend|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|RSA|Rhys Fulford|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Jack Lawrence|nolink=y|ex=Northampton Saints players who are dual-registered with the club for the 2025-26 season.}} {{RU squad player|IRE|Jake McCay|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|WAL|Arthur Thomas|nolink=y}} || '''Back row''' {{RU squad player|AUS|Ben Adams|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|SAM|Sam Asotasi|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Dan Eckersley|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|NZL|Sam Johnson|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Monty Loggenberg|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Chris Mills|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Ardal Yallop|nolink=y}} '''Scrum-halves''' {{RU squad player|ENG|Ollie Allan|nolink=y|ex=Leicester Tigers players who are dual-registered with the club for the 2025-26 season.}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Charlie Bemand|nolink=y|ex=Leicester Tigers players who are dual-registered with the club for the 2025-26 season.}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Ruaridh Dawson|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Jimmy Thompson|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Pete White|nolink=y}} '''Fly-halves''' {{RU squad player|SCO|Jamie Annand|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Tom Threlfall|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|TON|Otumaka Mausia|cap=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Jake Vernum|nolink=y}} || '''Centres''' {{RU squad player|ENG|Henry Lumley|nolink=y|ex=Northampton Saints players who are dual-registered with the club for the 2025-26 season.}} {{RU squad player|NZL|Levi Reweti|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|FIJ|Epi Rokodrava|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Jasper Sorrell|nolink=y}} '''Wings''' {{RU squad player|ENG|Eli Caven|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Will Glister|nolink=y|ex=Northampton Saints players who are dual-registered with the club for the 2025-26 season.}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Joe Green|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|FIJ|Taitusi Qaniuci|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Ethan Thorne|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|Kesena Izu|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|FIJ|Vereimi Qorowale|nolink=y}} '''Fullbacks''' {{RU squad player|ENG|Charlie Robson|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|James Pater|nolink=y|ex=Northampton Saints players who are dual-registered with the club for the 2025-26 season.}} {{RU squad player|RSA|Ben Currie|nolink=y}} {{RU squad player|ENG|George Pearson|nolink=y}} {{Rugby union squad end | ref = <ref name="Squads"/> | st = y | cap = y | captain = y | vc = y | group = upper-alpha | ex = }}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website}}
{{RFU Championship}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Rugby union teams in England Category:Rugby clubs established in 1923 Category:Rugby union in Cambridgeshire Category:Sport in Cambridge Category:Grantchester Category:Walking rugby teams Category:Walking rugby teams in England