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Arnold School Rugby

Introduction

Rugby Football began at Arnold in 1926; prior to that the main winter sport was Association Football. Until the early 1970s, the 15 a-side game was played in the Autumn Term only, with hockey and 7 a-side rugby taking over in the Spring Term. Rugby is now played during the Autumn term and the Spring term.

Rugby football is seen by most boys – and most Old Arnoldians – as the main sporting activity at Arnold. One reason for this is the extent of participation; 11 teams have regular fixtures throughout the Autumn and Spring terms, and over 95% of boys represent the School at some stage in their time at Arnold.

The school fixture list stands comparison with that of any other school in the area, and it includes a number of traditional rivals of long-standing. As well as the Saturday block fixtures there are a number of mid-week games, many of which are Lancashire Schools Cup matches (U13, U14, U15, U16, U18) and Daily Mail Cup games (U15, U18).

In the second half of the Spring term, 15 a-side games give way to Sevens. All age groups take part in a number of competitions – some local, and some as far away as London, Barnet, Hereford and Yorkshire. Arnold runs its own competition, in conjunction with the IRB’s charity Kit Aid, at Under 15 level.

At Arnold, we have four rugby pitches; two for senior teams, and two for juniors. All the playing surfaces are level, and because of the sand base they drain very quickly; as a result, they are the envy of many other schools.

The school has traditional and developing links with Fylde RFC. There is the opportunity for Fylde U16 players to apply for a Sixth Form rugby scholarship at Arnold. The link with Fylde provides the rugby club with a number of players for their First XV as well as their minor teams. One of the biggest crowds of the season is the annual Boxing Day game between the Old Arnoldians and the Old Lidunians.

Rugby Honours 2006/2007

Arnold School International Rugby Honours

Schools' Rugby Website

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