Loughborough Students

The students of Loughborough College formed the first student team at the start of Michaelmas term, September 1919. The first UAU game took place in the 1930- 31 season with the Loughborough Colleges XV beating Nottingham University 8 – 0.

Rugby eventually became the most established club at Loughborough Colleges and in 1939 the side reach the UAU final for the first time. In an evenly matched game against Swansea, the opposition scored the only try of the match and won the championship for the sixth time in seven seasons.

In the post-war era, Loughborough rugby produced three of its greatest names: Two future captains of England, Eric Evans and Jeff Butterfield, and Ray Williams who eventually became Secretary of the Welsh Rugby Union. In 1953 the Colleges won the UAU for the first time and through that decade extended their fixture list to become one of the leading clubs in the Midlands. In 1959 the college won the Middlesex 7’s for the first time and started a series of matches against St. Luke’s College Exeter.

In 1962 John Robins joined the College Staff and during his time became head coach of the Loughborough Colleges side. During this tenancy, the 1st XV fixture list expanded to include Leicester, Gloucester, Rosslyn Park, Moseley, and London Irish. John Robins was an innovative coach of worldwide stature and credited with revolutionising attitudes towards fitness in English rugby. He went on to become the first British Lions coach (though he was officially termed “manager” due to regulations that banned coaches at that time). read more