Bury St Edmunds RUFC

Bury St Edmunds
Full nameBury St Edmunds Rugby Union Football Club
UnionEastern Counties RFU
Founded1925 (1925)
LocationBury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
GroundThe Haberden (Capacity: 3,000 (135 seats))
ChairmanCraig Germeney
PresidentHeidi Tilbrook
Director of RugbyJames Shanahan
CoachJames Shanahan
CaptainGeorge Grigg-Pettitt
LeagueNational League 2 East
2024–259th
Team kit
Official website
www.bserugby.co.uk

Bury St Edmunds RUFC is a rugby union club based in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. Founded in 1925 as Bury and West Suffolk Rugby Football Club,[1] the Men's 1st XV currently play in the fourth tier of the English league system, National League 2 East.[2] The Women's side who play in the second tier of the RFU system, Championship North 1. There are a total of 4 senior men's teams, and 2 women's teams, as well as mini's, youth boys and youth girls.

History

Bury St Edmunds RUFC played their first match as "Bury and West Suffolk Rugby Football Club" in 1925, with post-war practice taking place at Culford School. In 1974, 18 members of the team were killed when Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashed outside Paris.[1]

In 2001, the first team was promoted to London 3 North East, winning the league six years later to be promoted to London 2 North in 2007.[1] Promotion to National League 3 London & SE followed in 2013 after they won London Division 1 North, winning all 26 games during the season.[3]

In 2025, the women's side were crowned Champions of Women's Championship Midlands 2 (2024–25), winning 9 out of the 10 games and were promoted into the 2nd tier of rugby, Championship North 1, for the 2025–26 season.[4][5]

Honours

1st team:

3rd team:

Facilities

Bury St Edmunds RUFC is based at The Haberden ground in the eastern side of Bury St Edmunds.[6] The club has one all-weather pitch.[1] Parking at the ground is used by medical staff at the nearby West Suffolk Hospital during the week.[7] The club-house has seating capacity for 135 while there is ample standing space on the banks surrounding the pitch, bring total capacity to around 3,000.

Current standings

2025–26 National League 2 East table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Old Albanian 19 16 0 3 734 493 +241 16 1 81 Promotion place
2 Oundle 19 14 2 3 642 499 +143 14 1 75 Promotion Play-off
3 Bury St Edmunds 19 13 1 5 755 512 +243 15 4 73
4 Canterbury 19 12 0 7 579 469 +110 11 4 63
5 Barnes 19 11 1 7 530 410 +120 10 5 61
6 Dorking 19 10 2 7 537 388 +149 8 5 57
7 Westcombe Park 19 9 0 10 548 518 +30 13 5 54
8 London Welsh 19 8 0 11 538 626 −88 14 6 52
9 Guernsey Raiders 19 9 1 9 494 578 −84 9 2 49
10 Havant 19 8 1 10 613 658 −45 14 1 49
11 Esher 19 6 0 13 549 645 −96 11 4 39
12 Sevenoaks 19 6 0 13 539 631 −92 8 3 35 Relegation Play-off
13 Henley Hawks 19 4 2 13 444 491 −47 7 7 34 Relegation place
14 Oxford Harlequins 19 2 0 17 367 951 −584 7 2 17
Updated to match(es) played on 14 February 2026. Source: National League Rugby [8]
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Number of matches drawn
  3. Difference between points for and against
  4. Total number of points for
  5. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  6. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Club History". Bury St Edmunds RUFC. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  2. ^ Marston, Carl (25 March 2013). "Gallery: Matt Edison targets perfect season after Bury Rugby Club win promotion". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  3. ^ "London 1 North league table". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 5 April 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Champions!". www.bserugby.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Rugby fixtures, results and stats for Bury St Edmunds Women | Rugby Football Union". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Location". Bury St Edmunds RUFC. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  7. ^ Thewlis, Jo (29 November 2010). "Bury St Edmunds: Hospital staff face parking ban". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  8. ^ "National League 2 East". NCA Rugby.