A RUGBY re-match took place between Wiveliscombe and Taunton School – 150 years after they first played each other. The exhibition match at the Recreation Ground last Sunday was marking Wiveliscombe Rugby Club’s sesquicentennial anniversary, or 150th.

A Wiveliscombe Under-25 XV took on a Taunton School Old Boys team and were defeated by 7-46 in a match where the score did not really matter. The club was formed by 35 members at the now long-gone Lion Hotel on Monday, August 19, 1872, but had to wait more than three months for that first game on Thursday, November 25, 1872, against the Independent College, in Taunton – today known as Taunton School.

As pointed out by club chairman and current player Jake Sharland, who has played for Wiveliscombe since he was six-years-old, both Wiveliscombe and the game of rugby have changed in the intervening 150 years.

Back then, Wiveliscombe had one brewery, Hancocks, and more than 20 pubs, while today it has three breweries but only two pubs.

Housing stands where the original game was played and the re-match was played at the town’s Recreation Ground, which includes one of the last surviving outdoor public swimming pools in the region.

Played before any consistent rules were agreed, the original game saw Wiveliscombe win by 10 ‘rouges’ to one.

This year’s celebration re-match had 15 players per side compared to 20 in 1872 – and the footwear was modern rugby boots, a far cry from the hobnailed boots worn by the original players.

News reports of the original game said the ground was in bad condition due to heavy rain, although this time the weather was favourable until late in the day when the rain returned.

Sunday’s game was played on a heavy pitch bathed in sunshine.

Wiveliscombe U-25s, captained by Ashley Irvine, struggled against the Old Boys who overturned the original result and came out winners.

Wiveliscombe is the second oldest rugby club in Somerset - Bath being the oldest - and is one of the oldest in England.

Unusually for a club of its size, it can boast of producing several internationals, including an early British and Irish Lion, Froude Hancock, who was a member of the famous brewing family of the town.

One intriguing story from the latter part of the 19th century was how two Hancock brothers who had played alongside each other for the club ended up a few years later on opposing sides in an England v Wales Home International.

Wiveliscombe continues to be a thriving local rugby club with a number of junior teams as well as two senior men’s teams playing in the South West Leagues.

This year has seen the return of women’s rugby to Wiveliscombe with a growing squad of more than 30 women players, many experiencing and enjoying rugby for the first time.

Mr Sharland said: “We were delighted to welcome our old friends from Taunton School to mark our anniversary.

“Our club continues to be at the heart of Wiveliscombe and it is great to see so many people of all ages enjoying their rugby with us.

“Rugby at Wiveliscombe has always been a great way of getting fit, having fun, and learning to play the game in the right spirit.

“It has been fantastic in our anniversary year to see the club continue to thrive and continue to grow with the return of women’s rugby to the town. It is great to see so many coming from far and wide to join us.”

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