Rugby Club Names - For a Change

A few weeks ago we started looking at the origins of some of the more unusual names of football teams. This is a fascinating topic and will continue for a few more weeks. However I think it is appropriate to interrupt the football theme and turn to rugby this week, as it is the season of international matches and the four-yearly tour of the British and Irish Lions to the southern hemisphere – this time Australia.

In the southern hemisphere there is a great tradition of giving teams animal names. These names suggest the physical prowess of the animals such as the Natal Sharks, the Pretoria Bulls and the Central Cheetahs from South Africa. Images of powerful animals certainly! Less well known is the animal origin of the Australian team name ACT Brumbies. Brumbies are feral horses which roam freely in Queensland and the Northern Territories. They are descended from horses which either escaped or were lost in the early days of the colonial settlement of Australia, and are made up of a number of different equine breeds.

In New Zealand team names tend to have a more historical basis, with names like the Highlanders and the Crusaders suggesting the traditions and strengths of army units. These references belie the fact that these teams are relative newcomers in the sporting world, having been formed following the move to professional rugby union in the late 1990s.

To find more traditional unusual names for rugby teams we must return to the northern hemisphere where we find clubs such as Harlequins and Wasps in England, and Stade Francais and Racing Club de France, obviously in France. Stade Francais was founded in 1883 and took its name from the Stade Jean-Bouin where it has always played all its home games. Racing Club de France began life in 1882 as an athletic club, and gradually added more sports to its portfolio, starting a rugby club in 1890. 

Harlequin FC was founded in 1866 as Hampstead FC but changed its name in 1870 as the club no longer represented the Hampstead area. However the HFC monogram had to be retained. A quick search of the dictionary suggested harlequin, and nearly everyone involved agreed to the new name! Those that did not like the new name separated from the club and formed a new rugby club, called Wasps. Names of animals and insects were very popular in the late Victorian period, and it has been long assumed that this was the reason for the choice of name. Also in London you will find Saracens FC, whose name was chosen because it represents the “endurance, enthusiasm and perceived invincibility of Saladin's desert warriors of the 12th century” Interestingly, 2 years after the club was formed it amalgamated with the neighbouring club Crusaders, something that never happened in the 12^th century!

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