Taunton R.F.C.

Taunton
Full name Taunton Rugby Football Club
Union Rugby Football Union
Founded 1875 (1875)
Location Taunton, Somerset
Ground(s) Hyde Park, Bathpool (Capacity: 2,000)
Chairman John Wrelton
President Jack Matthews
Coach(es) Tony Yapp
Captain(s) Dan Lee
Top scorer Mike Pope (2012–13)
League(s) National League 2 South
2015–16 5th
Team kit
Official website
www.tauntonrfc.co.uk

Taunton Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Taunton, Somerset. The first XV, Taunton Titans, play in National League 2 South, having achieved back-to-back promotions in 2009 and 2010.[1] The second XV (The United) play in the Somerset Premier League and the third XV (The Wanderers) play in Somerset 2 South. The club also operates the full range of junior teams for both boys and girls.[2]

History

The club was founded in 1875,[3] and play their home matches at Hyde Park, just next to the M5 motorway.[4] They moved to Hyde Park in November 2001, having previously played at Priory Park for 66 years.

Playing record

The team's achievements in 2008–09, when they remained unbeaten all season, saw them rewarded by being named 'BBC West Team of the Year'.[5]

In the 2009–10 season the Taunton 1st XV were champions of National League 3 South West, winning 24 of 26 matches.

In the 2010–11 season the Taunton 1st XV finished in 7th position in their first season in National League 2 South.

Honours

1st Team:

2nd Team:

3rd Team:

Current standings

2016–17 National League 2 South Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1 Bishop's Stortford 16 13 0 3 521 295 226 13 2 67
2 Old Elthamians 16 14 0 2 487 286 201 9 0 65
3 Chinnor 16 12 2 2 644 245 399 12 1 65
4 Taunton Titans 16 11 1 4 527 400 127 11 2 59
5 Redruth 16 11 0 5 478 332 146 9 1 54
6 Canterbury 16 9 0 7 449 366 83 8 6 50
7 Redingensians Rams 16 8 1 7 406 332 74 5 5 44
8 Cinderford 16 8 1 7 377 389 -12 9 4 42[b 1]
9 Clifton 16 8 0 8 350 459 -109 4 2 38
10 Bury St Edmunds 16 6 0 10 363 446 -83 5 3 32
11 Henley Hawks 16 5 1 10 380 482 -102 5 3 30
12 London Irish Wild Geese 16 4 0 12 363 503 -140 8 3 27
13 Worthing Raiders 16 5 0 11 315 435 -120 2 4 26
14 Barnstaple 16 5 1 10 288 528 -240 3 1 26
15 Barnes 16 3 2 11 302 442 -140 5 4 25
16 Exmouth 16 1 1 14 302 612 -310 5 3 14
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place. Blue background is the play-off place. Pink background are relegation places.
Updated: 17 December 2016
Source: "National League 2 South". NCA Rugby. 
Notes
  1. ↑
    • Cinderford were deducted 5 points for fielding unregistered players against Canterbury on 3 September 2016.[8]

M5 motorway crash

On the evening of 4 November 2011 seven people were killed and fifty one injured in a multi-vehicle accident on the M5 south of the area where Taunton RFC were holding a fireworks display. Police said that they were investigating whether smoke from the event had been a significant factor in the accident.[9] Taunton Rugby Club management committee issued a statement regarding the crash on 7 November 2011.[10] On 13 December 2011, it was reported that the Highways Agency advised that fog warning systems be upgraded 18 months before the crash.[11]

On 19 October 2012, Geoffrey Counsell, the provider of a fireworks display, was charged with seven counts of manslaughter.[12] At the 15 January hearing the manslaughter charges against Counsell were dropped. He will instead face a single charge of failing to ensure the safety of others, under health and safety laws.[13] On 9 April he entered a not guilty plea and was bailed.[14]

On 10 December 2013 Geoffrey Counsell was cleared of the blame for the firework deaths. He had denied the charge of failing to ensure public safety for the Taunton Rugby Club display. A judge at Bristol Crown Court directed the jury to find him not guilty.

The pile-up involved about 30 cars when they were engulfed by a thick fog on the M5 on 4 November 2011.

Speaking outside court, Mr Counsell said he believed the decision to prosecute him was "motivated by a desire to find someone to blame for this terrible accident, simply for the sake of doing so".

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it sought evidence from experts and eyewitnesses before making the decision to charge Mr Counsell.

The court had previously been told the smog was so thick that motorists on the northbound carriageway likened it to having a tin of paint thrown over their windscreens.

Mr Justice Simon ruled Mr Counsell had "no case to answer" following an application from the defendant's barrister at the halfway point in the trial.

He said the prosecution's case was "heavily weighted" on "hindsight" and there was not sufficient evidence to show that Mr Counsell ought to have foreseen that smoke from the display could have drifted and mixed with fog to create thick smog.

"I have therefore concluded that the evidence is such that the jury cannot continue in these circumstances and it is my duty to stop the trial and order an acquittal," he added.

Mr Counsell, who ran Firestorm Pyrotechnics, was the contractor hired by Taunton Rugby Club to run the £3,000 display, which was watched by about 1,000 people.

He set off 1,500 shots in 15 minutes - just 200 yards from the motorway.

References

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