| Full name | Rainey Rugby Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Old Boys | ||
| Founded | 1928 | ||
| Ground(s) | Hatrick Park, Magherafelt, Northern Ireland | ||
| Coach(es) | Ian McKinley | ||
| League(s) | AIL Division 2B | ||
| 2022-23 | 6th AIL Division 2B | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| raineyrfc | |||
Rainey Rugby Football Club is situated in the market town of Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland playing in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League.
At present, they field 3 senior men's teams, 1 senior women's team and 3 youth teams (the Rhinos) under-18s, under-16s and under-14s as well as a girls under-14s side.
History
Junior rugby
The club was founded in 1928 as Magherafelt RFC. It was renamed Rainey Old Boys RFC in 1947 in recognition of its connection with Rainey Endowed School. When former Rainey Endowed School coach Dawson McConkey joined the club as player-coach in the mid-1960s, success began to follow, and by the mid-1970s they were a leading club in Ulster junior rugby. In 1982 they toured the Bahamas, and in 1983 they won the Ulster Towns Cup for the first time, with a team featuring forme Ireland international Harry Steele and Ulster regular Alan McLean. Club President from 1984 to 1990 was Bertie McConnell, a member of Ireland's 1948 Grand Slam-winning side. Coached by former Ballymena RFC number eight John Andrews, they were champions of the Ulster Qualifying League in 2005, but lost the playoffs for promotion to the All-Ireland. The following season they won the All-Ireland Junior Cup, and secured senior status by winning the AIL promotion playoffs.[1]
Senior rugby
2006-07 was Rainey's first season in senior rugby, and they finished seventh in Division 3 of the All-Ireland League,[2] and sixth in the Ulster Senior League.[3] Coach John Andrews left at the end of the season to coach Dungannon RFC.[4] replaced by former Ireland international Willie Anderson,[5] then by Rhys Botha as player-coach in 2008.[6]
Rainey Old Boys finished 10th in AIB Division Three in the 2008–09 season.[7]
Rainey Old Boys finished 10th again in AIB Division Three in the 2009–10 season and 6th in AIB Division Three in the 2010–11 season.
The following season they narrowly missed out on promotion to AIB Division 2A, coming 5th in the 2011–12 season. Finishing 4 points behind second place and promotion.
In the 2012–13 they won AIB Division 2B, going undefeated in the league the whole season, winning 14 and drawing 1. Having scored more points, as well as conceding less, than any other team in the whole All-Ireland League, they gained promotion in some style. In what was to be the most successful season in the club's history, they also reached the final of the Ulster Senior Cup against all the odds, knocking out giants of ulster rugby Dungannon R.F.C. and Malone R.F.C., both away from home, en route to Ravenhill.
Chris Campbell and Richard Boyd took over the coaching reigns of the club until 2013 after the 1st XV gained promotion into 2A after an undefeated season in 2B winning 14 matches and drawing 1. This was a highly successful season for the club who also contested their first ever Senior Cup final in Ravenhill in December 2012 where they were beaten by a strong Ballymena side.
Richard Boyd remained as head coach assisted by John Andrews until 2015.
Since 2015 John Andrews has been Head Coach assisted by Damien Campbell and Terry McMaster. Following relegation due to a re-jigging of the leagues in 2016, Rainey were promoted to 2B once again in 2017 by beating Tullamore in the playoff final. There was heartbreak the following year when a last minute Navan try prevented them from gaining promotion to 2A in 2018. This heartbreak was soon forgotten about the following season when promotion to Division 2A was obtained once again through the playoffs by beating Greystones away in the semifinal and the illustrious Blackrock College RFC in the final the following week.
After a period of life in Division 2C, Rainey gained promotion to Division 2B in 2016/17 beating Sligo away in the playoff semi final before beating Tullamore at home the following week to ensure promotion to Division 2B.
After a loss in the playoff final against Navan at home in the 2017/18 season, the 1st XV regrouped for the 2018/19 season and performed consistently all season to secure a place in the playoffs for the 3rd season in a row. After beating Greystones away in a tight game in the semifinal, they travelled to Stradbrook to take on Irish Rugby Kingpins, Blackrock College RFC in the final. Rainey achieved promotion to Division 2A of the Energia AIL with a 35-21 victory on a sunny day in Stradbook in one of the most famous days in the club's history.
History was created in December 2019 when Rainey won the Ulster Senior League for the first time in their history.
Rainey competed in Division 2A of the Energia AIL in 2021/22 season and were unfortunately relegated to 2B following a play off loss to Nenagh Ormond.
Hooker Bradley Roberts was called into the Ulster Rugby squad in November 2020 and made his debut away to Edinburgh on 30th November 2020. He follows in the footsteps of fellow Rainey man Tommy O'Hagan who played for Ulster in the 2018/19 season. Roberts made his Welsh debut against South Africa in November 2021.
Local musician and former 1st XV Waterboy and Ballboy, J.C Stewart filmed part of a music video for MTV at the club in November 2019.
The club was renamed Rainey RFC in 2023.[8]
Honours
- Ulster Youth Cup:2
- 2022-23 U16
- 2021-22 U14
- Ulster Youth Plate:1
- 2022-23 U18
- Ulster Senior League: 1
- 2019-20
- Ulster Towns Cup: 2
- 1982–83, 2000–01
- Ulster Junior Cup: 2
- 1975–76,[9] 1978-79
Management 22/23
Chairman : Stevie Rutledge (Ireland)
1st XV Team Manager / Director of Rugby : James Doherty (Ireland)
1st XV Head Coach : Ian McKinley (Italian Rugby Union)
1st XV Assistant Coaches : Tim Barker (Ireland)
Club Captain : Daniel O'Neill (Ireland)
2nd XV Coach : TBC (Ireland)
2nd XV Captain : TBC (Ireland)
3rd XV Captain : TBC (Ireland)
Internationals
Dr A.A McConnell - Ireland
Paul Pritchard - Germany
Conor Brockschmidt - Germany
Mark Harbison - British Virgin Islands
Paul Kelly - Bermuda
Stephen McKinstry - (Ireland Under 19s)
Stephen Beattie - 
United States Under 19s
Michael Glancy - (Ireland Under 21s) and Hong Kong National Team
Connor Lavery - (Ireland Under 19s)
John McCusker - Ireland U18s
Jack McIntosh - Ireland U18s
Mark Lee - Ireland U18s
Sources
- ^ "Club History", Rainey Old Boys RFC, retrieved 19 January 2024
- ^ "RTE Rugby Tables - AIB League Division 3 2006-07". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 5 May 2007.
- ^ "Ulster Rugby Senior League Table 2006-07". Archived from the original on 23 November 2006. Retrieved 5 May 2007.
- ^ "Andrews appointed Dungannon coach", BBC Sport, 19 June 2007
- ^ "Anderson takes over at Rainey OB". BBC Sport. 17 July 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
- ^ "Botha looks to bolster Old Boys". Northern Constitution. 28 June 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
- ^ "RTE AIB Division 3 Table at end of 2008–09 season". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
- ^ "Our Vision", Rainey Old Boys RFC, retrieved 19 January 2023
- ^ Belfast Newsletter. 26 April 1976. p. 12.
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This page was last edited on 13 February 2024, at 13:55