• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

TRF Profiles: Your club and why

M Two One

Tra la la la
TRF Legend
Joined
Oct 11, 2007
Messages
902
Club or Nation
Biarritz
Who do you support and why do you support them?

Why should anyone looking for a team support your favorite?

This thread only pertains to Northern Hemisphere clubs and they can be at any level of rugby union. If you support more than one club, let us know a little bit about each in your own words. There is no format to follow. You don't have to make it super detailed or complicated either, just give us something interesting.
 
I support two teams: Sale Sharks and Catalans Dragons (and then I follow several more, the main being USAP in the Top 14)

Sale Sharks: I probably should support Leicester Tigers as they're the closest team to where I grew up, but even they weren't that close (about an hour away) so they're not exactly a "home town" to me. My Dad's from up north (Lytham St Annes) and L.St.A's team is Fylde which has links to Sale - However he didn't really get me into Sale, it was more of a coincidence that they happened to be from where he's from. Though they're not my 'local' team I do love Sale, and everyone should support them because we're great, and that's it really. Our stadium is rubbish, Stockport isn't exactly great, but the team itself is vaguely solid (at times), the fans are great, and we've had some good players through the books in our time (including Jason 'best ever' Robinson :p ) - Also one of very few to win the Premiership, and one of only two to top the table and win the playoffs, and the first team to do so


Not Union, but my other supported team is Catalans Dragons: Again, not exactly my local team, but where I grew up there is no rugby league at all, so none of the teams would be local. My parents moved to a village near Perpignan a few years ago, and it happened to be the village where Catalans Dragons house their foreign players when they first move to France, so I've seen the team training on the beach a lot, and the village is mad on them (signed shirts in windows etc.), so it seemed the logical choice to me :p

USAP because of my parents living near Perpignan too
 
Last edited:
I had little more than a tiny passing interest for Rugby until Wales won the Grand Slam in 2005. Despite me living in England, my Merthyr-born dad had finally found a way to get me intrested in what he'd called "The Welsh game". From there I grew into the kind of person who struggles to sleep the day before matches and a member of a club myself.

However, when it comes to club rugby, it was again my dad's 'fault' that my allegiences lie with the Ospreys. I wish it was a more complicated story, but he went to university in Swansea, and use to watch Swansea play on a regular basis. However, having grown up in Glamorganshire, he always had split loyalties, feeling the need to cheer for Cardiff as well, thanks to his regular trips to watch either Cardiff City or Cardiff RFC as a boy. He merely passed this onto me once I grew a big enough interest in the international team, hence why despite claiming to be an Ospreys fan, I'm happy to cheer for the Dragons and turks.

And don't support the Ospreys, it's the most frustrating thing you can ever do.
 
From Dublin so logically Leinster also play a brilliant brand of rugby.

In the A.I.L. St Marys just down the road from the club and go to the school. Likes producing outhalves Sexton, Ward and Dean.
 
I support Ulster because I wanted to follow a ML club. They're easier to follow when you're playing yourself most weekends, as all the games are televised and most of them aren't on saturdays. Also, when I picked, there wasn't an English team I felt an affinity with. I'm a Londoner - but LI don't play in London, Saracens don't play in London, Wasps don't play in London. Quins do play in London, but this was the summer of Bloodgate and I was fair disgusted by their actions. I would have supported a team from Leeds or the Yorkshire area, as thats where I went to uni, but Leeds had aligned themselves with the polytechnic and I didn't like that. Yes, I am very picky.

So, anyway, I was going to pick one of the teams in the Celtic League, and not an English team. Well, there was no way I was going to support a Welsh team. Not in rugby. This was pre-Italians. I'm not terribly keen on Scottish rugby. So it was an Irish team, and Ulster were an easy logical pick. Not too good, not too **** - just a team with a mountain of history, good youngsters, and a habit of f**king it all up. My sort of club.
 
and Ulster were an easy logical pick. Not too good, not too **** - just a team with a mountain of history, good youngsters, and a habit of f**king it all up. My sort of club.
we are getting better though!!! :D
 
we are getting better though!!! :D

Yes, we are - the future's bright the future's white.

I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with supporting a succesful team though.
 
Well always had an interest in the Welsh national side due to my dad being a big fan, my 2 earliest rugby memories are from '99 when we beat Italy in a friendly and Scott Gibbs's epic try to steal that win in Wembley :D
Never really ventured into club rugby until the 06/07 season, got a free ticket to go watch the Blues vs Worcester in a pre-season friendly. Then saw them beat Wasps in a cracking game in the EDF Cup and was hooked from then on, went to most home games over the next few seasons and a few away ones too. The Blues seem to be pretty good at bringing through young Welsh talent, especially through the semi-pro Premiership teams like Cardiff RFC (Halfpenny, Jamie Roberts) and Glamorgan Wanderers (Sam Warburton) as well as picking some very useful New Zealanders and Pacific Islanders. Though one thing my Dad always warned me about is the fact that Cardiff (true in football with Cardiff City too) are hell to support, because they have a huge habit of under-achieving.
In general though, I enjoy watching Welsh teamsplay and win, have a big soft spot for the Dragons. They're always the underdogs but play some of the best rugby in Wales (and the whole Pro12 too) and Rodney Parade is last true club Rugby ground (or at least the last one that sees professional rugby on a regular basis) with a proper Rugby atmosphere left in Wales.
 
Born and bred in Jimmies End. Still live a stones throw from Franklins Gardens.

So naturally I'm a Saracens fan.
 
Bristol.

My Dad has supported Bristol since the 70's, the days of John Pullin, Mike Rafter etc etc and it was him that took me to my first game. Apparently I was 8 months old and I don't remember it funnily enough. My first real memory, embarrassingly, was crying after Rob Andrew kicked a drop goal for Wasps to beat us (awwh bless). First away memory was going to Worcester and watching David Knox get sent off and seeing a perfectly good Gareth Baber try ruled out for no good reason, you could see me, my brother and dad going ape at the ref. Remember getting the program at home games and checking the ref and making jibes and insulting remarks about the bad refs of the day (Lander, Campsall etc) with Dads friends, all of whom were proper characters.

I've watched my side through bad and good, multiple relegations, 2 threats of administration and liquidation, a potential move to Oxford. Mixed with the odd good year, the Contepomi and Pichot era with the trip to Twickers to see us lose to Glos. Beating Montpellier and Stade Francias in Europe. Love it though, despite my getting into soccerball in the last few years my first love is with Bris and really look forward until I get up the Mem for a game whoever we play.
 
Last edited:
I've been a leinster fan since I was about 14. Before then I had no real interest in club rugby. They were the obvious team to support because I'm from Dublin. I remember the 1st Leinster match i went to was when i was 15 and it was gutting. The Leinster-Leicester match in lansdowne road in the 05 Heineken cup. I went to around 9 home games in the 05/06 season. Thats when I started becoming a huge fan. Throughout my teens however Musnter had always been the dominant club in Ireland and I noticed many of my friends changing their loyalties to Munster after the 06 heineken cup. I stayed put with Leinster though. I think many loyal leinster fans have seen friends turn to Munster over the last few years. These turncoats have all come crawling back though of course since 09.
 
Always been a Scarlets fan. Remember 'em playing against Glasgow in Wrexham in 04? And winning. I never get to see them play much because I live so far away, bur I always went to see them play whenever they came up here, only occasionally going to see them down in Llanelli. It was always great to see them play here, despite them not coming any more :(. That's the main reason I support them, as they remembered about us, at least for a while (probably helped that my mam was a fan:p). However, almost everyone up here in now an Ospreys fan, so I know your pain D'Arcy! They tend to just support them because they think they're better because of their big names (most of them only care when they win things). All though some like me have remained loyal. Yet they don't crawl back to us when we do well because they mostly know little of rugby.
 
I Support Leinster because, well, that's where I'm from. I know quite a few lads who switched allegiance and jumped on the Munster bandwagon a few years ago, but they're not laughing now..:p.
 
When it comes to European clubs I try to follow the following teams:

France:
Clermont ( I was 18 and doing a summer job in That region and it was the first ever rugby game I saw live) Last year they had Lauaki ( former Chief) so I followed them again.
Brive and Castres (without being a fanboy) it are two teams in France that I admire for the kind of rugby they provide (don't ask me why)
Racing and Stade ( I have a weakness for Italian rugby and when you look at whom is playing for both teams, you know why)

UK:
I try to follow all London based clubs, as well Northampton and Leicester, A glasgow game is also appreciated.

That's it in a nutshell. My signature says it all ;)
 
I support Biarritz Olympique for a few reasons. For one, they're a French club and I knew from the beginning that it would be easiest for me to get into one since my wife is originally from there. I wanted to pick a club that was nearby so that travel wouldn't be an issue when we were in France. I narrowed my selections to Biarritz and Toulouse since we were in between those two clubs. A rugby video game ended up making the selection for me as it randomly picked Biarritz for me to use in my first match.

I continue to support Biarritz Olympique for the passion, the culture and the town itself. Whenever I go to Biarritz I have an amazing time catching rugby games, going to the beach or just meeting up with friendly people. I love the restaurants there including a favorite pizza spot called Pizzeria la Trattoria. The local food is also great as I like to try everything, but I'm from Chicago, so I'm picky as hell when it comes to pizza. This pizza spot is the only one I really enjoy when I'm in France.

I enjoy French rugby in general and even though I like a lot of clubs, I wouldn't consider myself a true supporter of any other than BO.

I also support the Chicago Griffins. They're my local club and one of two major ones actually, but I've only played with them. They're an incredibly nice bunch that are really open and all about having a good time and making friends.
 
Last edited:
I support Otley RFUC because I was born there. I now live in Bedfordshire and cannot afford to travel to Yorkshire to watch them, although if I visit relatives in winter and go to the town, I watch a home game if poss. Cross Green has one claim to fame. Know what that is anybody?
 
Have always followed English club rugby from afar, as being from Dorset there's no local club of note. Bath have a few fans around as they have been the nearest team until Exeter arrived on the scene, but Bath is still 2 hours or so away.

Last year I moved over to Toulouse for a year and fell in love with the place. I had the best year of my life over there, and having been in Place Capitole to watch them win the H Cup against BO, I have jumped on the bandwagon and followed them ever since. I pop over once or twice a year to meet up with friends and take in a game, and try and get to any H Cup games they play in England.
 

Latest posts

Top