Thurrock T-Birds

Thurrock T-Birds, also called Thurrock Rugby Football Club Ladies,[1] is a women's rugby union club in Grays, Essex, England.[2] They play in Championship 1 South after being relegated from the Women's Premiership in 2013.[3]

Thurrock T-Birds
Full nameThurrock Rugby Football Club Ladies
UnionRFU
Nickname(s)T-Birds

History

In 2009, Thurrock T-Birds made it to the promotion playoffs in Championship 2 South East but lost in the final. In 2011, they defeated Oakmeadians Ladies in the playoff to be promoted to Championship 1 South.[1] The following season, Thurrock T-Birds were promoted into the Women's Premiership after defeating Championship 1 North champions, Camp Hill [4] in the promotion playoff.[5] In doing so, they became the first Essex based team to play at the top level of English rugby union.[6] In 2013, they finished bottom of the Women's Premiership which meant they took part in the promotion-relegation playoff against Aylesford Bulls Ladies. They lost and were relegated to Championship 1 South for two years due to there being no promotion or relegation in the next season because of the next season preceding the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup.[3] In 2014, they appealed against this rule to the Rugby Football Union for Women, claiming that Women's Premiership clubs Saracens Women and Richmond Women were attempting to block Thurrock from being promoted if they won Championship 1.[7]

In 2012, Thurrock T-Birds set a world record for the largest scrum with 584 participants.[8]

Notable players

Thurrock T-Birds have provided players for the England women's national rugby union team. Mercedes Foy, Emily Scott and Georgia Cook all played for England women and Thurrock.[2]

References
  1. "T-Birds promoted!". Your Thurrock. 2011-04-19. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  2. "Thurrock rugby pair's international joy". Echo News. 2013-08-22. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  3. "Thurrock Ladies relegated from rugby's top tier - but borough's proud of team achievements". Thurrock Gazette. 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  4. Named after Camp Hill, West Midlands; club website.
  5. "It's promotion for the T-Birds after tight match against Camp Hill (From Thurrock Gazette)". Thurrock Gazette. 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  6. "Premiership Rugby Next season for T-Birds". Essex RFU. 2013-04-29. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  7. Clark, Frazer (2014-01-29). "Saracens and Richmond Borough to blame for T-Birds". Thurrock Gazette. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  8. Hugh Godwin (2012-04-22). "Ruck and Maul: Twickenham's ticketing policy smacks of segregation for fans". The Independent. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
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