The Cornwall Rugby Football Union (CRFU) was formed in 1883. There are 39 rugby football clubs in Cornwall and the patron of Cornish rugby is H.R.H. Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Rugby is a subject very close to the hearts of most Cornish people and the county side gives us much to cheer. The supporters are known as Trelawney's Army after Jonathan Trelawney, a Cornish bishop who was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1688. A song about Trelawney's plight is considered the Cornish 'National' Anthem and is sung at Cornwall's rugby matches.
We are a proud rugby 'nation' and look forward to the annual County Championships to see if the Cornish rugby team can once again lift the trophy at Twickenham. Cornwall have won the County Championships three times: in 1908, 1991 and 1999.
The 1991 win was probably the most memorable for most Cornish rugby supporters. Not only did it end an 83 year drought, but it looked incredibly unlikely 20 minutes from time. They were playing Yorkshire and with 20 minutes to play in windy conditions, Yorkshire were winning 16-3. Within a few minutes, they had scored a try and a penalty and were only 4 points behind. During the dying seconds, Cornwall scored another try, needing the conversion to win the title. The kick missed. For 40,000 Cornish people in the crowd and thousands watching at home hopes were momentarily dashed. However, a revitalised Cornwall side came out for extra time guns blazing. During the first half of extra time, Cornwall scored a try to go ahead for the first time in the match, and during the second period they scored another to seal an unfortable win 29-16.
The last time Cornwall won the title was in 1999 when my sister and I were lucky enough to be there (thanks for the tickets, Mum!). It was a sunny May day and Cornwall were playing Gloustershire in the County Championships final. The atmosphere in the town of Twickenham was amazing, with crowds of Cornish fans, adorned in black and gold, all over the place. Despite the long journey from the depths of Cornwall to London, there were masses of fans and we outnumbered the opposing sides fans enormously. I remember being at the train station dressed in my black and gold, and complete strangers coming to talk to me about Cornish rugby (people from all over, not just the Cornish). Even the police at the station were expressing an interest! Everywhere was swarming with the colours of Cornish rugby. The good-natured atmosphere in Twickenham town was unbelievable, the vast majority of us united in a common cause - breathtaking actually. Inside the stadium was even better, with a very small section of Gloustershire fans contrasted with most of the population of Cornwall! It was a sea of black and gold! Before the match started there was the traditional marching round of the giant pasty (which although it may bring luck, is rather funny to watch!) and the Falmouth Marine Band playing. The match itself was quite a tense affair and the crowd were very excited. We definitely made enough noise to fill the massive Twickers stadium! The final score was Cornwall 24 Gloucestershire 15. What an amazing result - we'd won the County Championships again! All the Cornish fans poured onto the pitch after the match to have our photos taken in front of the scoreboard.
For an excellent site on Cornish rugby, including regular news updates and forums, see Trelawney's Army The Cornish Rugby Supporters' Club.
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