Rugby Club Issue 49 | Page 16

TAUNTON TAUNTON Taunton Rugby Club was founded in 1875 and is amongst the oldest established clubs in the country.The club prides itself on being a community club for all, and caters for players aged from 5 years old right through to veterans. There is also a ladies section, which is vibrant on the back of the success of England Ladies in the recent Women’s Rugby World Cup. The club moved to their present purpose-built stadium at Hyde Park in 2001, after many years of negotiation and planning under President Jack Matthews, who is a veteran of 400 plus 1st XV games. Jack has been involved with the club for some 55 years, and during the relocation negotiations had valuable help and assistance from a small group of like-minded people including life member Mike Newport, the ever-present Jerry Winter and the then treasurer Jim Lewis. Needless to say there were numerous hurdles to overcome but the end result made all the effort worthwhile, and the magnificent facilities at Hyde Park are the envy of many visiting clubs. The club have a commercial arm with fulltime staff under operations manager Philip Grattan, and the Hyde Park name is now synonymous with the excellent food and service provided at conferences, seminars, wedding receptions, sales presentations, wakes and of course the renowned Sunday carvery meals. In recent years Taunton enjoyed successive promotions, including an unbeaten season, reaching level 4 in the rugby pyramid, the highest level in the club’s history. This has not come about by chance, as it was apparent that a solid coaching policy had to be put in place to ensure sustainability, coupled with sponsorship income. The first statement made was to rebrand the 1st XV as “The Titans”. The Titans have been building robust foundations during the last four years, with a total refit and overhaul from Tony Yapp and Keith Brooking. Last year, the two added Chris Brown to their coaching staff, as the club continues to establish a reputation for quality rugby. To cement this relationship Tony, Keith and Chris have all signed three year contracts, thereby making a clear statement of their confidence in Taunton Rugby Club. The progression has seen a change in ideology, with the squad now reliant on developing players who wish to progress. Forwards coach Brown commented, “the type of player we wish to attract has to have ambition. I am adamant that the attitude of the individual is essential as there are certain sacrifices that need to be made in order to progress your own talent and move the club as a whole forward. We are attracting the right type of player at the moment and I feel this has been key to our recent improvements.” 16 ISSUE 49