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