One of the great tragic realisations when dealing with commemorating the Great War is that exactly one hundred years ago today (16th March) in 1916 is not yet halfway through the war itself. Yet even by this relatively early stage the level of casualties is above and beyond anything experienced by any of the participating…
Saracens opponents this Saturday are the mighty Toulouse, aristocrats of French rugby, and the only team to lift the European trophy 4 times, including in its very first season in 1995/96. Their place at the top of the top table of French rugby goes back to the early 20th century, winning their first of a record…
Known to posterity as the bloodiest year of the war, 1916 earns this sobriquet having seen the great battles of attrition at Verdun and the Somme, the sparks of a civil war brewing within Britain during the Dublin ‘Easter Rising,’ and the introduction of conscription for the first time within Britain. All notions of romanticism…
With his boyish blonde curls and overlarge shirt, stood smiling out from the back row of the photo, Charles Dearing could easily pass for much younger than his 25 years. Whether this apparent youthfulness owes much to the health-giving properties of the Norfolk air in which he was born, being the youngest and only son…
Saracens’ opponents, Sale, have been and continue to be one of the stalwarts of both northern and Lancashire rugby. Founded in 1861, they are one of the oldest clubs surviving in English rugby and have thrived despite being in the heartland of Rugby League. With Saracens meeting Sale Sharks twice in as many weeks, it is a…
One of the most intriguing things about this project so far has been its ability to unearth forgotten stories from Saracens past through relatives contacting us.From the story of Reg Potts’s Bronze medal at the 1912 Olympics and Sydney Sylvester’s annotated first world war diary, they all add to the rich history of Saracens. One…
“There is one name in the history of the Saints that stands as much for gallantry, bravery, leadership and heroism as playing ability and statistics – Edgar Mobbs.” It would be impossible to ignore the importance of Edgar Mobbs in the history of Northampton rugby club. A winger making 234 appearances for the club, and…
Considering the long and proud history of both clubs it is perhaps surprising that the first meeting between the two did not occur until March 23rd 1963. Unfortunately for Saracens, it was a rather one-sided affair, losing 25-6, a veritable drubbing in an era with lower points awarded for tries, and typically lower-scoring affairs anyway. Leicester…
Norman Brabazon Dick stands as testament to the old adage of rugby being a “thugs game played by gentleman”. As a Public Schoolmaster, noted chess player, grandson to a peer of the realm and graduate of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, he would not have been an obvious candidate to have been roughing it out on…
The history of the Saracens VS London Irish fixture goes right back to the first year of the founding of the Irish exiles club. Formed in 1898 following the lead set by the London Scottish and Welsh sides, Saracens were amongst the first sides to play Irish on the 12th of November. The uninspiring 0-0…
Saracens Rugby Club and W.W.1 