September 12th, 2022

(WHITBY, ON) - The Club Anniversary Spotlight Series is a initiative which will recognize all Rugby Ontario Member Clubs that are celebrating a major anniversary during 2022. Next up in the series is the Cobourg Saxons!

History

This year the Cobourg Saxons celebrate their 25th anniversary, however the Saxons were not the first to offer rugby in Northumberland County. Two rugby teams predate the

Cobourg Saxons. The first was an U20 boys team started in 1993 by Chris Hawley and Bob Richards. This team was called The Cobourg Ghosts. The Ghosts borrowed their name from the very successful Cobourg Galloping Ghosts Football team that operated from the mid 1930s to the mid 1950s. The Ghosts rugby team would operate for only two seasons before disbanding. A handful of the Cobourg Ghosts players are active players with the Saxons Old Boys team. The second team predating the Saxons was a Senior Women’s team started by Dina Davis and Steve Barlow in 1996. This team was known as the Cobourg Crash, as much a rugby reference as it was a reference to the crashing waves of nearby Lake Ontario. Prior to the Crash, Dina played rugby for the Ajax Wanderers and Steve played high school and college rugby. 

The formation of the Cobourg Saxons would begin in 1997 through the work of Mike McMahon, Bob Richards, Scott Jenkins and Aaron Allen. Without local rugby beyond the high school level, these men would to travel to nearby cities to get their rugby fix, specifically to the Oshawa Vikings and the Ajax Wanderers. Over the years, as the number of players travelling to the Vikings and Wanderers grew the idea of starting a club in Cobourg was bantered about. There was concern that perhaps Cobourg and area was too small to support a rugby club. After being involved with the Vikings and Wanderers it was clear that this group wanted to start a rugby club, not a rugby team. Believing, perhaps correctly or not, that the Crash and the Ghosts were operated more like rugby teams, this group wanted to ensure the next rugby venture was a rugby club. In their minds a rugby club had longevity and a plan for growth and if the numbers weren’t there to support it then the idea would have to wait. 

McMahon took the first step and contacted the Toronto Rugby Union to see if there was an opportunity to start a rugby club in Cobourg. TRU president Damien Keenan was supportive of the idea and proved to be a valuable resource having started a rugby club or two himself. To address the player interest piece; McMahon and Richards hatched an idea. There had always been a healthy cross-town rivalry between the local high schools: CDCI West and CDCI East. The plan would be to host a rugby match between the alumni of CDCI West and the alumni of CDCI East. It was a well attended match by both players and spectators and most involved recall it as a hard fought battle. The social following the match was equally well attended and it was there that McMahon unveiled the plan to offer Senior Men’s Club Rugby in Cobourg the following summer. The response was overwhelmingly favourable and thus began the planning to begin a new rugby club in Cobourg. (It is interesting to note that the social was held at Kelly’s Homelike Inn, which continues to be the Saxons primary sponsor. If you have ever travelled to Cobourg to play a Senior match you will likely have spent time at Kelly’s, a true institution in Cobourg). 

The first executive, as these things often go, was self appointed with McMahon serving as President, Jenkins as Treasurer, Allen as Fixtures Secretary and Richards as coach. Not wanting to turn any players away that first executive made the lofty decision to operate two men’s sides in the Saxons first season. The idea proved to be a good one. In that inaugural season in the summer of 1998 the Saxons 1st VX would go undefeated and un-scored on for the first 5 games of the season! The 2nd VX were equally competitive in their division posting impressive scores against their opponents and also going 5-0 to start their season. The Toronto Rugby Union would eventually move the Saxons 1st XV up to Division 4 to complete their first season. There were some very hard fought battles that fall and the Saxons 1st XV were ultimately crowned Division IV champions while the Saxons 2nd XV also finished first in their division. So far so good for the young club. 

During the offseason the executive members from the Saxons would meet with Dina and Steve of the Crash to discuss amalgamation. Spring of 1999 saw the Cobourg Saxons and the Cobourg Crash unite to add a women’s side under the banner of The Cobourg Saxons Rugby Football Club. Junior boys' followed shortly after that and eventually junior girls’ programs were added. A few years later Bob Richards and Simon Miranda would form the Saxon Old Boys, aka the Cobourg S.O.B.s, to allow some of the more experienced players to continue playing rugby at a slightly slower pace. 

In 2014 the Saxons would add minor rugby to their offerings. The addition of minor rugby had two significant results for the club; the addition of a women’s Touch Rugby Team and the Saxons Beach Rugby Festival. The women’s Touch Rugby Team developed out of a desire of some of the parents, mostly the moms, to learn more about the sport of rugby. Rather than passively watch their kids, they wanted to learn to play the sport…but without the tackling! From there the Saxons Dirty Dames Touch Rugby Team was born. The Beach Festival came from a desire to host a minor festival. However, the Saxons rely upon town parks to play rugby on and space is very limited and in high demand. The idea of offering a festival on beautiful Cobourg Beach was explored and the Saxons Beach Rugby Festival was born in 2017. Due to its uniqueness the Saxons Beach Festival has proved to be very popular with Ontario minor rugby players and their parents. After a two year Covid induced hiatus, the Saxons are happy to once again host their Beach Festival this year.

Present Day

Today, the Cobourg Saxons Rugby Club is home to eight different age divisions beginning with our youngest athletes in our Rookie Rugby Program through to our Women’s Touch Rugby players and the over 35 Saxons Old Boys team. The Saxons are currently exploring Mixed Abilities Rugby and hope to begin offering Mixed Abilities Rugby in 2023. Despite being a smaller centre the Saxons are still able to produce athletes that are selected for the Toronto Reds, the Ontario Blues, as well as a handful of athletes being capped for Rugby Canada Juniors. This is due in no small part to some enthusiastic high school coaches directing their athletes to the Saxons. Saxons selected to Rugby Canada Junior sides include: Owain Ruttan, Keagan Read, Josh Barss, and Mason Flesch. Mason Flesch is currently signed with the Toronto Arrows.