Saints history
Rugby mad students James Maclean and Ian Ballinger founded the Saints in 2003.
England had just won the Rugby World Cup and yet Trinity didn’t have a rugby union team. So the pair approached the student union about starting one, but they were told flat out that it was “rugby league college” and there wasn’t room for both codes.
There was even more opposition from the league team themselves who saw the formation of a rugby union team as a threat to their very existence, leading to confrontations and threats of violence.
Despite the clear resistance, the pair discovered that the student union and league team couldn’t block them so started recruiting heavily. Within days they’d found the 12 students required by the union to form a society,
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The ethos of the club became clear early on; where other societies were exclusive and closed, the Saints were determined to be as open and friendly as possible.
It was too late into the season to enter a league, so the Saint’s first game was in the 2004 Leo 7’s Tournament. The team was made up almost completely of forwards and wore a borrowed training kit. Needless to say they were roundly thrashed, but the first points were scored and the resulting social was stuff of legend.
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With the summer holiday came a chance to build a basic structure and the first executive committee was elected
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President (James Maclean)
Vice President (Ian Ballinger)
Treasurer (Andrew Howson)
Team Captain (Douglas Cumming)
Vice Captain (Tom Butt)
Social Secretary (Matt Darlingwater).
The Saints continued to meet resistance from the league run student union who refused to fund the society, so they were forced to find thousands of pounds worth of sponsorship from other sources. And find it they did, with more sponsors than your average F1 team (most notably Leeds strip club the Purple Door) they were able to buy kit and equipment.
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The group worked tirelessly over the summer to prepare for Freshers week and, despite everyone betting against them, got over 20 freshers signed up (including some backs!) swelling the ranks into the 30’s.
With nothing more than a couple of training sessions under their belts and a squad containing a few rusty players and some total newbies, the first game arrived. Leeds Met were one of the top rugby universities in the country with a dozen Leeds Tykes academy players and 2 internationals in their ranks. It was a case of men against boys and a cricket score ensued.
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Despite this, the squad continued to train and as the season went on they developed as a group, performances improved and the Saints (as they had become known) started to challenge teams and score points. The first season ended as the last had begun, at the Leo's 7’s on mayday where the 1st team got through to the Quarter Finals.
The club continued to go from strength to strength and in 2005/6 they recruited over 40 freshers, established a bursary for talented players in conjunction with Yarnbury Rugby Club and got a brand new Head Coach – none other than Bradford Bull and dual code international Lesley Vainikolo. The team started to win games and the season ended with a club tour to Thailand.
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The momentum continued in the 2006/7 season with the lads winning over half their games and finishing in the top half of the table for the first time.
The Saints also cemented their connections with Yarnbury RFC with several players helping the 1 st XV to win promotion to Yorkshire 2 and the 2 nd XV to win the Yorkshire 3 Merit table.
In the following years the society has had its ups and downs, but thanks to the hard work of numerous individuals it has persisted and in 2013 celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Saints vs Sinner Old Boys game.
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The team is now 14 years on from the moment a few lads wanted a rugby union team. And the club ethos still stands today. Once a Saint you will always be a Saint.
This is what the club had in the freshers handbook in 2005 when the club was 2 years old.
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WELCOME TO THE SAINTS RUGBY UNION
Introduction From Club President and Co-Founder: James Maclean
Hello and welcome to Tasc ‘Saints’ Rugby Union, good to have you onboard! We are very proud of our status as Tasc’s boldest and best society. It is a pleasure to have you amongst our numbers, I am certain that over the next three years you’ll have a fantastic time and make the strongest friendships possible.
The club is unlike any other in the college, as a relatively new club (2 years) we have had the advantage of observing the other societies and learning from their mistakes making us the most dynamic and fun team possible.
Whatever your ability or experience we will make every effort to make you feel welcome and bring everyone up to similar standards, we will endeavour to make your time at Uni as good as possible. That said and as the saying goes ‘you’ll only get out as much as you give’, if you turn up to all training sessions and take an active involvement in the socials side then you’ll help mould the team.
This season is going to be or biggest and best with two teams being put up, the 1st team will be taking part in the Busa University league against the likes of Leeds Uni, Sheffield Hallam and York. The Development team will either be taking part in a special merit league or will be playing one off games against similar opposition. So whatever your standard, even if you’ve never played, you’ll always have the opportunity to play. We have very high hopes of a fun and highly competitive season.
I look forward to getting to know you all, gimme a shout anytime if you need to chat.
James
Your Executive Committees:
SENIOR EXECUIVE COMMITTEE
President:
James ‘El Presidente’ Maclean
This is James’ second year of Presidency; he is also the co-founder and knows the club through and through. James is totally committed to the club and his passion for it is second to none. As head of the society he coordinates the exec, chairs all meetings and has the casting vote. Ultimately the buck stops here so if you have any questions or issues you would like to raise then he is your man. He’s also a qualified coach and referee and will be assistant coach for the upcoming season.
Vice President:
Ian ‘Ballo’ Ballinger
Ian is one of the most vocal and friendly lad you’ll ever meet, he is the most reliable and great bloke at Tasc. Whatever your problem, whether it is connected to rugby or personal Ian is the go to man. He is co-founder and knows everyone at college and as a hall warden he is always available!
1st Team Captain: Douglas ‘Dougie’ Cumming
Dougie is the team boss and knows a hell of a lot about the sport, he will co-ordinate the teams and have a major role on the coaching side. He is a qualified coach and will be forwards coach for the upcoming season. Doug is incredibly driven in regards to the team and will back you up whenever necessary.
1st Team Vice Captain: Tom ‘Boris’ Waterson
Tom is team captain and as such is the leader of the first team; he plays with intensity and will never ask someone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. Although being a practical joker, when the team is up against the wall he leads from the front. If you trust this guy he’ll save your skin and never let you down.
Social Secretary: Matt ‘Bareback’ Darlinwater
This year Matt will be in charge of you social life and will most likely make you vomit and have some of the best nights of your life. As a highly experienced bar manager he knows every club (and has worked in most) in Leeds, he has the contacts and knowledge to get us the best deals in Leeds and plenty of free plonk. If you don’t have a good time on Matt’s socials then you need to check your pulse cos your probably dead.
Treasurer: Andrew ‘Geoff’ Howson
Geoff is the clubs paper pusher and thankfully helps balance the books, bizarrely he volunteered for the role! You need to pay your subs to this guy or you’ll be in deep shit, he’s not a man to owe money! Seriously though Geoff has a tough enough job, so make sure you bring your subs to games or else he gets in shit.
JUNIOR EXECUTIVE COMITTEE
Fixture Secretary: Ben ‘He’s So Hot’ Longworth
Ben will be organising all club playing fixtures and does a lot of the behind the scenes work. His role is invaluable and if you can help him at anytime he would really appreciate it, whether it’s putting up flags and post protectors or ringing refs.
Press Secretary: Chris ‘Battle Cruza’ Bick
Chris is in charge of promoting the club and will no doubt enlist your help to put up posters and spread the word that is ‘The Saints’. If you have any ideas for stories or would like to put forward a match report give Chris a shout.
Sports Liaison Officer: Bond ‘GHD’ Ma
Bond is the link to other societies at Tasc, whether it be forming links or resolving conjecture he is always available.
Kit Technicians:
Scott ‘Mullet’ Dixon and Tom ‘Billy Bow Tie’ Sturge
The boys are in charge of team kit and help to keep all the shirts in tip-top position. From time to time you will all be called upon to help clean the kit, we’ve all done it and it as to be done.
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This was a long time ago but the new members feel jut as passionate about the club as they were. Details on contacting the current members are at the bottom of the page.