The History of the Toronto Saracens RFC
The Toronto Saracens RFC was established during the early 1950's. It was the formed of from the sum of players branching out from the Toronto, Irish, Nomads and Barbarians. Al of those clubs had an over abundance of players at that time. Back then, the rugby games were played at High Park. After the games the team would visit the various local pubs in and around the area. It was there, in one of those establishments (not too sure which one), that the Toronto Saracens Rugby Football Club was conceived.
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The Toronto Saracens was initially formed in 1953, but formally established in 1954. Since then, the Saracens have won the Carling Cup twice (1959 and 1977). the Pony Bowl (1982) and the Old Vienna Cup (Marshall Trophy) (1983). We are one of the original investors in the "Home of Ontario Rugby" Fletchers' Fields, which is our home field.
The following provides Bob Thomas' (one of the Founding Members, and relayed via Anna Meyler) perspective on their arrival and start-up of the Toronto Saracens:
Bob Thomas, Tom O’Connor and Paddy Dowling were friends from the Dublin area. When Bob decided to come to Canada, they each decided to go as well, travelling by boat.
They docked in Halifax (on March 27, 1954) and went on to New York City for a couple of days. Tom had a friend that had previously emigrated to New York but Bob didn't have an address for him. They spent some time trying to find Bob’s friend but decided they had better get their train to Toronto. As coincidences have it, at Grand Central station, just prior to catching the train, Tom went to buy a paper and guess who the news agent was.
Anyway, Bob had decided that his passport would be safest in his suitcase. I don't remember why but his suitcase went on to Toronto without him, so Bob spent his first night in Canada at the Fort Erie jail because he didn't have his papers with him.
So Paddy, Tom and myself arrived in Toronto from Ireland in the beginning of April 1954. Our first Saturday in Canada, Paddy was watching the TV set in our boarding house. He said, "Look they're playing rugby."
Of course, Tom and I replied that since we were in Canada, that the game must be football…. it couldn't be rugby.
But Paddy was right and at the end of the program there was an announcement, “Anyone interested in playing rugby was welcome to come to High Park the next weekend.”
So the following Saturday we went to High Park. There we met George Dunn and Bill Webb who had started with the Barbs. Being from Ireland we would have liked to join the Irish Canadians but they were not looking for more players.
George and Bill told us that they were starting a new team and would we like to join. We said, "That sounds great. How many players do you have?"
George replied "Well, there is the three of you, Bill and myself and that Welshman over there makes 6."
That Welshman was Epp Jones who had arrived in Canada in March of 1954.
I know that the first meeting was held at the Selby Hotel a couple of weeks later. I'm not sure who was there but it was there that the Saracen name was selected. I think it was Bill Webb that had played for the London Saracens. The colours chosen were green for Ireland and white for England.
After much thought, we believe the date of establishment of the Toronto Saracens RFC was Wednesday, April 21, 1954.
Another memory, from Peter Watt:
I read with great interest Bob Thomas’ recollections of the founding of the Saracens. The way they found rugby in Toronto is just about the same as I did. I emigrated to Toronto from London, England in October 1957, where I had belonged to the Wasps Rugby Football Club. Once in Toronto, I asked around at work and elsewhere if anybody knew where rugby was played or how and where I could make contact with the rugby community. Eventually, someone suggested I try Eglinton Park where they thought rugby was played occasionally; little did I know that it was just about the end the playing season. When I got to the Park the next Saturday, lo and behold there was a game of rugby being played and one of the teams was wearing green and white strip. When the game ended, I introduced myself to some of the guys who turned out to be Saracens, went and had a few beers with them and joined the club. The one I remember most from that time is Bob Thomas.
Over the next few years we were quite successful as often as not and, I believe, won the Toronto league once or twice. Some other names that come to mind from those days, in addition to the ones in your e-mails, are Bob Wallace, Mike Croghan (? Spelling), and Eamonn Ferguson. I’m afraid we have lost touch with them and have no addresses or phone numbers.
I think I must be getting juvenile Alsheimers because I am not remembering too much about those days, but I have a vague recollection that I served as both President and Captain during the period that I was active in the Saracens, which was from late 1957 to the late 1960’s when the firm I was with moved me to its New York office.
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While the present membership has only recently learned bits of how the club came to be, according to Dougie Kelly (one of the older Saracens) said someone picked it out of the blue, because all the other names such as the Irish, Barabarians, Nomads, Wanderers etc. were held by local clubs already.
Initially the founders wanted the Saracens to be called the Toronto Irish, as the original club pilgrims were of Irish descent, but the Toronto Irish Canadians RFC had dibs on that name already.
One might ask what the hell were a bunch of Irish thinking of when choosing 'Saracens' over some other name...and one would get the answer, "they chose it while at a pub"... point made.
Since these founding members of the club were Irish, they wanted green on the jerseys. Apparently, they opted for the green and white hoops... and hence the Saracens' colours ever since. (
You may be scratching your heads at this moment as you look at the various teams on this page. Those pictures are the "tour" jerseys and the club becomes more festive in their colour schemes when they go on tour.)
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Over the years the Toronto Saracens have produced some talented Canadian Internationals and Provincial Players. The most notable ones were Eric Kettleson (fullback, 1 cap) and Tony Stea (uncapped prop toured for Rugby Canada to Argentina).
The Saracens have also recruited international players in the past to play for the club, namely Phil Crowe (Wing, Australia) and Kevin Keyes (wing, Ireland
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In addition to touring, the Saracens have also played host to some International players with their touring club teams, one to note was a young Jeremy Guscott (England & Lion Centre, late 80's early 90's) when playing with the Bath touring team.
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A blast from the past. Saracens 1st XV versus Llanelli RFC, August 4, 1983.
A big Thank You to Fergus McCarthy who is a Saracen now toiling in the UK... he adds this bit of Saracen history:
"When we played Llanelli everyone on the team had a cap except their Captain, Phil May, who was a Barbarian and later played for Wales. The flanker was Pickering who captained Wales and is the current Manager. There were four British Lions in the team, one Quinnel is the father of the current Welsh player and Lion Scott Quinnel.
Davies was scrum half for Wales, etc. We also played West of Scotland that year, losing 11-9 and they had two caps on the field Swann and the prop, whose name escapes me for the moment.
The UK tour was that year and we played West again, gertting stuffed, we also played Edinburgh Academicals with a player named David Soul at prop. He captained Scotland's Grand Slam team.
Karl Svoboda played for us when he first got called up for Eastern Canada (He shared an apartment with me for six months that year) ... Karl went on to captain Canada.
By the way I am the guy 5th from the left on the Llanelli picture. Took five against the head from Llanelli! The guy with the ball at his feet, Bob Johnston is back in the UK. He came down here for the England vs Scotland game this year, and I got him a game with our 3rd team (Kingston RFC - see Links Page) in the morning. We won 85-5 and Bob at scrum half didn't score!!!!"
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This is a picture of the Toronto Rebels Touring Side to Jamaica in 1990. In order to go on a Men’s tour and secure funding for equipment, bags, etc… we felt that we had to dissociate ourselves from the club and the ORU (especially since the game was still considered to be amatuer at that time).
To increase our market visibility and sponsorship, we selected a name we felt would attract greater attention and visibility of the Toronto market. We did not make money – but, hosted by the Caribs, we played and won all 3 games in Kingston (including a match against Jamaica) before touring to Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, under the guidance and tutelage of Duncan Paige, Bruce Sinclair and Chris Bemrose.
We had two non-Saracens (friends of Ron Pilgrim from New Brunswick, hence “newbie”) join us and contributed to some very mediocre play, enjoyable wins, memorable car drives, and early selection of recreational smoke on tour.
Players from rear left to front right include:
Back row: Shane Rutherford, Gary Loader, “newbie Mike”, Jim Yaeck, Chris Bemrose, Howie Hayes, Tony Dvorak, James Cole, Paul Ghantous (later to become WWF’s “The Sheik”)
Front row: Chris Rideout, Chris Brown, Duncan Paige, Bruce Sinclair, Ron Pilgrim, Bobby Ng, Alex Falconer, Bill Robertson, “newbie Bill”
Tour and funding organizer, Paul Lazenbury (Spike) took the picture.*******************************
I have included a comments section ( Click here )on this page. If you have historical stories and such to add, please add it here and I will add it to the page.-Mike*******************************
Not being content with just one club song, the Saracens have two songs - here are the words to both (thanks to Anna):
Saracen Song IWe are the Sara’s, good boys we are,
Before the match we head for the bar,
It takes forty bottles to open up our throttles,
For we are the Saracens.
Chorus: Rah, rah, rah,
Rah, rah, rah, rah, hoy!
Rah, rah, rah,
Rah, rah, rah.
Our rugby team is second to none.
Before the match is over we are always done,
At half-time we’re frisky,
For we are full of whisky,
We are the Saracens.
Look out you Nomads, we are out for blood,
Summertime is over, we are back from stud.
You Scottish, you Baa Baa’s
We will make no faux pas,
We are the Saracens.
So come all you lads of noble gentry,
And into the Saras make an entry,
Our motto you know is,
Heh! Heh! Heh!
Go! Go! Go!
For we are the Saracens.
Saracen Song IIWe don’t like the Irish, we don’t like the Barbs
But most of all we don’t like the Scottish snobs,
And we’ll fight , fight, fight with all our might
For the lads in the green and white jerseys.
We’ll fight on the field and we’ll drink in the bar,
And everyone knows we are great men
For far and wide we’ll sing with pride
For we are the Toronto Saracens.
Oh to hell with any other team we meet
For we will show no mercy
And we will fight, fight, fight with all our might
For the lads in the green and white jerseys.
