Nickname(s) PSW, Wanderers Union Rugby Football Union | Founded 1940 | |
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Full name Public School Wanderers Rugby and Cricket Club | ||
The Public School Wanderers Club is a sports club in the United Kingdom that was formed in 1940 by Charles Burton, a Fleet Street journalist. It was formed to provide cricket and rugby for public schoolboys during their school holidays, but with difficulties arising from World War II the Club started to provide games for servicemen as well. During the period of hostilities the Club provided over a thousand games of cricket and rugby for servicemen from all parts of the British Commonwealth.
Contents
Ethos
After the war the Club became open, though still by invitation only; a player is invited to become a Wanderer because they are a credit to their sport (be it cricket or rugby) and will enter into the spirit of maintaining the high standards of play and conduct achieved by generations of preceding club members.
Colours, crest and motto
The club colours are red (representing the morning sky), green (for the playing field) and pink (of the setting sun).
The club crest contains five charges, a book (representing scholarship and the schools from which the original players were drawn), the lion of Cambridge University RFC, the crown of Oxford University RFC, the Rod of Asclepius representing the United Hospitals RFC and an escallop which has connotations of pilgrimage in heraldry. There is also a Bishop's Mitre for the church affiliated public schools.
The club motto is In concordia floreamus which is Latin for In friendship we flourish.
History
The rugby team play regional fixtures, celebration games, provide teams to play in developing rugby countries and engage in other rugby missionary activities. They play the 15-a-side version of the game though it is in 7-a-side rugby tournaments that the Wanderers have made their reputation. Since its inception over 2000 players have represented the Wanderers in over 5,000 matches.
The Wanderers have played "international" fixtures against Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Kenya and New Zealand, they have also toured Bermuda, Canada, East Africa, South Africa, Uruguay, United States and most European countries. They even took over the British Lions' cancelled fixtures in Zimbabwe in 1982. They have been finalists on two occasions at the Middlesex Sevens, represented England at the Monte Carlo Sevens in 1987, 1988 and winning in 1989. They were finalists at the 1988 Hong Kong Sevens and won the London Sevens as well as the 1996 Safari Sevens in Nairobi, Kenya.
A notable event in the history of the Wanderers occurred in the 1988 – 89 season when it fielded a team comprising 15 internationals against a Bath XV consisting of a full complement of Internationals also. Bath was the first non-invitation club to have been able to field a fully international side since Newport RFC did so in 1902.
The modern era has required the Wanderers to refocus their fixture list to reflect the realities of the modern professional rugby, taking into account the contractual obligations that players now have with their clubs. Clubs still benefit from the more relaxed games that the Wanderers offer and to use them to test players returning from injury or to give younger players the opportunity to demonstrate their talents.
Nomadic by tradition, the club continues to play representative matches and to tour developing rugby countries, true to their roots – a combination of youth and experience. Though the club has evolved to match the developments in the sport, they still measure their success not by victories but by its established tradition of playing entertaining rugby. Any club wishing to invite the Wanderers to participate in a commemorative game or tournament either at home or abroad should contact the club via its website.
Streatham sevens 1969 - Winners