Rob's Tour, Madrid 2025
The Saturday of the club's Madrid weekend, a tour made in honour of Robert James-Gonzales in place of the Union Cup. Photographs by Yosh Tazaki, 3rd May 2025.
The club's Silver Jubilee season: twenty-five years marked off the field, and hard work on it.
Five league wins from twenty for the First XV in Division 4 East, five from eleven for the Second XV in UK North, and three from ten for the Third XV in Merit North. The year closed with the 25th Annual Dinner at the Treehouse Hotel on 28 June 2025, hosted by former Spartan and comedian Jonathan Mayor.
2024–25 was the club’s Silver Jubilee season, and a hard one in the league for the First XV.
The First XV played in NOWIRUL WMD Division 4 East and started well enough, winning 24–22 away at Aspull 3rd XV on the opening Saturday of September and beating Eccles RFC 4th XV 31–24 at home a fortnight later. A 40–38 defeat at Bury 2nd XV at the end of the month was the closest the side came to a third win before the run turned. Wythenshawe were beaten 39–21 in October and Congleton 2nd XV 41–0 in November, and then the wins stopped until February.
The margins elsewhere were heavy. Heaton Moor 2nd XV, who won all twenty of their league matches, took 86–0 in October and 67–10 in the return in February. Didsbury Toc H 3rd XV won 66–17 and 40–10. Two away fixtures, at Ashton-under-Lyne in November and at Eccles in January, went down in the record as walkovers to the home side. A 50–7 win over Aspull on 22 February was the fifth and last victory of the year, and the season ended with a 60–5 defeat at Congleton in April.
The final table read five wins from twenty, 396 points scored and 680 conceded, tenth in the division. The following season would be played a division lower.
The Second XV’s season in UK North, the league of the inclusive clubs, went rather better: five wins from eleven. York RI Templars were beaten 56–0 in September and Liverpool Tritons 47–17 in January. Newcastle Ravens were beaten twice, 42–17 away in October and 20–15 at home on the first Saturday in March. The best of it came last, a 68–21 win over Typhoons on 22 March, three months after Typhoons had taken the reverse fixture 62–12.
The Third XV played ten matches in Merit North, won three and finished fourth of six. Two of the three were settled by a score or less: 29–27 against Liverpool Tritons at home in November, and 12–10 away at Coventry Corsairs in January. The other was a 38–25 win at Birmingham Bulls in September. Northampton Outlaws, who won the division, edged them 27–24 in November and won the return 47–5.
In place of the Union Cup, held in Oslo in 2025, the club made a journey of its own. Over the weekend of 3 and 4 May 2025 a Spartans side flew to Madrid to play two matches, against Madrid Titanes Club de Rugby, the city’s inclusive club, and against XV Hortaleza R.C.
The tour was made in honour of Robert James-Gonzales, who joined the Spartans in 2021 and played for the First XV, and who had played for XV Hortaleza in Madrid from 2011 to 2019 before he came to Manchester. Taking a Spartans side to his city, and to his old club, was the purpose of the trip. It is the second Union Cup the club has passed over in the tournament’s history, after Copenhagen in 2007, and on both occasions it went somewhere of its own choosing instead.
The club announced the tour on 6 May 2025 and published its photographs of both matches on 21 June. Neither score has been published anywhere. Both fixtures are in the results table on this page and the scores will be added when they are found.
Inside the club the weekend was simply Rob’s Tour, and that is the name it still carries. Yosh Tazaki travelled with the squad and made a film of it, which was premiered at the 25th Annual Dinner in June.
The AGM in July 2024 had noted that the twenty-fifth anniversary celebrations were coming up in August. The season’s own landmark came at the other end of the year: the 25th Annual Dinner, held on Saturday 28 June 2025 at the Treehouse Hotel on Deansgate and hosted by former Spartan and comedian Jonathan Mayor, with a welcome drink, dinner, speeches and awards. The club billed it as “a special time to celebrate and recognise the Spartans that have made our Club what it is”.
The officers for the year were Joshua Sanderson-Kirk as chair, Johnny Fletcher Wright as secretary and Gareth Longley as treasurer, with Alessandra Lewis continuing as Director of Rugby and Ben Dawson as Director of Touch Rugby. Ben Walker came in as a new club captain for touch. The bulk of pre-season began on Wednesday 31 July 2024, with Neil G running fitness sessions beforehand and Christian taking newbie try-rugby sessions through July. The touch section planned a tour to Amsterdam from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 September 2024, with the tournament on the Saturday and Pride and launch activities the day before. Maldron Hotels appeared among the club’s supporters for the year.
The First XV would begin 2025–26 in Division 5 East. By the time of the Jubilee dinner a fundraising campaign was already running towards the 2026 Bingham Cup in Brisbane, which the club would later describe as the largest effort of its kind in its history.
NOWIRUL WMD Division 4 East
Finished 10th, played 20, won 5, drawn 0, lost 15. 19 matches on record, 17 of them with a score. A further 6 fixtures in the division were never arranged. Source: England Rugby competition system.
| # | TEAM | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/- | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heaton Moor 2XV | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1005 | 136 | 869 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| 2 | Bury 2XV | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 831 | 357 | 474 | 0 | 3 | 79 |
| 3 | Didsbury Toc H 3XV | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 660 | 422 | 238 | 0 | 0 | 76 |
| 4 | Ashton-Under-Lyne 2XV | 20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 499 | 383 | 116 | 0 | 2 | 73 |
| 5 | Congleton 2XV | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 584 | 481 | 103 | 0 | 0 | 67 |
| 6 | Manchester Hawks | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 483 | 567 | -84 | 0 | 3 | 58 |
| 7 | Wythenshawe | 20 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 349 | 599 | -250 | 0 | 2 | 52 |
| 8 | Marple 2XV | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 347 | 566 | -219 | 0 | 3 | 50 |
| 9 | Eccles RFC 4XV | 20 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 292 | 632 | -340 | 0 | 1 | 42 |
| 10 | Spartans 1XV | 20 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 396 | 680 | -284 | 0 | 2 | 40 |
| 11 | Aspull 3XV | 20 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 180 | 803 | -623 | 0 | 1 | 29 |
| 12 | To be arranged 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 13 | To be arranged 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 14 | To be arranged 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 07 Sep 2024 | Aspull 3XV | 22 – 24 | Spartans 1XV |
| Saturday, 21 Sep 2024 | Spartans 1XV | 31 – 24 | Eccles RFC 4XV |
| Saturday, 28 Sep 2024 | Bury 2XV | 40 – 38 | Spartans 1XV |
| Saturday, 05 Oct 2024 | Marple 2XV | 36 – 19 | Spartans 1XV |
| Saturday, 12 Oct 2024 | Spartans 1XV | 39 – 21 | Wythenshawe |
| Saturday, 19 Oct 2024 | Heaton Moor 2XV | 86 – 0 | Spartans 1XV |
| Saturday, 09 Nov 2024 | Ashton-Under-Lyne 2XV | Home walkover | Spartans 1XV |
| Saturday, 23 Nov 2024 | Spartans 1XV | 41 – 0 | Congleton 2XV |
| Saturday, 30 Nov 2024 | Spartans 1XV | 17 – 66 | Didsbury Toc H 3XV |
| Saturday, 07 Dec 2024 | Spartans 1XV | 10 – 17 | Marple 2XV |
| Saturday, 14 Dec 2024 | Didsbury Toc H 3XV | 40 – 10 | Spartans 1XV |
| Saturday, 18 Jan 2025 | Spartans 1XV | 10 – 31 | Bury 2XV |
| Saturday, 25 Jan 2025 | Eccles RFC 4XV | Home walkover | Spartans 1XV |
| Saturday, 01 Feb 2025 | Wythenshawe | 38 – 29 | Spartans 1XV |
| Saturday, 08 Feb 2025 | Spartans 1XV | 22 – 35 | Manchester Hawks |
| Saturday, 15 Feb 2025 | Spartans 1XV | 10 – 67 | Heaton Moor 2XV |
| Saturday, 22 Feb 2025 | Spartans 1XV | 50 – 7 | Aspull 3XV |
| Saturday, 08 Mar 2025 | Ashton-Under-Lyne 2XV | 55 – 19 | Spartans 1XV |
| Saturday, 05 Apr 2025 | Congleton 2XV | 60 – 5 | Spartans 1XV |
Madrid Tour, May 2025
2 matches on record, 0 of them with a score. Source: the club's own posts from the tour.
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 or 4 May 2025 | XV Hortaleza R.C. | No score recorded | Spartans 1XV |
| 3 or 4 May 2025 | Madrid Titanes Club de Rugby | No score recorded | Spartans 1XV |
UK North
Finished 4th, played 11, won 5, drawn 0, lost 6. 11 matches on record. Source: England Rugby competition system.
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield Vulcans RUFC 1XV | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 211 | 146 | +65 | 28 |
| 2 | Leeds Hunters Rugby | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 265 | 137 | +128 | 26 |
| 3 | Typhoons RUFC 1XV | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 328 | 179 | +149 | 20 |
| 4 | Spartans 2XV | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 303 | 303 | 0 | 20 |
| 5 | Liverpool Tritons RUFC 1XV | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 224 | 401 | -177 | 16 |
| 6 | Newcastle Ravens 1XV | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 117 | 226 | -109 | 2 |
| 7 | York RI Templars | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 56 | -56 | 0 |
England Rugby stopped recalculating this table after three rounds, so the table it publishes still shows most clubs on one, two or three matches while its own results list carries the full season. This table is compiled from those published results: the twenty eight matches played across the seven clubs, at four points for a win and two for a draw, with clubs level on points separated by points difference. Bonus points are not published for this division and none are included. Three further fixtures were awarded as home walkovers, Typhoons against Sheffield Vulcans and against Newcastle Ravens, and Leeds Hunters against Newcastle Ravens; England Rugby excludes walkovers from matches played and so does this table. York RI Templars played once and are recorded as withdrawn from the division after 14th September 2024.
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 07 Sep 2024 | Sheffield Vulcans RUFC 1XV | 31 – 5 | Spartans 2XV |
| Saturday, 14 Sep 2024 | Spartans 2XV | 56 – 0 | York RI Templars |
| Saturday, 12 Oct 2024 | Leeds Hunters Rugby | 53 – 12 | Spartans 2XV |
| Saturday, 26 Oct 2024 | Newcastle Ravens 1XV | 17 – 42 | Spartans 2XV |
| Saturday, 30 Nov 2024 | Liverpool Tritons RUFC 1XV | 25 – 10 | Spartans 2XV |
| Saturday, 07 Dec 2024 | Typhoons RUFC 1XV | 62 – 12 | Spartans 2XV |
| Saturday, 18 Jan 2025 | Spartans 2XV | 7 – 29 | Sheffield Vulcans RUFC 1XV |
| Saturday, 25 Jan 2025 | Spartans 2XV | 47 – 17 | Liverpool Tritons RUFC 1XV |
| Saturday, 01 Feb 2025 | Spartans 2XV | 24 – 33 | Leeds Hunters Rugby |
| Saturday, 01 Mar 2025 | Spartans 2XV | 20 – 15 | Newcastle Ravens 1XV |
| Saturday, 22 Mar 2025 | Spartans 2XV | 68 – 21 | Typhoons RUFC 1XV |
Merit North
Finished 4th, played 10, won 3, drawn 0, lost 7. 10 matches on record. Source: England Rugby competition system.
| # | TEAM | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/- | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northampton Outlaws 2XV | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 380 | 181 | 199 | 8 | 0 | 31 |
| 2 | Wrecsam Rhinos RFC 1XV | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 402 | 197 | 205 | 8 | 1 | 29 |
| 3 | Birmingham Bulls | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 311 | 312 | -1 | 8 | 2 | 20 |
| 4 | Spartans 3XV | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 217 | 370 | -153 | 7 | 1 | 14 |
| 5 | Coventry Corsairs RFC 1XV | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 235 | 286 | -51 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| 6 | Liverpool Tritons RUFC 2XV | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 188 | 387 | -199 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 14 Sep 2024 | Birmingham Bulls | 25 – 38 | Spartans 3XV |
| Saturday, 28 Sep 2024 | Spartans 3XV | 27 – 53 | Coventry Corsairs RFC 1XV |
| Saturday, 05 Oct 2024 | Spartans 3XV | 34 – 44 | Wrecsam Rhinos RFC 1XV |
| Saturday, 02 Nov 2024 | Northampton Outlaws 2XV | 27 – 24 | Spartans 3XV |
| Saturday, 09 Nov 2024 | Spartans 3XV | 29 – 27 | Liverpool Tritons RUFC 2XV |
| Saturday, 25 Jan 2025 | Coventry Corsairs RFC 1XV | 10 – 12 | Spartans 3XV |
| Saturday, 01 Feb 2025 | Spartans 3XV | 24 – 39 | Birmingham Bulls |
| Saturday, 08 Feb 2025 | Spartans 3XV | 5 – 47 | Northampton Outlaws 2XV |
| Saturday, 22 Feb 2025 | Liverpool Tritons RUFC 2XV | 48 – 24 | Spartans 3XV |
| Saturday, 22 Mar 2025 | Wrecsam Rhinos RFC 1XV | 50 – 0 | Spartans 3XV |
The positions confirmed unopposed at the AGM of 16 July 2024.
| Group | Role | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Committee | Chair | Joshua Sanderson-Kirk |
| Secretary | Johnny Fletcher Wright | |
| Treasurer | Gareth Longley | |
| Director of Rugby Union | Alessandra Lewis | |
| Director of Touch Rugby | Ben Dawson | |
| Club Captain, Touch | Ben Walker |
The Saturday of the club's Madrid weekend, a tour made in honour of Robert James-Gonzales in place of the Union Cup. Photographs by Yosh Tazaki, 3rd May 2025.
XV Hortaleza R.C.No score recordedSpartans 1XV
The Spartans flew to Madrid for the weekend of 3 and 4 May 2025 and played two matches, against XV Hortaleza R.C. and Madrid Titanes Club de Rugby.
The tour was made in honour of Robert James-Gonzales. Robert joined the Spartans in 2021 and played for the First XV, and had played for XV Hortaleza from 2011 to 2019 before he came to Manchester. Taking a Spartans side to his city, and on to his old club, was the whole purpose of the trip.
The club thanked XV Hortaleza for a fantastic match and for the welcome the touring party were given.
The score was never recorded.
Madrid Titanes Club de RugbyNo score recordedSpartans 1XV
The second match of the Madrid tour of 3 and 4 May 2025, made in honour of Robert James-Gonzales, who played for XV Hortaleza in the city before he joined the Spartans in 2021.
Madrid Titanes are the city's own inclusive club. They hosted the Union Cup in Madrid in 2017, where the Spartans First XV beat them 42-0 in the pool stage, so this was the two clubs meeting again, this time on the Titanes' own ground.
The club came home calling it a fun, inclusive and high quality rugby tour, and hoping to see the Titanes again soon.
The score was never recorded.
Birmingham Bulls25 – 38Spartans 3XV
The club's first double header of the Union season. Two full squads out, several debuts, and two wins.