Welcome Players, Fans, and Sponsors

Welcome to the home of the Denver Highlanders Rugby Football Club. The club was founded in 1968 and has enjoyed over 40 years of excellence both on and off the pitch. The Highlanders are proud to field the premier USA Division I men's rugby club in the Denver area. 

2009 Denver Highlanders

Our Commitment to Excellence...

...On the Pitch

The Highlanders have a long and storied history as consistently being one of the top-level rugby teams in the Western Rugby Football Union (WRFU). Throughout the 70's, 80's and 90's there have been many union and tournament championships won, including the Aspen Ruggerfest and National Western 7's. Our battles against our historic rivals, the Barbos, are legendary, and more frequently than not, have decided the eventual Eastern Rockies Rugby Football Union (ERRFU) season championship. The Highlanders have toured all over the US and Canada, as well as overseas to England, Australia and a most memorable 1986 tour of both Irelands and London. Those '86 Highlanders went undefeated in 4 matches against such top-level clubs as defending Leinster Cup champions Lansdowne, and then Old Wesley in Dublin, Omagh in Northern Ireland, and finally against a Local Union President's Select XV side in Camberley (London).   

Although the feud between the USA Rugby Football Union (USARFU) and the unsanctioned renegades at Major League Rugby (MLR) had a devastating impact on amateur club-side rugby in the US in the late 90's, the Highlanders have managed to persevere as one of the premier rugby clubs in the country. Preferring to allow the dust to settle between USARFU and the now defunct MLR, the Highlanders opted for a brief stint in Division II where we won three consecutive ERRFU D-II championships between 1999 and 2002, with the commensurate trips to the Western Territory D-II Quarterfinals in each of those years. 

The Highlanders stormed back into the restructured USARFU Division I scene in the fall of 2002, and promptly set our sights right at the top by proceeding to win our first four D-I league matches and capturing the region championship in the first year back. The hard working Highlanders have since gained further ground in D-I as evidenced by again taking the 2006 WRFU Northern Sub-Region championship, earning consecutive trips to the WRFU Territorial playoffs in 2005 and 2006, and advancing to the National Sweet 16 Playoffs this past spring where we established our current ranking in the USARFU D-I Top Ten. 

We have an accomplished coaching staff, a dedicated team of club officers, and a diligent Board of Directors who are committed to continuing our tradition as the best rugby club in Colorado. Former Highlander stand-off and current head coach, Steve Lewis, has also coached the ERRFU U-19 squad for the past several years, and has recently accepted the head spot for the Western RFU Mustangs (the Western Territorial D-I select side). The ERRFU and WRFU Territorial select sides have always been well represented by our boys in black, and we all have vicariously enjoyed the successes of the players who ultimately earned their US Eagle caps while on our roster.

...On the Touch Line

The Denver Highlanders are more than a rugby club; we are a family of over 200 active players, old boys, and social members. Highlanders come in all shapes and sizes, all creeds and colors, and from all professions that run the spectrum from the lowest of attorneys to men who have answered the higher calling of the ministry. Being a member of the Highlanders means not only having the opportunity to attend the matches, but also all of our various and epic social events including post-game parties, awards banquets, and travels with the club. The Highlanders enjoy a reputation throughout the Rocky Mountain region of being a club that can be expected to be enjoyably tough to play against on the pitch, and even more enjoyably fun to play with off of it afterwards. The camaraderie offered by the Highlanders have allowed each and every one of us to make friendships that will last a lifetime.  

...In the Community

Off the field, the Highlanders continue to set the standards for excellence in all of our endeavors. The club has hosted numerous events for the patients at the Denver Children's Hospital and has initiated fund-raising efforts for the benefit of our Gulf Coast hurricane victims. The club is also very involved in youth rugby in Colorado, and our old boys provide the coaching staff and mentoring for no less than 5 local university, high school, and youth rugby organizations.

We Invite You to Join Us!

If you are a skilled rugby player looking for a spot on a championship caliber team in the Denver area we enthusiastically encourage you to give us a try (or two, and hat-tricks are especially welcome). But even if you are a journeyman player looking to relocate, a college rugger looking for a club side after graduation, or just a jock looking for a new challenge and a great time; the Highlanders have a place for you. We field at least two teams every week and we are looking to develop a third. That means every player from the guys who are trying to make the Eagles to the guys who are just getting started have a chance to play at a competitive level.

For those of you are interested in learning more about the Denver Highlanders, we welcome you to look around our web site. If you have an interest in club membership please be sure to visit our contacts page for a list of folks who would be happy to help you join us.

Yours in Rugby,

The Denver Highlanders RFC

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