Apaches 7’s History:

The side was originally set up as a school old boys team ,‘Old Kelleians’ (Kelly College in Devon) by Adam and Jonas Hurst, playing in the International Henley 7’s as newcomers to the circuit in the Summer of 1998. The first few years saw 'OK's' sides featuring a handful of school old boys with various friends of the Hurst brothers making up the numbers. Thanks must also go to Dan Parnwell and Barney Durrant for their help in the early years. Changed to ‘Apache’ in 2000 following an intense name-choosing discussion at the aforementioned Henley 7’s - we felt the ‘warrior-like, nomadic Apaches’ encapsulated the style of our side. The name has stuck and we are now widely known as an entertaining, quality side, with a strong following. The team has come a long way since then, as has the game of 7's rugby, and although the faces have changed (for the most part!), and we are now far more professional in our approach, our ethos and attitude remains the same - to entertain and enjoy our 7's whilst competing at the top level of the game.

We have played in many tournaments over the years, including some of the most prestigious competitions around the world such as Dubai and Rome. We've always competed with the best and had a lot of success, winning various tournaments such as: Oxford University 7’s, Windsor 7’s, Canterbury 7’s, and Abbey 7’s; winning both the Shield and Plate at the International Henley 7’s, reaching the semis of the 2nd round of the Middlesex 7’s at The Stoop; runners-up at Oakmeadians and East Grinstead; Plate winners at the International Rome 7’s, Quarter Finalists in the International Invitation section of the Dubai 7’s 2009 and semi-finalists twice at the Marbella 7’s.  We play in about 7 tournaments a season, and have beaten just about every team out there. The side is comprised of young up-and-coming players as well as some seasoned 7’s specialists who have played at the top of the game. This year we hope to further enhance the squad with several Internationals, including England's Chris Cracknell, as we begin our assault on the inaugural UK National Sevens Series.

With Seven-a-Side rugby having been awarded Olympic status for 2016 (it will be played as a non-medal exhibition sport at our own 2012 Olympics in London), the sport is booming. As we continue to move with the times, Apache Rugby has become a limited company and has, this year, been rewarded for our commitment to the game by being invited to participate as one of the 'core' invitation sides in the UK National Sevens Series. We will be competing in four competitions this year of the highest quality against the top sides in the UK.

We are looking forward to growing in terms of players, success and reputation over the next few years!