Champions: Nottinghamshire Police Rugby make history with first-ever national trophy
5 June 2025
The squad lifted the Police Sport UK national rugby shield last month (April), beating Thames Valley Police 43-30 in a dramatic game held at Sale Rugby Club.
After going into half-time trailing, the team produced an incredible second-half turnaround to clinch victory in the flagship competition.
“It was just an incredible feeling to come out on top in such a huge, closely contested match,” said former Fed rep Steff Griffiths, who says he is ‘absolutely thrilled’ with the result."
He added: “It was a warm day, and we knew how much of a challenge Thames Valley would be, so we had our work cut out from the start.
“In the first half, they were slightly better than us, so we knew we had it all to do in the second and changed things up.
“We then got on top pretty early on, and managed to see it out in the last 10 or 15 minutes, despite Thames Valley coming back with a couple of tries.
“The relief at the final whistle was unbelievable. Everyone was just overjoyed for each other, because we all know how much work had gone into making it happen.
“It was a very proud day and one I won’t forget for the rest of my career.”
The triumph came in Nottinghamshire Police’s first national final in 45 years, since a previous iteration of the side came close to glory in the 1980 Police Athletics Association Cup.
Transition period
That day, the team lost out to the Royal Ulster Constabulary, now the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
As the modern-day set-up now enters a transition period, players and management alike can always hold on to the fact that they went one better for the Force, says Steff.
“Before the game, I told the boys this could be our last opportunity to win a final together – so to go on and do that makes me absolutely thrilled,” he continued.
“Two years ago, we got this team back up and running after it had previously folded. It took a lot of effort, and the squad we’ve got together in such a short space of time has been of an incredible quality.
“But some of those players are winding down now – this was almost like one last hurrah for a few of them. We will still have plenty of talent, and just as much passion and commitment as before, but police rugby is very competitive and it’s likely to become more difficult for us next year.”
Despite the dawn of another new era for the team, Steff was full of optimism when looking towards the future.
The 39-year-old, who is also the captain and highest-capped player of British Police Rugby, highlighted ‘as good an opportunity as ever’ for new players to come into the fold.
Togetherness
Any Federation members interested in joining or finding out more about Nottinghamshire Police Rugby can contact Steff via email on steffan.griffiths@notts.police.uk or through the Force’s sports and social club.
Steff continued: “It’s never as clear-cut as this, but I think it’s fair to say our focus in these first two years has mainly been on performance with the group of players that we had.
“Now, we’re going to gear things more towards sustainability, because we want this set-up to be around to benefit officers and staff for years to come.
“As I’ve said, our togetherness has been rock-solid from the very start, and that was how we built a team – but now we want to build a club.
“At the same time, we want to remain as competitive as we can, and I think it’s definitely possible to do both. With that in mind, we would love to see some new faces get involved, no matter what your rugby ability or experience looks like.
Team spirit
“After the joy of winning that final, I can assure you’ll be part of a team spirit that isn’t going away any time soon.”
Newly elected branch chair for Nottinghamshire Police Federation, Mark Lee, who has friends in this team, sent his congratulations to the winning squad: "A massive congratulations to the Nottinghamshire Police Rugby Team on winning their first national trophy!
"This is such a proud moment - a true testament to the camaraderie, teamwork, grit, and resilience that define us as police officers both on and off the field. I hope the whole team is as proud of this achievement as we all are.
"Let this be a reminder of what can be accomplished when we stand shoulder to shoulder and work together. Well done!"
READ MORE: Players sought for new Force women's rugby team.
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