Thornensians RUFC
| Full name | Thornensians Rugby Union Football Club |
|---|---|
| Unions | Yorkshire RFU and RFU |
| Nickname | The Lions |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Region | South Yorkshire |
| Ground(s) | Thornensians Pavilion, Church Balk |
Thornensians Rugby Union Football Club (RUFC) is a rugby union club based in Thorne, South Yorkshire.
The club was founded in 1939, originally as Old Thornensians, by Mr J.E. Shipley-Turner, the former headmaster of Thorne Grammar School. He made the decision to replace association football with rugby union as the school's winter sport. This later led to him becoming the first president of the club. The club continues to play at Church Balk in Thorne, next to the original school, now known as Trinity Academy.
In modern times, they made it to national status when they went on a wonder run in May 2019 and ended up playing at Twickenham Stadium for the first time in the club's history.
The club, as of January 2026, sits in the Counties 3 Yorkshire Division. The adult teams are for men, with separate men's and women's teams for players under 18 years old. There are also mixed teams for children under 10 years old. The club's playing colours are blue, black and white hoops.