Local History

The Siam Cup is the second oldest Rugby Trophy in existence, the oldest is the Calcutta Cup played for between England and Scotland.

The Siam is the annual challenge trophy between the Guernsey Rugby Union Football Club and the Jersey Rugby Football Club, not the island inter-insular challenge as it is sometimes called.

The Cup is a large circular rose-bowl made from silver and decorated in traditional Siamese style, with engraved figures of dancing girls and elephant heads. It stands on an ebony base and is engraved with the cup winners names.

The Cup was originally brought to Guernsey by a Lieutenant Colonel Forty. He was a former pupil of Guernsey's Elizabeth College who was serving in the Durham Light Infantry in Siam at the early part of the twentieth century.

Along with four colleagues who were from either Elizabeth College or Victoria College in Jersey.

Finding out that Rugby was no longer played between the two schools they decided to donate a trophy to encourage interest in the game.

But the exact origins of the cup itself are unclear. One story goes that the son of the King of Siam, also served in the Durham Light Infantry and was befriended by Forty.

Later when he became King he instructed the Court silversmith to make the Cup from Ticals, Siamese silver dollars.

Lieutenant Colonel Forty brought the Cup to Guernsey in 1920 when he came on leave and was presented to the Guernsey Sporting Club to be put up for competition.

Unfortunately at this time no rugby clubs were playing the sport in Guernsey or Jersey.

However in 1928, rugby re-commenced as a sport and Forty requested the trophy be released to the GRUFC for inter-club competition.

However it was not until 14th March 1935 that the cup was first presented.

The annual competition has continued since except between 1941-1947 because of the Occupation. The German occupying forces wanted to take the Cup to Germany to be melted down for funds for the Third Reich.

The Cup then mysteriously disappeared, but was safely hidden and resurfaced after the war in 1947. To this day, there is much speculation about where it went during this time but the truth is, nobody really knows.

The Cup is so important that since 1977 it has been safe inside the Museum of Rugby in Twickenham.

The clubs only agreed to this as long as a replica was made which could be displayed each year by the winning side.

Guernsey jeweller Bruce Russell was tasked with the job and it was said that the replica was barely distinguishable from the original.