December 1997, would be Cobourg’s first year with a men’s rugby club. Conceived and developed by Mike McMahon who had played with the Oshawa Vikings and the Ajax Wanderers and drew upon an established high school rugby program, and its alumni, the Cobourg Saxons fielded two men’s sides for the 1998 summer season.

Spring of 1999 saw the Cobourg Saxons and the Womens Cobourg Crash unite to become one club. Junior girls’ and boys’ programs were added shortly after that. A few years later Bob Richards and Simon Miranda aka “Papa B”, went on to form the S.O.B.’s or Saxon Old Boys. 

The Cobourg club takes the name of the great Saxon Warriors who were known for their barbaric and highly effective combative techniques. This is appropriate in that the town of Cobourg was named for Cobourg, Germany after the marriage of a very popular prince and princess. The wedding took place in the district of Saxony.

The idea of club rugby in Cobourg was always something much talked about during travels home from various clubs with which the Cobourg players had previously associated. One of the aspects making Cobourg’s high school rugby program so strong was the occurrence of annual alumni games where returning players would teach the current high school players a few lessons between the stripes. 

The inaugural season saw the Cobourg Men’s Saxons 1st VX go undefeated and un-scored on for the first games of the season!! The 2nd VX were equally competitive in their division. The TRU asked the Saxons 1st XV to move up to Division 4 to complete their first season. There were some very hard fought battles that fall and the Saxons 1st XV were ultimately crowned Division IV champions! The 2nd XV also finished first in their division.