Arthur "Mud" James Dingle was a rugby union centre and wing, who won three caps for England, and played for County Durham, Hartlepool Rovers and Oxford University.

Hartlepool Rovers F.C. are a rugby union club who play at The New Friarage, West View Road in Hartlepool. The club plays in Counties 1 Durham & Northumberland, the seventh tier of the English rugby union system after being relegated from North One East at the end of the 2010–11 season. Steve Smith is the club's player-coach and Steven Barnfield its captain. Rovers have a thriving junior section including boys’ and girls’ teams. Hartlepool Rovers also have a thriving and successful women's team, with Rovers Ladies having just completed their first league campaign in the Women's NC North 2 East. They are by far the most successful club in local cup rugby, having won the Durham Senior Cup a record 45 times.