Berliner SV 92 Rugby
Encyclopedia
The Berliner SV 92 Rugby is a German
rugby union
club from Berlin
, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East. It is part of a larger club, the Berliner SV 92
, which also offers other sports like association football, baseball
and basketball
.
and the tournament there. The rugby department of Tennis Borussia Berlin
, having existed for just eight years and won five Berlin championships in this time, collectively left the club to join BSV. The reasons for the move were the lack of support the rugby players got at Tennis Borussia and the fact that most players lived closer to BSV, which was based in Wilmersdorf
, while Tennis Borussia had their playing fields in Niederschönhausen
.
The club provided a conveniently located playing field at Lochowdamm for the rugby players, who were led by Paul König. The new department continued its dominance in the Berlin championship, winning it once more in 1937 and providing the core to Berlin selection teams out of the eight rugby clubs in the city in the years before the war.
With Erwin Thiesies
and "Jonny" Richter, the club provided two players to the team that achieved Germanys last rugby victory over France
, a 3-0 on 27 March 1938 in Frankfurt am Main.
The Second World War brought an end to Berlin as a centre of German rugby and BSV 92 lost many of its players during the war. It nevertheless resumed play, temporarily under the name of SG Wilmersdorf, after the war, winning two more Berlin championships, in 1947 and 1948 before being restored to its old name in 1949.
The clubs greatest moment came in 1948, when it reached the first post-Second World War final of the German rugby union championship
, which it lost 0-30 to TSV Victoria Linden
. It also marked the last appearance of a club from Berlin in the German final for over 40 years, until 1989, when the Berliner RC
lost to the same club.
Post-war rugby in Berlin mainly survived through the help of the allied occupation forces and the building of the Berlin wall
in 1961 made playing the sport in the city even harder, cutting off many players in the now separate parts of the city. BSV continued to be a successful side in Berlin until 1956, winning all but the 1955 championship during this time, but none after that.
In 1965, the club suffered another blow when it lost many of its players associated with the local police to a new rugby department at the police sport club. The club managed to compensate for this loss in the early 1970s by developing a successful youth department.
BSV 92 was not part of the new Rugby-Bundesliga
, formed in 1971 and remained in local competitions instead. It reached national level however in 2007, when it earned promotion to the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East, the second tier of German rugby. At this level, the club lasted for two seasons before returning to the tier-three Rugby-Regionalliga
in 2009, where it played for two seasons. After a second place and the league champions, RK 03 Berlin II, declining promotion, BSV moved back up instead.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club from Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East. It is part of a larger club, the Berliner SV 92
Berliner SV
Berliner SV 1892 is a German association football club from the district of Wilmersdorf, Berlin. BSV 1892 is one of the country's oldest clubs and was a founding member of the DFB in 1900....
, which also offers other sports like association football, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
.
History
Rugby union within the BSV 92 club begun in 1936, the year of the Olympic games in Berlin1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
and the tournament there. The rugby department of Tennis Borussia Berlin
Tennis Borussia Berlin
Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in Berlin-Westend.- History :The team was founded in 1902 and takes its name from its origins as a tennis and ping-pong club. "Borussia" is a Latinised version of Prussia. In 1903 the club took up football and quickly developed a rivalry with...
, having existed for just eight years and won five Berlin championships in this time, collectively left the club to join BSV. The reasons for the move were the lack of support the rugby players got at Tennis Borussia and the fact that most players lived closer to BSV, which was based in Wilmersdorf
Wilmersdorf
Wilmersdorf is an inner city locality of Berlin, formerly a borough by itself but since Berlin's 2001 administrative reform a part of the new borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.-History:...
, while Tennis Borussia had their playing fields in Niederschönhausen
Niederschönhausen
Niederschönhausen is a German locality within the borough of Pankow, Berlin. It is commonly known also as "Pankow-Schönhausen".-History:...
.
The club provided a conveniently located playing field at Lochowdamm for the rugby players, who were led by Paul König. The new department continued its dominance in the Berlin championship, winning it once more in 1937 and providing the core to Berlin selection teams out of the eight rugby clubs in the city in the years before the war.
With Erwin Thiesies
Erwin Thiesies
Erwin Thiesies was a German international rugby union player, playing for the Berliner SV 92 Rugby and the German national rugby union team....
and "Jonny" Richter, the club provided two players to the team that achieved Germanys last rugby victory over France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, a 3-0 on 27 March 1938 in Frankfurt am Main.
The Second World War brought an end to Berlin as a centre of German rugby and BSV 92 lost many of its players during the war. It nevertheless resumed play, temporarily under the name of SG Wilmersdorf, after the war, winning two more Berlin championships, in 1947 and 1948 before being restored to its old name in 1949.
The clubs greatest moment came in 1948, when it reached the first post-Second World War final of the German rugby union championship
German rugby union championship
The German rugby union championship was established in 1909 and has since been played, with exceptions, annually. It is the highest competition in Germany in the sport of Rugby Union.-Men:...
, which it lost 0-30 to TSV Victoria Linden
TSV Victoria Linden
The TSV Victoria Linden is a German rugby union club from the Linden suburb of Hannover, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports, such as triathlon and athletics....
. It also marked the last appearance of a club from Berlin in the German final for over 40 years, until 1989, when the Berliner RC
Berliner RC
The Berliner Rugby Club is a German rugby union club from Berlin, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga.-History:The club was formed in 1926.While very successful in its youth department, it has not managed similar achievements on the senior level....
lost to the same club.
Post-war rugby in Berlin mainly survived through the help of the allied occupation forces and the building of the Berlin wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
in 1961 made playing the sport in the city even harder, cutting off many players in the now separate parts of the city. BSV continued to be a successful side in Berlin until 1956, winning all but the 1955 championship during this time, but none after that.
In 1965, the club suffered another blow when it lost many of its players associated with the local police to a new rugby department at the police sport club. The club managed to compensate for this loss in the early 1970s by developing a successful youth department.
BSV 92 was not part of the new Rugby-Bundesliga
Rugby-Bundesliga
The Rugby-Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany's rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation.The league is predominantly amateur, with only two of the ten clubs in the league being professional outfits,the SC 1880 Frankfurt and Heidelberger RK.-History:The German rugby...
, formed in 1971 and remained in local competitions instead. It reached national level however in 2007, when it earned promotion to the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East, the second tier of German rugby. At this level, the club lasted for two seasons before returning to the tier-three Rugby-Regionalliga
Rugby-Regionalliga
The Rugby-Regionalliga is the third-highest level of Germany's Rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation. Its set below the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga...
in 2009, where it played for two seasons. After a second place and the league champions, RK 03 Berlin II, declining promotion, BSV moved back up instead.
Club honours
- German rugby union championshipGerman rugby union championshipThe German rugby union championship was established in 1909 and has since been played, with exceptions, annually. It is the highest competition in Germany in the sport of Rugby Union.-Men:...
- Runners up: 1948
- Berlin rugby union championship
- Champions: 1937, 1947-54, 1956
Recent seasons
| Year | Division | Position |
| 1997-98 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East (II) | 7th |
| 1998-99 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 6th |
| 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East relegation round | 4th — Relegated | |
| 1999-2000 | ||
| 2000-01 | ||
| 2001-02 | ||
| 2002-03 | ||
| 2003-04 | Rugby-Regionalliga East (North) Rugby-Regionalliga The Rugby-Regionalliga is the third-highest level of Germany's Rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation. Its set below the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga... (III) |
5th |
| Placings round 1 | 3rd | |
| 2004-05 | Rugby-Regionalliga East A | 5th |
| Placings round 1 | 1st | |
| 2005-06 | Rugby-Regionalliga East A | 4th |
| Placings round 1 | 1st | |
| 2006-07 | Rugby-Regionalliga East A | 1st |
| North/East championship round | 3rd — Promoted | |
| 2007–08 Rugby-Bundesliga 2007–08 The Rugby-Bundesliga 2007-08 was the 37th edition of this competition and the 88th edition of the German rugby union championship. The season went from 25 August 2007 to 31 May 2008, ending with the relegation final.-Overview:... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East (II) | 9th |
| 2008–09 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 9th — Relegated |
| 2009–10 | Rugby-Regionalliga East (III) | 2nd |
| Rugby-Regionalliga East A | 1st | |
| 2010–11 | Rugby-Regionalliga East | 2nd — Promoted |
| 2011–12 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East |