DRC Hannover
Encyclopedia
The DRC Hannover is a German
rugby union
club from Hannover, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga
. The club should not be confused with the DRC 1884 Hannover, a rowing
club and a separate entity.
The club did not really make an impact on the German rugby scene for the first 80 years of its history, facing strong opposition within Hannover, one of the two centres of German rugby.
A German rugby union cup
finals appearance in 1981 was the first time it reached a national final. In 1988, beating local rival DSV 1878 Hannover 12-9 in the final, the club took out its first national championship. After this, it did not appear in a final again for another ten years.
The DRC's great era begun in 1997, when it started to dominate the Bundesliga. The club managed to reach every championship final from 1998 to 2005, winning six out of the eight. The 2001-02 season was the only one ever played were there wasn't a final; the regular season champion also became the national one.
In 2005-06, the club missed out on the final by having lost both regular season games to second-placed SC Neuenheim
, being on equal points with the club. This meant, for the first time in the history of the German championship, no club from Hannover played in the final. the following season, the club came third again, missing out on the final by two points to the RG Heidelberg
. After this, the DRC fell into decline.
On the last day of the 2007-08
season, the club performed a miracle, beating top of the table side SC 1880 Frankfurt
, who had previously only lost one game this season, and securing their Bundesliga survival for another year. The club managed to reach seventh place, ahead of RK Heusenstamm
. In the promotion/relegation round, the club then easily beat ASV Köln Rugby
despite having only 18 players available and assured that the Rugby-Bundesliga would still have a club from Hannover next season.
The 2008-09
season saw the club struggle even more and finish last in the table, without a win. DRC decided not to play the relegation final against RK 03 Berlin
and to accept direct relegation instead. The clubs reserve side played in the 2nd Bundesliga in 2008-09, having joint up with SC Schwalbe to form SG Schwalbe/DRC Hannover II.
's 2006–08 European Nations Cup campaign
, Benjamin Danso
and Timur Tekkal
were called up for the national team.
In the 2008–10 campaign
, Danso appeared for the DRC and Germany again but left the club at the end of the 2008-09 season to join Heidelberger RK
.
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 Hannover, currently playing in the 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...
. The club should not be confused with the DRC 1884 Hannover, a rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
club and a separate entity.
History
The club was formed in 1905 in the Hannover suburb of Ricklingen.The club did not really make an impact on the German rugby scene for the first 80 years of its history, facing strong opposition within Hannover, one of the two centres of German rugby.
A German rugby union cup
German rugby union cup
The German rugby union cup is the premier cup competition for men in the sport of Rugby Union in Germany.In October 2009, it was proposed to discontinue both men's cup competitions after 2010, meaning, both the DRV-Pokal and the league cup will not be played anymore after this season...
finals appearance in 1981 was the first time it reached a national final. In 1988, beating local rival DSV 1878 Hannover 12-9 in the final, the club took out its first national championship. After this, it did not appear in a final again for another ten years.
The DRC's great era begun in 1997, when it started to dominate the Bundesliga. The club managed to reach every championship final from 1998 to 2005, winning six out of the eight. The 2001-02 season was the only one ever played were there wasn't a final; the regular season champion also became the national one.
In 2005-06, the club missed out on the final by having lost both regular season games to second-placed SC Neuenheim
SC Neuenheim
The SC Neuenheim is a German rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Having won nine men's and twelve women's German championships as of 2004, the club is one of the most accomplished in Germany.-History:...
, being on equal points with the club. This meant, for the first time in the history of the German championship, no club from Hannover played in the final. the following season, the club came third again, missing out on the final by two points to the RG Heidelberg
RG Heidelberg
The RG Heidelberg is a German rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers the sport of rowing.-History:The club was formed on 4 June 1898 as a rowing club...
. After this, the DRC fell into decline.
On the last day of the 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:...
season, the club performed a miracle, beating top of the table side SC 1880 Frankfurt
SC 1880 Frankfurt
The SC 1880 Frankfurt is a German rugby union club from Frankfurt am Main, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports like lacrosse, tennis and field hockey....
, who had previously only lost one game this season, and securing their Bundesliga survival for another year. The club managed to reach seventh place, ahead of RK Heusenstamm
RK Heusenstamm
The RK Heusenstamm is a German rugby union club from Heusenstamm, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga.-History:The club was formed in 1979, much later then most other current Bundesliga clubs, in Heusenstamm, Hesse....
. In the promotion/relegation round, the club then easily beat ASV Köln Rugby
ASV Köln Rugby
The ASV Köln Rugby is a German rugby union club from Cologne, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. It is part of the multi-sports club ASV Köln, which also offers other sports like athletics, triathlon and karate.-Sports club:...
despite having only 18 players available and assured that the Rugby-Bundesliga would still have a club from Hannover next season.
The 2008-09
Rugby-Bundesliga 2008-09
-Overview:The 2008-09 modus was somewhat different from the previous season. The competition had been expanded from eight to nine teams. The final, which used to be determined by the top-two teams of the regular season was now played by the two winners of the semi-finals which pair the first placed...
season saw the club struggle even more and finish last in the table, without a win. DRC decided not to play the relegation final against RK 03 Berlin
RK 03 Berlin
The RK 03 Berlin is a German rugby union club from Berlin, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga.The club was formed in 2003, when the rugby department of the Post SV Berlin left the club...
and to accept direct relegation instead. The clubs reserve side played in the 2nd Bundesliga in 2008-09, having joint up with SC Schwalbe to form SG Schwalbe/DRC Hannover II.
Men
- 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:...
- Champions: 1988, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005
- Runners up: 2003, 2004
- German rugby union cupGerman rugby union cupThe German rugby union cup is the premier cup competition for men in the sport of Rugby Union in Germany.In October 2009, it was proposed to discontinue both men's cup competitions after 2010, meaning, both the DRV-Pokal and the league cup will not be played anymore after this season...
- Winner: 2002, 2003, 2006
- Runners up: 1981, 1986, 1997, 2004, 2005
- German sevens championship
- Runners up: 1999
Women
- German rugby union championship
- Champions: 2002
- Runners up: 1991, 1993
Recent seasons
| Year | Division | Position |
| 1997-98 | 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... (I) |
3rd — Champions |
| 1998-99 | Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 1st |
| Bundesliga championship round | 1st — Champions | |
| 1999-2000 | Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 1st |
| Bundesliga championship round | 1st — Champions | |
| 2000-01 | Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 1st |
| Bundesliga championship round | 2nd — Champions | |
| 2001-02 | Rugby-Bundesliga | 1st — Champions |
| 2002-03 | Rugby-Bundesliga | 1st — Runners up |
| 2003-04 | Rugby-Bundesliga | 2nd — Runners up |
| 2004-05 | Rugby-Bundesliga | 1st - Champions |
| 2005-06 | Rugby-Bundesliga | 3rd |
| 2006-07 Rugby-Bundesliga 2006-07 The Rugby-Bundesliga 2006-07 was the 36th edition of this competition and the 87th edition of the German rugby union championship. The season went from 26 August 2006 to 12 May 2007, ending with the championship final.-Overview:... |
Rugby-Bundesliga | 3rd |
| 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:... |
Rugby-Bundesliga | 7th |
| 2008-09 Rugby-Bundesliga 2008-09 -Overview:The 2008-09 modus was somewhat different from the previous season. The competition had been expanded from eight to nine teams. The final, which used to be determined by the top-two teams of the regular season was now played by the two winners of the semi-finals which pair the first placed... |
Rugby-Bundesliga | 9th — Relegated |
| 2009–10 Rugby-Bundesliga 2009–10 -Overview:The 2009-10 modus was somewhat different from the previous season. The competition had been expanded from nine to ten teams. It marks the first time since introduction of the single-division Bundesliga in 2001, that ten teams competed in the league. This change of modus was decided upon... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East (II) | 7th |
| 2010–11 Rugby-Bundesliga 2010–11 -Overview:The 2009-10 modus is identical to the previous season. However, the competition had been reduced from ten to nine teams, after the withdrawal of the ASV Köln Rugby during last season and no team from the 2nd Bundesliga accepting promotion. Like in 2008-09, the top four teams qualify for... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 7th |
| 2011–12 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East |
- Until 2001, when the single-division Bundesliga was established, the season was divided in autumn and spring, a Vorrunde and Endrunde, whereby the top teams of the Rugby-Bundesliga would play out the championship while the bottom teams together with the autumn 2nd Bundesliga champion would play for Bundesliga qualification. The remainder of the 2nd Bundesliga teams would play a spring round to determine the relegated clubs. Where two placing's are shown, the first is autumn, the second spring.
Rugby internationals
In GermanyGermany national rugby union team
Germany is a third-tier Rugby Union playing nation. Germany currently plays at the second level of European rugby but has never managed to qualify for the Rugby World Cup...
's 2006–08 European Nations Cup campaign
Germany at the 2006–08 European Nations Cup
Germany at the 2006–08 European Nations Cup was the first time since 1981 that the German national rugby union team reached highest level of FIRA rugby, the European Nations Cup, by winning its group, the Division 2A in 2006–08....
, Benjamin Danso
Benjamin Danso
Benjamin Danso is a German international rugby union player, playing for the Heidelberger RK in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team....
and Timur Tekkal
Timur Tekkal
Timur Tekkal is a German international rugby union player, playing for the DSV 78 Hannover in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team.He made his last game for Germany on 2 May 2009 against Russia....
were called up for the national team.
In the 2008–10 campaign
Germany at the 2008–10 European Nations Cup
Germany at the 2008–10 European Nations Cup was the first time since 1981 that the German national rugby union team competed at the highest level of FIRA rugby, the European Nations Cup, during 2008-10....
, Danso appeared for the DRC and Germany again but left the club at the end of the 2008-09 season to join Heidelberger RK
Heidelberger RK
The Heidelberger Ruderklub is a German rowing club and rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga....
.
Coaches
Recent coaches of the club:| Name | Period |
| Torsten Schippe Torsten Schippe Torsten Schippe is a retired German international rugby union player and, since August 2010, the coach of the German national rugby union team.... |
1993 - 2003 |
| Mark Kuhlmann Mark Kuhlmann Mark Kuhlmann is a retired German international rugby union player, having played for the DRC Hannover in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team. He captained Germany for a lengthy period of time during his career in the national team... |
- 2008 |
| George Kenrick | 2008 - present |