Deutscher FV 1878 Hannover
Encyclopedia
DSV 78 Hannover, founded as DFV Hannover in 1878, is Germany's oldest rugby club. The club played in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga under the name DSV 78/08 Ricklingen
, having formed an on-the-field union with SV 08 Ricklingen
, another club from Hannover.
At the end of the 2008–09
season, SV 08 declared, it would leave the union with DSV 78, leaving the latter to field its own team from 2009-10 onwards.
, then only 15 years old, 24 young men formed the first football or rugby club in the country, a distinction was not made in Germany back then.
The move was inspired by watching, and occasionally joining the players of the English Hannover Football-Club.
The first proper game of rugby however was not played until 1883, when "England" played "Germany" in Hannover on 17 October.
In 1899, Fricke discovered an ideal spot for the club to play at, Am Schnellen Graben, still the home of DFV today. A year later, the Verband Hannoverscher Fußball-Vereine (Association of Hanover football clubs) was formed and DFV won its first championship.
In 1909, the club adopted field hockey
as another sport. In 1913, the DFV reached its first German championship final but lost to SC 1880 Frankfurt
. Shortly after, the events of the First World War bring the activities of the club almost to a halt. Of the club members to lose their live in the war, Hermann Löns
, "The Poet of the Heath", is the best known.
On 17 January 1927, the founding father of the club, F.W. Fricke, died. A year later, the club played in its second German final, and lost once more. In 1929, the club changed its name to Deutscher Sportverein Hannover gegr. 1878 e.V., reflecting the fact that it didn't play football but rugby.
During the Second World War, the clubs facilities suffered heavily from allied bombing raids and in 1945, the club house was in ruins.
In the post-war years, the DSV managed to rebuilt its facilities and in 1949 it reopened its club house.
On 7 June 1964, Germanys oldest rugby club finally earned its first German championship, beating FC St. Pauli
11–0 in Offenbach am Main.
78 won two more championships, in 1968 and 1970, before the Rugby-Bundesliga
was established in 1971. The club was part of the new league but did not achieve highly in its first ten years.
Its fourth national championship came in 1982, when RG Heidelberg
was beaten 15–6. The club was to play in seven championship finals in a row from then on, winning the first four and then losing three. With a years interruption in 1989, the team returned for another championship in 1990. After another championship in 1991, DSV reached the final for a last time in 1993.
In the German Cup
, the club continued to be successful, winning it in 1996 and 1998 and making final appearances in the two years after.
Up until the merger with SV 08 Ricklingen, the DSV 78 continued to be a top side in German rugby.
's 2006–08 European Nations Cup campaign
, Raphael Pyrasch
, Benjamin Krause
and Benjamin Simm
were called up for the national team.
In the 2008–10 campaign
, all three appeared for 78 and Germany again.
In the 2010–12 campaign
, Benjamin Simm and Benjamin Krause were both selected for Germany again while Mika Tyumenev was a new selection.
The club had four players selected for the German under-18 team
at the 2009 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship
, these being Michail Tyumenev, Nicolas Müller, Dennis Denzin and Phil Szczesny. Of these, Phil Szczesny and Nicolas Müller also played at the 2010
tournament, while Adrian de Riz and Pascal Fischer were new additions.
DSV 78/08 Ricklingen
The DSV 78/08 Ricklingen was a German rugby union team from the Ricklingen suburb of Hannover, playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East in 2008-09. The team was an on-the-field union of DSV 78 Hannover and SV 1908 Ricklingen, two successful clubs in themselves...
, having formed an on-the-field union with SV 08 Ricklingen
SV 08 Ricklingen
The SV 08 Ricklingen is a German rugby union club from the Ricklingen suburb of Hanover. In the 2009-10 season, it plays in the Rugby-Regionalliga Lower Saxony, the third tier of German rugby. After having formed an on-the-field union with DSV 78 Hannover from 2003 to 2009 instead of fielding an...
, another club from Hannover.
At the end of 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, SV 08 declared, it would leave the union with DSV 78, leaving the latter to field its own team from 2009-10 onwards.
Origins
The club was formed on 14 September 1878 as Deutschen Fußball-Verein Hannover gegründet 1878. Under the leadership of Ferdinand-Wilhelm FrickeFerdinand-Wilhelm Fricke
Ferdinand-Wilhelm Fricke was a German teacher and, at the age of 15, founder of the Deutscher FV 1878 Hannover, the oldest rugby union club in Germany...
, then only 15 years old, 24 young men formed the first football or rugby club in the country, a distinction was not made in Germany back then.
The move was inspired by watching, and occasionally joining the players of the English Hannover Football-Club.
The first proper game of rugby however was not played until 1883, when "England" played "Germany" in Hannover on 17 October.
In 1899, Fricke discovered an ideal spot for the club to play at, Am Schnellen Graben, still the home of DFV today. A year later, the Verband Hannoverscher Fußball-Vereine (Association of Hanover football clubs) was formed and DFV won its first championship.
In 1909, the club adopted field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
as another sport. In 1913, the DFV reached its first German championship final but lost to 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....
. Shortly after, the events of the First World War bring the activities of the club almost to a halt. Of the club members to lose their live in the war, Hermann Löns
Hermann Löns
Hermann Löns was a German journalist and writer. He is most famous as "The Poet of the Heath" for his novels and poems celebrating the people and landscape of the North German moors, particularly the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony. Löns is well known in Germany for his famous folksongs...
, "The Poet of the Heath", is the best known.
On 17 January 1927, the founding father of the club, F.W. Fricke, died. A year later, the club played in its second German final, and lost once more. In 1929, the club changed its name to Deutscher Sportverein Hannover gegr. 1878 e.V., reflecting the fact that it didn't play football but rugby.
During the Second World War, the clubs facilities suffered heavily from allied bombing raids and in 1945, the club house was in ruins.
In the post-war years, the DSV managed to rebuilt its facilities and in 1949 it reopened its club house.
On 7 June 1964, Germanys oldest rugby club finally earned its first German championship, beating FC St. Pauli
FC St. Pauli
Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that also has Rugby Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that...
11–0 in Offenbach am Main.
78 won two more championships, in 1968 and 1970, before 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...
was established in 1971. The club was part of the new league but did not achieve highly in its first ten years.
Its fourth national championship came in 1982, when 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...
was beaten 15–6. The club was to play in seven championship finals in a row from then on, winning the first four and then losing three. With a years interruption in 1989, the team returned for another championship in 1990. After another championship in 1991, DSV reached the final for a last time in 1993.
In the German 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...
, the club continued to be successful, winning it in 1996 and 1998 and making final appearances in the two years after.
Up until the merger with SV 08 Ricklingen, the DSV 78 continued to be a top side in German rugby.
DSV 78/08 Ricklingen
In 2003, the club decided to join up with SV 08 Ricklingen to form an on-the-field union and play under the name DSV 78/08 Ricklingen. Both clubs however continue to exist as separate entities. In 2009, SV 08 decided to leave this joint venture.DSV 78 Hannover
- 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: 1964, 1968, 1970, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991
- Runners up: 1913, 1928, 1966, 1971, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993
- 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: 1969, 1972, 1974, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1996, 1998
- Runners up: 1970, 1973, 1993, 1999, 2000
DSV 78 Hannover
| 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) |
4th |
| 1998–99 | Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 3rd |
| Bundesliga championship round | 4th | |
| 1999–2000 | Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 3rd |
| Bundesliga championship round | 4th | |
| 2000–01 | Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 2nd |
| Bundesliga championship round | 6th | |
| 2001–02 | Rugby-Bundesliga | 6th |
| 2002–03 | Rugby-Bundesliga | 3rd |
| 2003–2009 | see below | |
| 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... |
Rugby-Bundesliga | 9th |
| 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... |
Rugby-Bundesliga | 7th |
| 2011–12 | Rugby-Bundesliga | |
DSV 78/08 Ricklingen
| Year | Division | Position |
| 2003–04 | Rugby-Bundesliga (I) | 8th — Relegated |
| 2004–05 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East (II) | 1st — Promoted |
| 2005–06 | Rugby-Bundesliga (I) | 7th |
| 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 | 8th — Relegated |
| 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) | 4th |
| 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... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 1st — Promoted |
- 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....
, Raphael Pyrasch
Raphael Pyrasch
Raphael Pyrasch is a German international rugby union player, playing for the Heidelberger RK in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team....
, Benjamin Krause
Benjamin Krause
Benjamin Krause 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 plays rugby since 1993....
and Benjamin Simm
Benjamin Simm
Benjamin Simm is a German international rugby union player, playing for the DSV 78 Hannover in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team....
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....
, all three appeared for 78 and Germany again.
In the 2010–12 campaign
Germany at the 2010–12 European Nations Cup
Germany at the 2010–12 European Nations Cup sees a return of the German national rugby union team to the ENC Second Division, having been relegated without a win from the First Division in 2008–10...
, Benjamin Simm and Benjamin Krause were both selected for Germany again while Mika Tyumenev was a new selection.
The club had four players selected for the German under-18 team
Germany national under-18 rugby union team
The Germany national under-18 rugby union team is the under-18 team of the Germany national rugby union team in the sport of rugby union.-Overview:...
at the 2009 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship
2009 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship
-Relegation:-Championship:-Relegation:-Championship:* The Hungary Sweden semi final was decided on number of tries scored, which Sweden won 3-2.-Relegation:-Championship:-Relegation:...
, these being Michail Tyumenev, Nicolas Müller, Dennis Denzin and Phil Szczesny. Of these, Phil Szczesny and Nicolas Müller also played at the 2010
2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship
-Relegation:-Championship:-Relegation:The Switzerland versus Ukraine game was tied after regular time and was decided by penalty kicks.-Championship:-Relegation:...
tournament, while Adrian de Riz and Pascal Fischer were new additions.