FC St. Pauli Rugby
Encyclopedia
The FC St. Pauli Rugby is a German
rugby union
club from Hamburg
, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East. The team is part of the multi-sport club FC St. Pauli
, which also offers other sports like Association football, American football
and Baseball
.
While the men's team has had limited success over the years, St. Pauli's women are one of the most successful teams in Germany
, having reached every championship final from 1995 to 2008 and winning eight out of the fourteen.
It took the team over a year to achieve their first draw but it soon improved and won its first Nordmark championship, against bitter rival Hamburger SV Rugby
. It repeated this success in 1938 and 1939.
The club resumed playing rugby in 1947, at first against teams of the British occupation force in Germany
, but soon in the Nordmark championship again, which it won uninterruptedly from 1948 to 1958.
In the early 1960s, St Pauli faced strong opposition from local rival SV Polizei Hamburg and the Nordmark championship became a Hamburg-only competition after the last of the teams from Kiel
was dissolved.
The club's men's team reached its only German championship final in 1964, when it lost 0-11 to DSV 78 Hannover after having beaten favourites SC Neuenheim
in Heidelberg
in the semi-finals.
FC St Pauli Rugby was one of the founding members of the new Rugby-Bundesliga
in 1971 and, in the first three seasons, was a competitive side there. An ageing team and a slacking in the youth development lead to the clubs relegation in 1975, temporarily even setting a negative Bundesliga record with a 3-102 defeat against TSV Victoria Linden
.
Upon return to the Hamburg championship, the club faced strong competition from Hamburger SV, Hamburger RC
and Hamburg Exiles RFC, but was able to win the local championship another eight times between 1976 and 1988. In this era, the club suffered from financial difficulties, brought upon by the professional football team.
The year 1988 brought two important changes to the club. The men's team finally returned to the Rugby-Bundesliga, and a women's team was formed.
The team managed to survive for only two seasons in the Bundesliga and earned another record defeat against Victoria Linden, this time a 0-113.
Instead, the club's women's team begun to shine from 1995 onwards, earning its first German championship that year.
While the women's team continued its success throughout the years, winning eight German championships until 2008, the men's side was able to establish itself on the second level of German rugby, the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga, where it plays as a mid-table side.
's 2006–08 European Nations Cup campaign
, FC St Pauli's captain Friedrich Michau
was called up for the national team.
Horst Wohler, with 30 internationals, is the club's most capped player.
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 Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East. The team is part of the multi-sport club 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...
, which also offers other sports like Association football, American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and 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...
.
While the men's team has had limited success over the years, St. Pauli's women are one of the most successful teams in Germany
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...
, having reached every championship final from 1995 to 2008 and winning eight out of the fourteen.
History
St Pauli 's rugby department was formed in 1933 when two Jewish brothers were forced to leave their club, the SV St. Georg, and joined FC St Pauli. In April 1933, the FC St Pauli board called for the formation of a rugby team and the clubs 6th football XI decided to switch codes and play rugby instead.It took the team over a year to achieve their first draw but it soon improved and won its first Nordmark championship, against bitter rival Hamburger SV Rugby
Hamburger SV Rugby
The Hamburger SV Rugby is a German rugby union club from Hamburg, currently playing in the Rugby-Verbandsliga North, the fourth tier of rugby in Germany...
. It repeated this success in 1938 and 1939.
The club resumed playing rugby in 1947, at first against teams of the British occupation force in Germany
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
, but soon in the Nordmark championship again, which it won uninterruptedly from 1948 to 1958.
In the early 1960s, St Pauli faced strong opposition from local rival SV Polizei Hamburg and the Nordmark championship became a Hamburg-only competition after the last of the teams from Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
was dissolved.
The club's men's team reached its only German championship final in 1964, when it lost 0-11 to DSV 78 Hannover after having beaten favourites 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:...
in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
in the semi-finals.
FC St Pauli Rugby was one of the founding members 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...
in 1971 and, in the first three seasons, was a competitive side there. An ageing team and a slacking in the youth development lead to the clubs relegation in 1975, temporarily even setting a negative Bundesliga record with a 3-102 defeat against 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....
.
Upon return to the Hamburg championship, the club faced strong competition from Hamburger SV, Hamburger RC
Hamburger RC
The Hamburger RC is a German rugby union club from Hamburg, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East.-History:The HRC was formed on 6 June 1950, under the leadership of Emil Creydt....
and Hamburg Exiles RFC, but was able to win the local championship another eight times between 1976 and 1988. In this era, the club suffered from financial difficulties, brought upon by the professional football team.
The year 1988 brought two important changes to the club. The men's team finally returned to the Rugby-Bundesliga, and a women's team was formed.
The team managed to survive for only two seasons in the Bundesliga and earned another record defeat against Victoria Linden, this time a 0-113.
Instead, the club's women's team begun to shine from 1995 onwards, earning its first German championship that year.
While the women's team continued its success throughout the years, winning eight German championships until 2008, the men's side was able to establish itself on the second level of German rugby, the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga, where it plays as a mid-table side.
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:...
- Runners up: 1964
- German rugby union junior cup
- Champions: 1992, 2002
- Runners up: 1993, 1994
- Nordmark/Hamburg championship
- Champions: 1937, 1938, 1939, 1948-58, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967-71
Women
- 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: 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- Runners up: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004
- German sevens championship
- Champions: 2000, 2001, 2002
- Runners up: 2007
Men
| Year | Division | Position |
| 1997-98 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East (II) | 8th — Relegated |
| 1998-99 | 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... (III) |
|
| 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East relegation round | 1st — Promoted | |
| 1999-2000 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East (II) | 1st |
| Bundesliga qualification round | 6th | |
| 2000-01 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 5th |
| 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East relegation round | 1st | |
| 2001-02 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 6th |
| 2002-03 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 3rd |
| 2003-04 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 5th |
| 2004-05 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 2nd |
| 2005-06 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 3rd |
| 2006–07 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 5th |
| 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 | 3rd |
| 2008–09 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East | 4th |
| 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 | 4th |
| 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 | 2nd |
| 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.
Women
| Year | Division | Position |
| 2000-01 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga Women's Rugby Bundesliga The Women's Rugby Bundesliga is the top national competition for women's rugby union football clubs in Germany. The competition started in 1988 and the most successful teams are the SC Neuenheim and the FC St. Pauli.... (I) |
1st — Champions |
| 2001-02 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 1st — Runners up |
| 2002-03 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 1st — Champions |
| 2003-04 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 2nd — Runners up |
| 2004-05 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 1st — Champions |
| 2005-06 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 1st — Champions |
| 2006–07 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 1st — champions |
| 2007–08 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 1st — Champions |
| 2008–09 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 3rd |
| 2009–10 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 4th |
| 2010–11 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 3rd |
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....
, FC St Pauli's captain Friedrich Michau
Friedrich Michau
Friedrich Michau is a German international rugby union player, playing for the FC St. Pauli Rugby in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team....
was called up for the national team.
Horst Wohler, with 30 internationals, is the club's most capped player.