RC Leipzig
Encyclopedia
The RC Leipzig is a German
rugby union
club from Leipzig
, currently playing in the Rugby-Regionalliga East
, the third tier of German rugby.
The club, formed in 2004, traces its history back to the early 1950s, when a number of successful rugby clubs were formed in Leipzig in what was then East Germany. Between them, these predecessor clubs have won nine East German rugby union championship
.
DHfK was the most successful of the teams, winning five championships between 1954 and 1963, followed by Lok with four. By the 1980s, only two rugby departments had survived in Leipzig, those of Lok and Gastronom. Lok had a successful spell in the late 1970s, when it managed to break the dominance of BSG Stahl Hennigsdorf
and won three East German championships in a row.
With the German reunion, the two departments merged in the early 1990s and became part of the HSG DHfK Leipzig. In September 1994, the rugby players then joined the re-formed TSV 1893 Leipzig-Wahren, where they formed their own department.
The rugby players stayed at TSV for the next ten years, until September 2004, when the RC Leipzig was founded in the suburb of Stahmeln. Some players did however stay for a further year playing touch rugby, afterwards making a successful move to the club SG LVB in Leipzig-Connewitz.
Rugby in the city continues to develop with both touch and fifteen-a-side teams reaching new levels of popularity. In recent seasons RC Leipzig have rebuilt their squad around the Under-18 side which won the national championship in 2007. Their current squad contains several former age-grade national team members as well as several players with high-level rugby experience in foreign countries. The club has solidified its position in the Regionalliga East and has outlined plans to attain 2.Bundesliga status within five years. The Touch Rugby team at SG LVB continues to play social touch all year round on a casual basis and during the summer months takes part in tournaments around 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...
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 Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, currently playing in the Rugby-Regionalliga East
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...
, the third tier of German rugby.
The club, formed in 2004, traces its history back to the early 1950s, when a number of successful rugby clubs were formed in Leipzig in what was then East Germany. Between them, these predecessor clubs have won nine East German rugby union championship
East German rugby union championship
The East German rugby union championship was a rugby union competition in the German Democratic Republic, commonly referred to as East Germany. The competition was first held in 1952 and had its last edition in 1990, being terminated by the events of the German reunion.-Competition:The competition...
.
History
Rugby in Leipzig dates back to the 1950s, when a number of rugby departments were founded in local sport clubs. BSG Lok Leipzig-Wahren, DHfK Leipzig, BSG Gastronom Leipzig and the army club ASK Leipzig were four such teams formed over time, reaching a peak in numbers in the 1960s.DHfK was the most successful of the teams, winning five championships between 1954 and 1963, followed by Lok with four. By the 1980s, only two rugby departments had survived in Leipzig, those of Lok and Gastronom. Lok had a successful spell in the late 1970s, when it managed to break the dominance of BSG Stahl Hennigsdorf
Stahl Hennigsdorf Rugby
The Stahl Hennigsdorf Rugby is a German rugby union club from Hennigsdorf, currently playing in the tier-four Regionalliga East B. The team is part of a larger club, the Stahl Hennigsdorf, which also offers other sports like volleyball, table tennis and boxing.The club, located in former East...
and won three East German championships in a row.
With the German reunion, the two departments merged in the early 1990s and became part of the HSG DHfK Leipzig. In September 1994, the rugby players then joined the re-formed TSV 1893 Leipzig-Wahren, where they formed their own department.
The rugby players stayed at TSV for the next ten years, until September 2004, when the RC Leipzig was founded in the suburb of Stahmeln. Some players did however stay for a further year playing touch rugby, afterwards making a successful move to the club SG LVB in Leipzig-Connewitz.
Rugby in the city continues to develop with both touch and fifteen-a-side teams reaching new levels of popularity. In recent seasons RC Leipzig have rebuilt their squad around the Under-18 side which won the national championship in 2007. Their current squad contains several former age-grade national team members as well as several players with high-level rugby experience in foreign countries. The club has solidified its position in the Regionalliga East and has outlined plans to attain 2.Bundesliga status within five years. The Touch Rugby team at SG LVB continues to play social touch all year round on a casual basis and during the summer months takes part in tournaments around Germany.
Club honours
- East German rugby union championshipEast German rugby union championshipThe East German rugby union championship was a rugby union competition in the German Democratic Republic, commonly referred to as East Germany. The competition was first held in 1952 and had its last edition in 1990, being terminated by the events of the German reunion.-Competition:The competition...
- Champions:
- DHfK Leipzig: (5) 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1963
- BSG Lokomotive Wahren Leipzig: (4) 1964, 1978–80
- Champions:
TSV Leipzig-Wahren
| Year | Division | Position |
| 2003-04 | Rugby-Regionalliga East (South) (III) | 3rd |
| Placings round 2 | 3rd — Relegated |
RC Leipzig
| Year | Division | Position |
| 2004-05 | Rugby-Regionalliga East B (IV) | 3rd |
| Placings round 2 | 1st — Promoted | |
| 2005-06 | Rugby-Regionalliga East A (III) | 8th |
| Placings round 2 | 2nd — Relegated | |
| 2006–07 | Rugby-Regionalliga East B (IV) | 3rd |
| Placings round 1 | 2nd — Promoted | |
| 2007–08 | Rugby-Regionalliga East A (III) | 7th |
| 2008–09 | Rugby-Regionalliga East A | 6th |
| 2009–10 | Rugby-Regionalliga East | 10th — Relegated |
| Rugby-Regionalliga East B (IV) | 4th | |
| 2010–11 | Rugby-Regionalliga East | 10th |
- Since 2004, the Regionalliga East has been divided into an A and a B group, with the A group being the third tier of German rugby and B the fourth. Until 2007, the two leagues would play a separate autumn round, followed by a promotion/relegation round in spring, where teams would play accoridng to their autumn placing. Where two placings are shown, the first is autumn, the second spring.