Rugby union in Anguilla
Encyclopedia
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...
in Anguilla
Anguilla
Anguilla is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin...
is a minor, but growing sport. It is not ranked by the IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
as it is not affiliated in its own right.
Governing body
The governing body is not affiliated to NAWIRA or the IRB, although there have been link ups with the English Rugby Football UnionRugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
.
History
Rugby was introduced to Anguilla by the British who colonised the area.Like many small islands, Anguilla has a population problem. The main sport is cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, and the national population is a mere 13,477.
The main team is the Anguilla Eels RFC, who were formed in April 2006. The Eels have been finalists in the St. Martin
Rugby union in Saint Martin
Rugby union in Saint Martin is a minor, but growing sport. The 87 km2 island is divided roughly in half between France and the Netherlands Antilles ; it is the smallest inhabited sea island divided between two nations...
tournament in November 2006 and semi finalists in 2007.