Rugby union in Austria
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
in Austria
is a minor but growing sport. They are currently ranked 79th in the International Rugby Board
's world rankings, which ranks only the top ninety-five countries.
Traditionally, Austrian rugby has been strongest amongst students, particularly in Vienna
.
However, it has faced fierce competition from soccer and skiing
.
in 1992.
, Austrian rugby has a surprisingly long history, dating back to 1900
, but the game's English image meant that its development was hindered by the events of the early 20th Century,
particularly the two world war
s, and the rise of two major far right
movements.
The first documented game of rugby played in Austria occurred on April 14, 1912. The sport was being brought to Austria by two Englishmen
hoping to expand the sports base. It was over sixty years, however, before rugby union took hold in Austria.http://www.rugby-austria.at/content/deutsch/oerv.geschichte.php
Nonetheless, a 1930 game between two French sides in Vienna
drew no less than 10,000 spectators,
proving that there was a significant interest at the time.
The post-war period has seen a revival in Austrian rugby, partly due to the large number of foreign military personnel who came to be based there. In 1946, matches were being played by the BTA (British Troops Austria) XV at Vienna and elsewhere. One of their "home" matches in Vienna was against a British combined services Central Mediterranean Forces XV, which featured not only the future television rugby commentator and Hawick RFC
player Bill McLaren
, but also a Colonel Stan Adkins, who would later play for Coventry RFC and England
.
The London Irish player Spike Hughes
wrote about the surreal world of 1960s Austrian rugby in the foreword to Michael Green's The Art of Coarse Rugby
:
Because the journey from Bucharest to Vienna took so long, it hadn't been thought worthwhile to play just one match, and as Hughes admits, many of the Austrians had had to be taken off in the previous two matches. However, the game managed to attract some interest:
The ÖRV was founded in 1990 and joined the International Rugby Board
in 1992.
The main international rivalry is with the neighbouring countries of Germany
and Hungary
.
In 1993, Austria played a FIRA match with Hungary in front of 8,000 spectators.
In the early 1990s, former Italian cap, Dr Giancarlo Tizanini was a major driving force. Before his death in 1994, he tried hard to establish a Central European
equivalent of the Six Nations
between Austria
, Hungary
, Croatia
,
Slovenia
and Bosnia
.
Rugby union in Austria has begun to grow in recent years as they appeared in the 2008 European Nations Cup
.
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 Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
is a minor but growing sport. They are currently ranked 79th in the International Rugby Board
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...
's world rankings, which ranks only the top ninety-five countries.
Traditionally, Austrian rugby has been strongest amongst students, particularly in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
However, it has faced fierce competition from soccer and skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
.
Governing body
The governing body for Austria is Rugby Österreich, which was founded in 1990, and affiliated to the IRBInternational 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...
in 1992.
History
Like neighbouring GermanyRugby union in Germany
Rugby union in Germany is a minor sport. The German Rugby Federation had 108 member clubs and 11,656 members.-Governing body:The German Rugby Federation is the governing body for rugby union in Germany...
, Austrian rugby has a surprisingly long history, dating back to 1900
, but the game's English image meant that its development was hindered by the events of the early 20th Century,
particularly the two world war
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s, and the rise of two major far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
movements.
The first documented game of rugby played in Austria occurred on April 14, 1912. The sport was being brought to Austria by two Englishmen
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
hoping to expand the sports base. It was over sixty years, however, before rugby union took hold in Austria.http://www.rugby-austria.at/content/deutsch/oerv.geschichte.php
Nonetheless, a 1930 game between two French sides in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
drew no less than 10,000 spectators,
proving that there was a significant interest at the time.
The post-war period has seen a revival in Austrian rugby, partly due to the large number of foreign military personnel who came to be based there. In 1946, matches were being played by the BTA (British Troops Austria) XV at Vienna and elsewhere. One of their "home" matches in Vienna was against a British combined services Central Mediterranean Forces XV, which featured not only the future television rugby commentator and Hawick RFC
Hawick RFC
Hawick Rugby Football Club is a semi-professional rugby union side, currently playing in the Premiership Division One and Border League. The team are based at Mansfield Park at Hawick in the Scottish Borders....
player Bill McLaren
Bill McLaren
William Pollock "Bill" McLaren CBE was a Scottish rugby union commentator, teacher, journalist and one time rugby player. Until his retirement in 2002, he was known as 'the voice of rugby'...
, but also a Colonel Stan Adkins, who would later play for Coventry RFC and England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
.
The London Irish player Spike Hughes
Spike Hughes
Patrick "Spike" Cairns Hughes was a British jazz musician, composer and music journalist. He was the son of Irish composer, writer and song collector Herbert Hughes...
wrote about the surreal world of 1960s Austrian rugby in the foreword to Michael Green's The Art of Coarse Rugby
The Art of Coarse Rugby
The Art of Coarse Rugby is a 1960 humorous book on amateur rugby by British journalist Michael Green. After writing a newspaper article on rugby union, he was commissioned to write The Art of Coarse Rugby by Hutchinson to go with a republication of The Art of Coarse Cricket by Spike Hughes, who had...
:
- "I can claim the rare distinction of having played in a Coarse Rugby international... [Late] one night in the bar of a Viennese night club called the Moulin Rouge... I was sitting there, quietly minding my own business when a young Englishman from our own Legation pleaded with me to play rugby the following afternoon. They were playing the Rumanians, he explained. Who were 'They'? I asked. Austria, I was told... I wasn't being 'selected', I was being invited, if not actually begged to play. A group of South African medical students and one or two members of the British Legation had committed themselves (I have never discovered why) to play the Rumanians three times in three days..."
Because the journey from Bucharest to Vienna took so long, it hadn't been thought worthwhile to play just one match, and as Hughes admits, many of the Austrians had had to be taken off in the previous two matches. However, the game managed to attract some interest:
- "by some kind of bush telegraph the result—Rumania 15 points, Austria 9 points—appeared under the heading of 'Ruggby Fussball' in the sports pages of the following morning's papers which I read in bed, where I stayed, crippled by stiffness for the next week."
The ÖRV was founded in 1990 and joined the International Rugby Board
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...
in 1992.
The main international rivalry is with the neighbouring countries of Germany
Germany 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...
and Hungary
Hungary national rugby union team
The Hungary national rugby union team represents Hungary at rugby union. They are governed by the Magyar Rögbi Szövetség , and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup, although they have entered qualifiers for all the tournaments from the 1995 edition onwards...
.
In 1993, Austria played a FIRA match with Hungary in front of 8,000 spectators.
In the early 1990s, former Italian cap, Dr Giancarlo Tizanini was a major driving force. Before his death in 1994, he tried hard to establish a Central European
equivalent of the Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
between Austria
Austria national rugby union team
Austria is a third tier rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby in the early 1990s. Thus far, Austria has not made an appearance at any of the World Cups.-History:...
, Hungary
Hungary national rugby union team
The Hungary national rugby union team represents Hungary at rugby union. They are governed by the Magyar Rögbi Szövetség , and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup, although they have entered qualifiers for all the tournaments from the 1995 edition onwards...
, Croatia
Croatia national rugby union team
The Croatia national rugby union team are the national rugby union team of Croatia. They are governed by the Croatian Rugby Union. Croatia have been playing internationals rugby since 1992, they have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.- Internationals :...
,
Slovenia
Slovenia national rugby union team
The Slovenia national rugby union team represents Slovenia at rugby union. They are governed by the Rugby Zveza Slovenije, and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.-Current squad:Slovenia...
and Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina national rugby union team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national rugby union team represents Bosnia and Herzegovina in international rugby union. The nation have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup...
.
Rugby union in Austria has begun to grow in recent years as they appeared in the 2008 European Nations Cup
European Nations Cup (rugby union)
The European Nations Cup is the European Championship for tier 2 and tier 3 rugby union nations. The Championship is split into 7 divisions with 5 or 6 teams in each. The divisions play on a two-year cycle with the teams playing each other both home and away...
.
See also
- Austria national rugby union teamAustria national rugby union teamAustria is a third tier rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby in the early 1990s. Thus far, Austria has not made an appearance at any of the World Cups.-History:...
- Austria women's national rugby union teamAustria women's national rugby union teamThe Austria women's national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Austria, representing them at rugby union. The side first played in 2004.-Results summary:-Results:...
- 1. Rugby Bundesliga (Austria)1. Rugby Bundesliga (Austria)The 1. Rugby Bundesliga is the top level of domestic club rugby union competition in Austria.-History:The competition was first contested in 1992, with RC Wien as the first champions....