Rugby union in Hungary
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
in Hungary
is a minor but growing sport.
: "Magyar Rögbi Szövetség") was founded in 1990, and affiliated to the IRB
in 1991.
At the 1935 World University Games held in Budapest, rugby was also included in the program (won 12-10 by France against Germany). Reasons given for the hosts not participating were lack of time for preparation and a serious injury suffered by a player.
Italians have played a major part in the establishment of Hungarian rugby, namely the late Carlos Passalacqua and his friends from the Italian Embassy in Budapest. The game was originally introduced by a group of Italian diplomats in the 1960s and 70s. who founded a number of clubs. However, when they left, the game withered away in all but Budapest
, where a small group of enthusiasts kept it going. Like neighbouring Austria
and the Czech Republic
, rugby has tended to be strongest in the national capital Budapest
(which os by far the largest settlement in the country, containing 20% of the population) - however, in 1981, it would spread into the town of Kecskemét
.
The former All Black scrum half Chris Laidlaw
, writing at the end of the 1970s, saw rugby as a positive force in east-west relations at the time:
Chris Laidlaw writing of the open secret of shamateurism in Soviet sport said:
Hungary
had its first international in 1990, shortly after the foundation of the national union. This was against East Germany
, which they lost with a respectable scoreline of 3-7.
In the early 1990s, former Italian cap, Dr Giancarlo Tiziani was a major driving force in Austrian rugby
. Before his death in 1994, he tried hard to establish a Central European equivalent of the Five Nations
between Austria
, Hungary
, Croatia
, Slovenia
and Bosnia
.
There are over two thousand registered players in the country.
|-
! poszt száma!!English name!!Hungarian name
|-
| 1.
| Prop
| pillér
|-
| 2.
| Hooker
| sarkazó
|-
| 3.
| Prop
| pillér
|-
| 4.
| Lock/Second row
| második soros
|-
| 5.
| Lock/Second row
| második soros
|-
| 6.
| Flanker
| Leváló
|-
| 7.
| Flanker
| Leváló
|-
| 8.
| No. 8
| Összefogó
|-
|}>
|- bgcolor="#CC0000" style="color:white"
| poszt száma
| Angol kifejezés
| Magyar megfelelő
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 9.
| Scrum half
| Nyitó
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 10.
| Fly half
| Irányító
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 11.
| Wing
| Szélső
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 12.
| Centre
| Centre
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 13.
| Centre
| Centre
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 14.
| Wing
| Szélső
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 15.
| Full back
| Fogó
|-
|}>
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 Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
is a minor but growing sport.
Governing body
The Hungarian union (HungarianHungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
: "Magyar Rögbi Szövetség") was founded in 1990, and affiliated to 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...
in 1991.
History
As early as 1875 a group of British Embassy employees played rugby on the Szabadság tér (Freedom Square) in Budapest.At the 1935 World University Games held in Budapest, rugby was also included in the program (won 12-10 by France against Germany). Reasons given for the hosts not participating were lack of time for preparation and a serious injury suffered by a player.
Italians have played a major part in the establishment of Hungarian rugby, namely the late Carlos Passalacqua and his friends from the Italian Embassy in Budapest. The game was originally introduced by a group of Italian diplomats in the 1960s and 70s. who founded a number of clubs. However, when they left, the game withered away in all but Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, where a small group of enthusiasts kept it going. Like neighbouring Austria
Rugby union in Austria
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....
and the Czech Republic
Rugby union in the Czech Republic
Rugby union in the Czech Republic is a minor sport. As of 01 November 2010, they are currently ranked thirty-first in the International Rugby Board's world rankings,....
, rugby has tended to be strongest in the national capital Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
(which os by far the largest settlement in the country, containing 20% of the population) - however, in 1981, it would spread into the town of Kecskemét
Kecskemét
Kecskemét is a city in the central part of Hungary. It is the 8th largest city of the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun.Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third-largest city, Szeged, 86 kilometres from both of them and almost equal distance from the two...
.
The former All Black scrum half Chris Laidlaw
Chris Laidlaw
Christopher Robert Laidlaw , Rhodes Scholar, All Black, diplomat, MP, talk radio host, author, is a 20th century New Zealand figure.-Academic and Rugby Union:...
, writing at the end of the 1970s, saw rugby as a positive force in east-west relations at the time:
- "Rugby has become the ping-pong of outdoor sports in its capacity to spread goodwill between East and West. Over the last 30 or 40 years it has spread through Eastern Europe, establishing itself strongly in RumaniaRugby union in RomaniaRugby union is a fairly popular team sport played in Romania with a tradition of more than 90 years. Romania's men's national team was 18th in the IRB World Rankings as of July 2011. -Governing body:...
and YugoslaviaRugby union in YugoslaviaPlease note, this article refers to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . For rugby in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, post-1992, please see rugby union in SerbiaRugby union in Yugoslavia was a moderately popular sport...
, Hungary and into the USSRRugby union in the Soviet UnionRugby union in the Soviet Union was a moderately popular sport. It was most popular in the Georgian SSR; parts of the Russian SFSR such as Moscow and certain regions in Siberia like Krasnoyarsk; and Almaty, the capital of Kazakh SSR...
. The fact that a Russian team [sic] has finally played a full-scale, if unofficial Test match against speaks for itself.
- "Rugby tours between countries on either side of the Iron CurtainIron CurtainThe concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
have generated considerable political interest among the governments concerned, and the results can be quite astonishing. The recent n tour of New Zealand, for instance, germinated other contacts between the two countries and was partly instrumental in the establishment of new trade agreements which otherwise might not have begun."
Chris Laidlaw writing of the open secret of shamateurism in Soviet sport said:
- "So far as the East Europeans and the RussiansRugby union in RussiaRugby union in Russia is a growing sport. Russia is ranked 19th worldwide by the International Rugby Board , having over one hundred clubs and close to 20,000 players nationally. Russia has a professional domestic competition.-Governing body:...
are concerned, who knows where the incentives lie? In such societies rugby, like many other sports before it, is becoming an expression of national achievement and therefore the subject of careful nurturing. Yet, is the risk of the double standard, so evident in the athletic arena, permeating the East Europeans' approach to rugby so great as to justify the exclusion of the Communist world indefinitely from regular rugby competition?"
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...
had its first international in 1990, shortly after the foundation of the national union. This was against East Germany
German Democratic Republic national rugby union team
The German Democratic Republic national rugby union team was the representative side of the German Democratic Republic at rugby union, during that country's existence from 1949 to 1991.-GDR internationals:...
, which they lost with a respectable scoreline of 3-7.
In the early 1990s, former Italian cap, Dr Giancarlo Tiziani was a major driving force in Austrian rugby
Rugby union in Austria
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....
. Before his death in 1994, he tried hard to establish a Central European equivalent of the Five 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...
.
There are over two thousand registered players in the country.
Notable players
Hungarian actor András Stohl played scrum-half for the now-defunct ELTE-BEAC in the 1980's. He was also involved with the MRgSz in some capacity in the first decade of the 2000's.Terminology
! poszt száma!!English name!!Hungarian name
|-
| 1.
| Prop
| pillér
|-
| 2.
| Hooker
| sarkazó
|-
| 3.
| Prop
| pillér
|-
| 4.
| Lock/Second row
| második soros
|-
| 5.
| Lock/Second row
| második soros
|-
| 6.
| Flanker
| Leváló
|-
| 7.
| Flanker
| Leváló
|-
| 8.
| No. 8
| Összefogó
|-
|}>
| poszt száma
| Angol kifejezés
| Magyar megfelelő
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 9.
| Scrum half
| Nyitó
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 10.
| Fly half
| Irányító
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 11.
| Wing
| Szélső
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 12.
| Centre
| Centre
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 13.
| Centre
| Centre
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 14.
| Wing
| Szélső
|- bgcolor="#008349" style="color:white"
| 15.
| Full back
| Fogó
|-
|}>
External links
- Hungary IRB page Magyar Rögbi Szövetség Archives du Rugby: Hongrie
- Hungary's rugbyhistory in photos and scanned documents from the beginnings in 1968. A continuously expanding archive in chronological order. It is mostly in Hungarian, still easy to follow the relevant events.