Rugby union in Sweden
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
in Sweden
is a minor but growing sport.
: "Svenska Förbundet") was founded in 1932, and joined the IRFB in 1988.
" in the nineteenth century was a variant of association football with some rugby elements. By 1900, Swedish football clubs were using the Football Association's rules with no rugby influence.
The pure form of rugby was introduced between the wars. The visiting cruisers of the British Royal Navy
, HMS Dorsetshire
and HMS Norfolk
played the first recorded match in Stockholm
The sport became well established in this period thanks also to the efforts of Yves Gylden, who had learnt the game in France
, and founded the first three Swedish clubs in Stockholm.
As with many other countries in Europe, the Second World War nearly finished off the game. Sweden was neutral in this conflict, meaning that the game did not suffer the war casualties that it did in other countries. By 1960, the number of active clubs had declined to fewer than ten. This was remedied in the 60s and 70s by an intensive development programme, which helped to bring that figure up to at least 55 clubs in the mid 90s.
A persistent problem for Swedish rugby has been the climate, which means that many pitches may be under snow for large parts of the year. For this reason rugby is a summer sport in Sweden, the season range from late April to the middle of October.
Notable players include:
is the highest tier of the national rugby union competition in Sweden. The first Swedish championship took place in 1943 and the current champions (2009) is Enköping RK. Under the Allsvenskan is two levels of regional competition.
New for the 2010 season is a national rugby sevens
series that will be played over multiple weekends. This initiative comes from the decision by the IOC to include rugby sevens in the Olympics.
The Swedish club champions also compete for the Nordic Cup with fellow club champions of Denmark, Finland and Norway.
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 Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
is a minor but growing sport.
Governing body
The Swedish Rugby Federation (SwedishSwedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
: "Svenska Förbundet") was founded in 1932, and joined the IRFB in 1988.
History
"Swedish footballSwedish football (code)
Swedish football was a code of football devised and played in Sweden from the 1870s to the early 1890s, when the modern association football was introduced...
" in the nineteenth century was a variant of association football with some rugby elements. By 1900, Swedish football clubs were using the Football Association's rules with no rugby influence.
The pure form of rugby was introduced between the wars. The visiting cruisers of the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, HMS Dorsetshire
HMS Dorsetshire
Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Dorsetshire, after the traditional county of Dorsetshire: was an 80-gun third-rate launched in 1694, rebuilt in 1712, and sold in 1749. was a 70-gun third-rate launched in 1757 and broken up in 1775. was a County-class heavy cruiser launched in 1929...
and HMS Norfolk
HMS Norfolk
Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Norfolk, after the Duke of Norfolk or the county of Norfolk. The Norfolk motto is Serviens servo ....
played the first recorded match in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
The sport became well established in this period thanks also to the efforts of Yves Gylden, who had learnt the game in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and founded the first three Swedish clubs in Stockholm.
As with many other countries in Europe, the Second World War nearly finished off the game. Sweden was neutral in this conflict, meaning that the game did not suffer the war casualties that it did in other countries. By 1960, the number of active clubs had declined to fewer than ten. This was remedied in the 60s and 70s by an intensive development programme, which helped to bring that figure up to at least 55 clubs in the mid 90s.
A persistent problem for Swedish rugby has been the climate, which means that many pitches may be under snow for large parts of the year. For this reason rugby is a summer sport in Sweden, the season range from late April to the middle of October.
Notable players include:
- Kari Tapper, a Number 8, who played for the BarbariansBarbarian F.C.The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
- Kanogo Njuru, an Outside centre, who played for the BarbariansBarbarian F.C.The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
.
Club Rugby
The AllsvenskanAllsvenskan (rugby)
The Allsvenskan is the highest tier of the national rugby union competition in Sweden. The first Swedish championship took place in 1943.-Allsvenskan 2010:The Allsvenskan is the highest tier of the national rugby union competition in Sweden...
is the highest tier of the national rugby union competition in Sweden. The first Swedish championship took place in 1943 and the current champions (2009) is Enköping RK. Under the Allsvenskan is two levels of regional competition.
New for the 2010 season is a national rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
series that will be played over multiple weekends. This initiative comes from the decision by the IOC to include rugby sevens in the Olympics.
The Swedish club champions also compete for the Nordic Cup with fellow club champions of Denmark, Finland and Norway.
See also
- Sweden national rugby union teamSweden national rugby union teamThe Sweden national rugby union team is a member of the FIRA – Association of European Rugby and plays in the 2010–12 European Nations Cup Second Division. Sweden has been trying to qualify for the Rugby World Cup since the 1991 Rugby World Cup, but has yet to make it to the final competition...
- AllsvenskanAllsvenskan (rugby)The Allsvenskan is the highest tier of the national rugby union competition in Sweden. The first Swedish championship took place in 1943.-Allsvenskan 2010:The Allsvenskan is the highest tier of the national rugby union competition in Sweden...
- Sweden's highest rugby league