2012 European Championship|
| Host nation |  Italy |
|---|
|
| Champions |  England |
|---|
| Runner-up |  France |
|---|
|
| Matches played | 6 |
|---|
|
The 2012 Women's European Championship or "European Cup" was the 17th annual rugby tournament organised by FIRA for the continent's national teams and the ninth official continental championship. Only eight teams took part - the lowest entry since 1996 and also the first time since 1996 that Scotland, Wales and Ireland did not take part. The leading four teams played in Group A in Rovereto, Italy between 13 and 19 May, and the other four played at Enköping between 3 and 7 May. The latter tournament also started Europe's Women's Rugby World Cup qualification process, with both finalists qualifying for the continent's qualification tournament in 2013.
Most of the absences were due to Unions prioritising sevens rugby, in advance of the 2013 Sevens World Cup. Even the teams attending the Group A tournament were weakened by clashes with the London, Amsterdam and Rome Sevens tournaments. England were least affected as their players only missed the first round of games, but several French players from the Six Nations did not play in this tournament, while most of the Spanish team from 2011 Women's European Trophy were selected for the Amsterdam Sevens in preference to Rovereto.
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is played between two teams of 15 players each, using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field called a pitch. The field has H-shaped goalposts at both ends.
The Romania national rugby union team represents Romania in men's international rugby union competitions, nicknamed Stejarii, is long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations. They have participated in all but one Rugby World Cup and currently compete in the first division of the European Nations Cup, which they won recently in 2017. Rugby union in Romania is administered by the Romanian Rugby Federation.
The Rugby Europe International Championships is the European Championship for tier 2 and tier 3 rugby union nations.
The Andorra national rugby union team, nicknamed Els Isards represent Andorra in international rugby union competitions. They play most of their home games in Andorra la Vella, the country's capital, though have had some matches in Foix, which is in France.
The Luxembourg national rugby union team is a minor team, and is ranked as a third tier nation. The team participates in the annual Rugby Europe Championship Conference 2 North 2017–18 Rugby Europe Conference. Since 1996 Luxembourg also competes in the sevens circuits in Europe Luxembourg national rugby sevens team.
The Russia national rugby union team, nicknamed Medvedi, represented Russia in men's international rugby union international competitions. The team is administered by the Rugby Union of Russia (RUR). The RUR is considered the official successor union of the Soviet Union by World Rugby and the combined CIS team which played in the early 1990s. Since 1992, the team has played as Russia. Its first test match as Russia was against the Barbarians in Moscow in June 1992 and the country's first test against an official Test nation was against Belgium later that same year.
The Germany national rugby union team represents Germany in men's international competitions. It currently plays at the second level of European rugby but is yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. The national team first played in 1927, with rugby union in Germany being administered by the German Rugby Federation.
The Lithuania national rugby union team represents Lithuania in men's international rugby union competitions. Nicknamed The Knights (Vytis), is considered one of the relatively stronger tier 3 teams in European rugby and currently compete in the second division of the Rugby Europe International Championships in the Rugby Europe Trophy, a competition which is just below the Rugby Europe Championship where the top 6 countries in Europe compete. They are yet to participate in any Rugby World Cup and play in black with a pattern involving the colours red, yellow and green.
Rugby union in Germany is a minor but growing sport with 124 men's clubs and 5 women's clubs competing in 4 men's and 1 women's national leagues.
Women's international rugby union has a history going back to the late 19th century, but it was not until 1982 that the first international fixture involving women's rugby union took place. The match was organised in connection with the Dutch Rugby Union's 50th anniversary: as part of the celebrations, on June 13, 1982, the French national women's team played the Dutch in Utrecht, Netherlands, with France winning 4–0 in a game that has since been recognised as the first ever women's international rugby union match.
The Asia Rugby Championship for women's national fifteen-a-side teams is a rugby union tournament that has been contested since 2006. Organised by Asia Rugby, there are currently two competition divisions. The championship is also the continental qualifying tournament for Asian women's teams in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup.
The 2008 European Sevens Championship was a rugby sevens competition, with the final held in Hanover, Germany. It was the seventh edition of the European Sevens championship and also functioned as a qualifying tournament for the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. The event was organised by rugby's European governing body, the FIRA – Association of European Rugby (FIRA-AER).
The 2009 European Sevens Championship was a rugby sevens competition, with the final held in Hanover, Germany. It was the eighth edition of the European Sevens championship and was organised by rugby's European governing body, the FIRA – Association of European Rugby (FIRA-AER).
The Rugby Europe Women's Sevens, previously the FIRA–AER Women's Sevens until 2013, is a series of regional championships for women's international rugby sevens in Europe. Prior to 2012, the annual tournament is held over two days, typically on a weekend in June, before the highest category tournament was reorganized as the Sevens Grand Prix Series, modeled after the format of the World Rugby Sevens Series. The tournaments are sanctioned and sponsored by Rugby Europe.
The 2011 Women's European Trophy was the 16th rugby tournament organised by FIRA for the continent's national teams. The venues were in and around A Coruña in Spain, and the games have been played between 30 April and 7 May.
The 2012–14 European Nations Cup First Division is the premier rugby union competition below the Six Nations Championship in Europe. It is divided into two tiers; Division 1A and Division 1B.
The 2013 Women's Qualification Tournament was the 18th annual rugby tournament organised by FIRA for the continent's national teams and also a qualification tournament for 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup. Six teams took part - the fifth and sixth ranked teams from the Six Nations, based on 2012 and 2013 results, Italy and Scotland; the finalist from the 2012 European Championship, Spain ; the two finalists from 2012 European Group B, Sweden and the Netherlands; and Oceania's entrant Samoa, who were disputing a qualification place from one of the European teams.
Rugby Europe is the administrative body for rugby union in Europe. It was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise, and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of World Rugby. However, it is not responsible for the organisation of the Six Nations Championship or the competitions run by European Professional Club Rugby.
The 2016 Women's European Championship was the 21st annual rugby tournament organised by FIRA for the continent's national teams, and also acted as a qualification tournament for 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup.
The qualification process for the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup began on 6 February 2009. A total of 12 teams qualified for the tournament, which was held in England between 20 August – 5 September 2010.
Italy 
England 
France 
