Brussels Barbarians

Last updated

Brussels Barbarians
Full nameBrussels Barbarians Rugby Football Club
Nickname(s)The Babas
Founded1968
Ground(s)The Elephant Pitch
PresidentJimmy Parker
League(s)Flander's Regional 1st Division
2011-20124th
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
1st kit
Kit left arm black hoops.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body thinblacksides.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm black hoops.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
2nd kit

The Brussels Barbarians Rugby Football Club (also known as the Babas) are a rugby union club in Belgium, formed in 1968, one of two expatriate rugby clubs in Belgium.[ citation needed ] The club consists of two men's teams, which play matches every Sunday afternoon between September and May in the Flander's Regional 1st Division. Matches are played throughout Belgium.

Contents

The Brussels Barbarians' home ground, named the Elephant Pitch, is in Tervuren, a suburb of Brussels. The club is a partner club of Saracens.[ citation needed ]

History

In September 1968 James D Adams and fiancée Judy Robb formed a rugby club to play on Saturdays, unlike the Belgian League which played on Sundays, in order to celebrate after the match. As a result, the club did not play in the Belgian League but arranged fixtures with South Coast English sides, and British Army and Dutch teams. In 1970, the second team was established, and in 1972 the club beat the Belgian National side and won the Belgian Cup.[ citation needed ] In 1973, the third team was launched, and the club had fixtures against Coventry, Blackheath, Newbridge and Public School Wanderers.

In 1974 the Barbarians won the Belgian Cup for the second time, and in May 1978 they went on a successful seven-match tour of the USA, winning all their games.

Jozzekk williams Jozzekk williams.jpg
Jozzekk williams
The Babas in a match Babasvsvise.jpg
The Babas in a match

In 1980 the club entered the Belgian League division five. After winning promotion in successive seasons, they won the Premier Division championship in their year, in 1985. At the end of that season the club celebrated with a third major tour, to Colorado, US. They have since been on tours to Spain, Czechoslovakia, Boston, Estonia and Majorca. In 1982 they won the Belgian Cup for the third time and toured Canada.

The club organised international charity rugby matches in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991, bringing many of the top rugby players from the Five Nations of the 1970s and early 1980s to Belgium to play against a Belgian Select side, which raised over 2.5 million Francs for various charities. The last occasion in 1991 was for the support of the Belgian wife and children of Brussels British's captain Leslie Joyce following his death in a car crash a few months earlier.

The majority of players come from Great Britain and Ireland. At one point, all three sons of the ambassador of Western Samoa played for the club. The eldest of these, Vince Fepuleia, went on to play for Western Samoa against Wales at Cardiff Arms Park in 1988.

During the mid-1980s the Barbarians fielded a first 15 with players from 11 different countries. In 2003, the Barbarians had 22 nations represented in its player list, including players from countries without a strong Rugby tradition. One former player, Freddy Thielemans, served as Mayor of Brussels in 1994.[ citation needed ]

Honours

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clive Woodward</span> British rugby union player and coach

Sir Clive Ronald Woodward is an English former rugby union player and coach. He was coach of the England team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He also coached the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, losing the test series 3-0. He is currently a pundit for ITV Sport, working on their coverage of the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbarian F.C.</span> British rugby union team

The Barbarian Football Club, known as the Barbarians is a British-based invitational rugby union club. The Barbarians play in black and white hoops, though players wear socks from their own club strip. Membership is by invitation. As of 2011, players from 31 countries had played for them. Traditionally at least one uncapped player is selected for each match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France national rugby league team</span> Represents France in international rugby league

The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league matches. They are referred to as les Chanticleers or less commonly as les Tricolores. The team is run under the auspices of the Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papua New Guinea national rugby league team</span> National rugby team

The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea in the sport of rugby league football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samoa national rugby union team</span> National rugby union team of Samoa

The Samoa national rugby union team represents Samoa in men's international rugby union and it is governed by the Samoa Rugby Union. They are also known as Manu Samoa, which is thought to derive from the name of a Samoan warrior. They perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. Samoa Rugby Union were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Tonga. They are ranked 11th in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiji national rugby union team</span> National sports team

The Fiji national rugby union team represents Fiji in men's international rugby union competes every four years at the Rugby World Cup, and their best performances were the 1987 and 2007 tournaments when they defeated Argentina and Wales respectively to reach the quarterfinals. Fiji also regularly plays test matches during the June and November test windows. Fiji also plays in the Pacific Tri-Nations, and has won the most Pacific Tri-Nations Championships of the three participating teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm O'Kelly</span> Rugby player

Malcolm O'Kelly is an Irish former rugby union player who played as a lock for Ireland and Leinster.

Aberavon RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh town of Port Talbot, though the club's name refers to the older settlement of Aberavon which lies on the western side of the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russia national rugby union team</span> National rugby union 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.

Toutai Kefu is a Tongan-born rugby coach, who earned 60 caps playing at number eight for the Australian national team. Kefu is currently the head coach of the Tongan national team having previously coached them as a caretaker in 2012. He is also the Assistant Coach of the First 15 at Iona College. He is additionally the head coach of the Australian side Queensland Country in the National Rugby Championship, while there is a break between international windows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Fiji</span>

Rugby union in Fiji is a popular team sport and is considered to be the national sport of the country. The sport was introduced to Fiji in the 1880s. Fiji is defined as a tier two rugby nation by World Rugby. The national team has competed at the Rugby World Cup and made it as far as the quarter finals. Their sevens team is also noted for their success, winning multiple Olympic gold medals, World Rugby Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Mark Gerarde Ring played rugby union for Cardiff, Pontypool and Wales between 1982 and 1996. He was regarded as among the most gifted players of his generation but his career was hampered by serious injury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia A national rugby union team</span> Rugby team

Australia A is the second national Rugby union team of Australia, behind the Wallabies. Matches played under the 'Australia A' title are traditionally non-test match fixtures and often offer a stepping-stone to Wallaby national selection. Aspiring Wallaby players were given a chance to impress selectors during these games. In the past, the team would also play touring sides, such as the British & Irish Lions, or play mid-week games when the Wallabies are on tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Uplands RFC</span> Rugby team

Swansea Uplands RFC is a rugby union club based in Upper Killay, Swansea, Wales, who play in the WRU Swalec Leagues. They are currently in Division 3 West A.

Galwegians Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Galway, Ireland. The Galwegians senior side plays in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League, the Irish domestic club competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Barbarians</span> Rugby team

South African Barbarians is an invitational rugby union club styled along the lines of Barbarian F.C. It was formed in 1960 by Frank Mellish, the former 1951–52 Springbok selector and manager, together with former Natal Rugby Union President, Harry Stacey. The club is directly affiliated to the South African Rugby Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in Tonga</span>

Rugby union is the national sport in Tonga. Sumo has a following, while football, judo, surfing, volleyball, and cricket have gained popularity in recent years. Rugby league and Australian football are also played.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Maitland</span> NZ Maori and Scotland international rugby union footballer

Sean Daniel Maitland is a New Zealand-born Scottish rugby union player. He plays for Saracens in the RFU Premiership. He previously played for London Irish and before that for Glasgow Warriors in the PRO12, Crusaders in Super Rugby and Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup. His regular playing positions are Wing and Full back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public School Wanderers</span> Sports club in the United Kingdom

The Public School Wanderers Club is a sports club in the United Kingdom that was formed in 1940 by Charles Burton, a Fleet Street journalist. It was formed to provide cricket and rugby for public schoolboys during their school holidays, but with difficulties arising from World War II the Club started to provide games for servicemen as well. During the period of hostilities the Club provided over a thousand games of cricket and rugby for servicemen from all parts of the British Commonwealth.

David Young is a Welsh rugby union coach and former rugby union and rugby league player. He is director of rugby at Cardiff Blues.