Karl Svoboda

Last updated
Karl Svoboda
Date of birth (1962-03-23) March 23, 1962 (age 59)
Place of birth Belleville, Ontario
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
197?-1985
1981-1985		 Belleville Bulldogs
University of Toronto 		()
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1985-1996
1996
1996		 Ajax Wanderers R.U.F.C.
Oxford University RFC
Penguins Rugby Club		 ()
National team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1985-1995 Canada 24 (0)

Karl Franklin Svoboda (born March 23, 1962, in Belleville, Ontario) is a Canadian former rugby union footballer of Czech descent. Svoboda began his rugby career as the Belleville Bulldogs hooker and then played representative rugby with the Ontario Junior XV. In 1981 he scored a try in the final of the Canada Summer Games. He then played with the Ontario Senior Men's Rugby XV, captaining many of the games. Two notable victories came in the national championship over the British Columbia Provincial XV in 1982 and 1995. In 1995, the Ontario Provincial Rugby Team, with Svoboda as captain, was named co-winners of the Ontario Provincial Team of the Year, along with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Svoboda also captained Canada for two Test matches in 1993, the most notable being the victory over an England XV. [1] During this same year, Svoboda's brother Paul captained the Canadian National Rugby League Team.

Svoboda played in the first three Rugby World Cups (1987, 1991, 1995), and amassed a total of 24 International Caps between the years 1985–1995. [2] He went on to play for Oxford University at the dawn of the professional rugby era in 1995, gaining his full rugby Blue. [3] Svoboda also gained a Blue at Oxford by playing defense in ice hockey during the Varsity match against Cambridge University in 1996. He also played for the Penguin International RFC, touring Hungary and the Czech Republic with them in 1996.

Svoboda now resides in Whitby, Ontario, where he coaches rugby for his high school team (Sinclair Secondary School) and for the mini program at his home rugby club, the Ajax Wanderers.

Related Research Articles

Japan national rugby union team

The Japan national rugby union team, often known as the Cherry Blossoms, Sakura, and more recently The Brave Blossoms is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia and has enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years. Rugby union in Japan is administered by the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU), which was founded in 1926. They compete annually in the Pacific Nations Cup and previously in the Asia Rugby Championship. They have also participated in every Rugby World Cup since the tournament began in 1987.

Jason White (rugby union) Rugby player

Jason Phillip Randall White is a Scottish former rugby union footballer. He was a utility forward who played in the second or back row of the scrum – lock, flanker, or number eight. White played at club level for Glasgow Caledonians ; the French Top 14 side ASM Clermont Auvergne; and English Premiership side Sale Sharks. He won 77 caps playing for Scotland, captaining the side on 19 occasions.

Stuart Barnes Rugby player

Stuart Barnes is a former English rugby union footballer, and now rugby commentator for Sky Sports. Barnes played fly-half for Newport RFC, Bristol, Bath; and represented England at international level.

Ronald Poulton Rugby player

Ronald 'Ronnie' William Poulton was an English rugby union footballer, who captained England. He was killed in the First World War during the Second Battle of Ypres.

Charlie Fox was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative second-rower who made 36 appearances for the Wallabies, playing in 17 Test matches and captained the national side on seven occasions in 1925.

Edward Peake was a Wales international rugby union three-quarter and county cricketer. Educated at Oriel College, Oxford, Peake would win a Blue for cricket before representing Gloucestershire. Peake is most notable for being a member of the first Wales rugby union team that played England in 1881. In his later life he became a teacher and Anglican minister.

Sir Augustus Gordon Grant-Asher was a Scotland international rugby union player. He also represented Scotland as a cricket player.

Rheinallt Hugh Lloyd-Davies (1926–1986) was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Wales XV, at university for Cambridge University RFC, and at club level for Ammanford RFC, as a fullback, i.e. number 15, and club level rugby league (RL) for Barrow, as a fullback, i.e. number 1.

Sherborne RFC Rugby club in England

Sherborne Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Dorset in the south west of England. The club was established in 1980. It has a membership of 100 senior players and a further 300 boys and girls in the junior section. The club runs two men's teams with the 1st XV currently playing in South West 1 East - a league at level 6 of the English rugby union system - following their promotion as champions of Southern Counties South at the end of the 2018–19 season, while the 2nd XV play in Dorset & Wilts 1 South, following their promotion from Dorset & Wilts 2 South at the end of the 2017-18 season.

The Montreal Wanderers Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1957, and is based on the grounds of the Douglas Hospital in Verdun.

Ajax Wanderers R.U.F.C.

Ajax Wanderers R.U.F.C. are a rugby union club that is based in Ajax, Ontario, Canada. The Senior men's team currently runs two teams with the top XV squad competing in the Ontario Marshall Provincial division. the 2012 season saw the men win both the 1st division and second division granting them promotion to the Ontario Marshall Premier division for the 2013 season. The Wanderers also run programme for all age groups and genders. The Following Programs are running for the 2014 season;

Milton Haig is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player. He was the head coach of the Georgian national team that annually competes the European Nations Cup.

Garrick Fay Rugby player

Garrick Fay is an Australian businessman and former international rugby player. Garrick was a member of the Australian national team from 1971-79.

Fraser Stott is a former Scottish rugby union player and coach who played for Glasgow Warriors at the Scrum-half position.

John Shaw is a Scottish former rugby union player and coach and now referee who played for Glasgow Warriors at the Flanker position.

Derek Stark is a Scottish former international rugby union player who played for Glasgow Warriors at the Wing positions

John Allan is a former Scotland international rugby union player; and later a former South Africa international rugby union player. He played as a hooker.

Anthony O'Connor was a Welsh rugby union player who played in the scrum-half position. O'Connor played club rugby with Aberavon RFC, was capped five times for Wales, and was a member of the British Lions team that toured in 1962. He also represented Oxford University RFC, playing in the 1958 Varsity Match.

Hans de Goede is a Dutch-born Canadian former rugby union player who played as lock.

Aaron David Abrams is a former Canadian rugby union player. He played as a hooker and represented Canada internationally from 2003 to 2006. He was included in the Canadian squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup and played in two group stage matches. Aaron finished that tournament as one of the try scorers for Canada.

References

  1. ↑ "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Canada v England XV at Burnaby Lake". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  2. ↑ "Karl Svoboda | Rugby Union | Players and Officials". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  3. ↑ "NHS to recruit housewives as board members". 5 August 2001.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.