RC Leipzig

Last updated

RC Leipzig
RC Leipzig.gif
Full nameRugby Club Leipzig e.V.
Union German Rugby Federation
Founded2003
Location Leipzig, Germany
ChairmanKarsten Heine
Coach(es)Falk Müller
League(s) Rugby-Bundesliga (I)
2018–19 Rugby-Bundesliga North/East, 4th, Cup champions
Official website
www.leipzig-rugby.de

The RC Leipzig is a German rugby union club from Leipzig, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga, the top tier of German rugby.

Contents

The club, formed in 2004, traces its history back to the early 1950s, when a number of successful rugby clubs were formed in Leipzig in what was then East Germany. Between them, these predecessor clubs have won nine East German rugby union championship. [1] [2]

History

Rugby in Leipzig dates back to the 1950s, when a number of rugby departments were founded in local sport clubs. BSG Lok Leipzig-Wahren, SC DHfK Leipzig , BSG Gastronom Leipzig and the army club ASK Leipzig were four such teams formed over time, reaching a peak in numbers in the 1960s. [1]

DHfK was the most successful of the teams, winning five championships between 1954 and 1963, followed by Lok with four. By the 1980s, only two rugby departments had survived in Leipzig, those of Lok and Gastronom. [1] Lok had a successful spell in the late 1970s, when it managed to break the dominance of BSG Stahl Hennigsdorf and won three East German championships in a row.

With the German reunion, the two departments merged in the early 1990s and became part of the HSG DHfK Leipzig. In September 1994, the rugby players then joined the re-formed TSV 1893 Leipzig-Wahren, where they formed their own department. [1]

The rugby players stayed at TSV for the next ten years, until September 2004, when the RC Leipzig was founded in the suburb of Stahmeln. Some players did however stay for a further year playing touch rugby, afterwards making a successful move to the club SG LVB in Leipzig-Connewitz. [1]

Rugby in the city continues to develop with both touch and fifteen-a-side teams reaching new levels of popularity. In recent seasons RC Leipzig have rebuilt their squad around the Under-18 side which won the national championship in 2007. Their current squad contains several former age-grade national team members as well as several players with high-level rugby experience in foreign countries. The club has solidified its position in the Regionalliga East and has outlined plans to attain 2.Bundesliga status within five years. The Touch Rugby team at SG LVB continues to play social touch all year round on a casual basis and during the summer months takes part in tournaments around Germany.

A league reform in 2012 allowed the club promotion to the Bundesliga as the league was expanded from ten to 24 teams, thereby jumping straight from the third to the first division. RCL finished fifth in their group in the 2012–13 season and failed to qualify for the championship round, instead entering the second tier DRV-Pokal, where it came second in the north/east division. The club advanced to the quarter-finals of the play-offs where it was knocked out by StuSta München.

The club qualified for the DRV-Pokal in 2013–14 and received a bye for the first round of the play-offs after coming first in the north-east division of the competition and originally advanced to the final against Heidelberger TV. However LeIpzig's semi final win against RC Rottweil was later converted into a defeat after it was discovered that Leipzig had used an ineligible player, with Rottweil advancing to the final instead. [3]

In the 2014–15 season the club finished first in the north-east DRV-Pokal group and was knocked out by RC Rottweil in the semi-finals of the play-offs after a bye in the first round and a quarter final victory over RC Luxembourg.

Club honours

Recent seasons

Recent seasons of the club: [4]

SG LVB Leipzig

TSV Leipzig-Wahren

YearDivisionPosition
2003–04Rugby-Regionalliga East (South) (III)3rd
Placings round 23rd – Relegated

RC Leipzig

YearDivisionPosition
2004–05Rugby-Regionalliga East B (IV)3rd
Placings round 21st – Promoted
2005–06Rugby-Regionalliga East A (III)8th
Placings round 22nd – Relegated
2006–07Rugby-Regionalliga East B (IV)3rd
Placings round 12nd – Promoted
2007–08Rugby-Regionalliga East A (III)7th
2008–09Rugby-Regionalliga East A6th
2009–10Rugby-Regionalliga East10th – Relegated
Rugby-Regionalliga East B (IV)4th
2010–11Rugby-Regionalliga East10th
2011–12Rugby-Regionalliga East2nd
2012–13 Rugby-Bundesliga qualification round – East5th
DRV-Pokal – North-East2nd – Quarter finals
2013–14 Rugby-Bundesliga qualification round – East4th
DRV-Pokal – North-East1st – Semi finals
2014–15 Rugby-Bundesliga qualification round – East6th
DRV-Pokal – North-East1st – Semi finals
2015–16 Rugby-Bundesliga North-East6th

Related Research Articles

The Rugby-Bundesliga is the highest level of the league system for rugby union in Germany, organised by the German Rugby Federation.

The Rugby-Bundesliga 2008-09 was the 38th edition of this competition and the 89th edition of the German rugby union championship. Nine teams play a home-and-away season with a finals round between the top four teams at the end. The bottom two teams determine which club is relegated in an end-of-season decider. The season started on 30 August 2008 and finished with the championship final on 23 May 2009, interrupted by a winter break from early December to late February.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TSV Victoria Linden</span> Rugby team

The TSV Victoria Linden is a German rugby union club from the Linden suburb of Hannover, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports, such as triathlon and athletics. The club's premier men's rugby team in one of four in the country to have established professional status.

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

The München RFC is a German rugby union club from Munich, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga.

The 2. Rugby-Bundesliga is the second-highest level of Germany's Rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation. Its set below the Rugby-Bundesliga, the top-tier of German rugby, and above the Rugby-Regionalliga, the third tier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SV Odin Hannover</span> Rugby team

The SV Odin Hannover is a German rugby union club from Hanover, currently playing in the 2. Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports like association football, gymnastics and handball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">StuSta München</span> Rugby team

The SV Studentenstadt Freimann is a German rugby union club from Munich, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga. It is based in the Studentenstadt in Munich, the student city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidelberger TV</span> Rugby team

The Heidelberger TV is a German rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers other sports like basketball, tennis and badminton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USV Potsdam Rugby</span> German rugby union club

The USV Potsdam Rugby is a German rugby union club from Potsdam, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. It is part of a larger multi-sport club, the USV Potsdam, which also offers other sports like basketball, association football and tennis and consists of 19 departments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East German rugby union championship</span>

The East German rugby union championship was a rugby union competition in the German Democratic Republic, commonly referred to as East Germany. The competition was first held in 1952 and had its last edition in 1990, being terminated by the events of the German reunion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berliner SV 1892 Rugby</span> German rugby union club

The Berliner SV 92 Rugby is a German rugby union club from Berlin, currently playing in the 2. Rugby Bundesliga Ost. It is part of a larger club, the Berliner SV 92, which also offers other sports like association football, baseball and basketball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VfR Döhren</span> Rugby team

The VfR Döhren is a German rugby union club from Hanover, playing in the Regionalliga North, the third tier of rugby in Germany. It plays in partnership with SV Odin Hannover, as SG SV Odin/VfR Döhren.

The 2010–11 Rugby-Bundesliga was the 40th edition of this competition and the 91st edition of the German rugby union championship. In the Rugby-Bundesliga, the first division, nine teams played a home-and-away season with a finals round between the top four teams at the end. The season started on 28 August 2010 and finish with the championship final on 28 May 2011, interrupted by a winter break from December to late February. Cold weather and heavy snow falls however meant that the last game before the winter break was played already on 6 November 2010.

The 2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga was the 41st edition of this competition and the 92nd edition of the German rugby union championship. In the Rugby-Bundesliga, the first division, ten teams played a home-and-away season with semi-finals and a final between the top four teams at the end. The season started on 27 August 2010 and finished with the championship final on 5 May 2012, interrupted by a winter break from mid-December to late February. The league's top try scorer was Caine Elisara for the second year running while Luke James Muggeridge took out the honours of best points scorer for the first time. Both are from New Zealand and played for Heidelberger RK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RC Aachen</span> Rugby team

The RC Aachen is a German rugby union club from Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the 2e klasse, the 3 tier of Dutch Rugby after being promoted mid-season due to good results. From 2012 till 2015 Aachen played in Rugby-Bundesliga.

The 2012–13 Rugby-Bundesliga was the 42nd edition of this competition and the 93rd edition of the German rugby union championship. In the Rugby-Bundesliga, twenty-two teams played in, initially, four regional divisions, the first stage of the competition. The season started on 25 August 2012 and finished with the championship final on 15 June 2013, interrupted by a winter break from 25 November to 3 March. The regular season finished on Wednesday 1 May and the play-offs started on the following weekend, 4 May, and the German championship final was held on 15 June 2013.

The 2013–14 Rugby-Bundesliga was the 43rd edition of this competition and the 94th edition of the German rugby union championship. In the Rugby-Bundesliga, twenty-four teams played in, initially, four regional divisions, the first stage of the competition, followed by a championship round of sixteen clubs and, finally, the play-offs consisting of twelve teams. The season started on 24 August 2013 and finished with the championship final on 21 June 2014 in Pforzheim, interrupted by a winter break from 8 December to 22 February. The regular season finished on 19 April and the play-offs started on 3 May, with the German championship final held on 21 June 2014, which was contested between TV Pforzheim and Heidelberger RK. Heidelberg won its fifth consecutive national championship when it defeated Pforzheim 43–20 in the final.

The 2014–15 Rugby-Bundesliga was the 44th edition of this competition and the 95th edition of the German rugby union championship. In the Rugby-Bundesliga, twenty-one teams played in, initially, four regional divisions, the first stage of the competition, followed by a championship round of sixteen clubs and, finally, the play-offs consisting of twelve teams. The season started on 30 August 2014 and finished with the championship final on 16 May 2015 in Heidelberg, interrupted by a winter break from December to late February. Nominally the league should consist of twenty-four teams however only twenty-one fulfilled the licensing requirements for 2014–15.

The RC Rottweil is a German rugby union club from Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga.

The 2015–16 Rugby-Bundesliga is the 45th edition of this competition and the 96th edition of the German rugby union championship. In the Rugby-Bundesliga, sixteen teams play in two regional divisions, followed by play-offs consisting of the top two teams in each division. The regular season started on 29 August 2015 and finished on 24 April 2016, followed by the semi-finals and the championship final, the latter held on 7 May 2016, with the DRV-Pokal and the promotion-relegation play-off continuing until June 2016. The season was interrupted by a winter break from early November to early March.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Rugby beim TSV 1893 Leipzig-Wahren (in German) TSV 1893 Leipzig-Wahren website, accessed: 15 April 2010
  2. ↑ Die Rugby Geschichte Leipzig (in German) Saxony Rugby Federation website – History of rugby in Leipzig, accessed: 15 April 2010
  3. ↑ DRV-Pokal: Sportgericht kickt RC Leipzig aus dem Finale (in German) totalrugby.de, published: 23 June 2014, accessed: 24 June 2014
  4. ↑ RugbyWeb Ergebnisarchiv (in German) rugbyweb.de – Results archive, accessed: 24 July 2012
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.