| Rugby union in Gibraltar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Gibraltar |
| Governing body | Gibraltar Rugby Football Union |
| National team(s) | Gibraltar |
| Nickname(s) | GRFU |
| First played | late 19th century |
| Clubs | 4 |
Rugby union is a popular sport since its introduction by British military personnel in the 19th century.
The Gibraltar Rugby Football Union (GRFU) has existed since the 1980s when the border with Spain was opened. [1]
Rugby is played in Gibraltar under the auspices of the (GRFU), which exists for the development of the game on the Rock. In 2010 the GRFU appointed a Development Officer to promote the sport in middle schools and comprehensive schools.
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, it has long had a rugby presence, and the game was probably introduced at some point during the 19th century by the military.
Around World War II, a number of Gibraltarians were evacuated to the United Kingdom, and some learned rugby while at school there or in the British Armed Forces. [2]
Teams of Gibraltarians have been bolstered by the constant coming and going of the British Armed Forces, who traditionally had strong teams. [3] During the mid-1960s, a mini league was set up - just in time, as the land border with Spain would close in 1968. [2] This league was dominated by Gibraltar RFC.
Even up to the mid-1980s, rugby on the Rock had a major problem, namely the lack of grass. [4] Games were frequently played on a rocky surface, and visitors had to play tag rugby. [4] Peter Collings, a former St Mary's University, Blackburn and Leek winger, the Headmaster of St George's School, and others like Geoff Dunn of the Bat and Bull pub, kept Rugby alive via the tag game. Peter Collings was a one-man band for some ten years. He played and refereed, organised fixtures, the disciplinary committee and the pitch allocations. Fixtures occurred most weekends at the Devils Tower pitch and at Navy No 1 on Queensway. There were also regular and well attended Rugby Sevens events that took place, with recorded coverage from GBC television on John Shepherd's sports programmes. Tag rugby had its limitations, but with regular trips to play in Tangier against Moroccan and French teams, it allowed Rugby skills to flourish and for the game to stay alive in Gibraltar during the 1970s and 1980s when travel to Spain was impractical.
With the opening of the border in the 1980s, the huge demand by military personnel and returning local, university students led to the creation of Gibraltar's first national league. The original teams within this competition were teams from: Navy, Air Force, Army, La Linea and two Gibraltarian teams. This later increased with the introduction of the Spanish settlements of Ceuta and Cadiz to the league. The decline in this league was down to a number of factors, such as the decline in military personnel in Gibraltar as well as the increase in the number of Spanish teams taking part in the Andalucian League (FAR) and the lack of investment in youth development locally. The land border reopened in 1985, and a number of games were played against sides from Seville and Madrid. [2] Gibraltar RFC has now merged with one of the Super4s clubs. A number of Gibraltar-based players play for the Barbarians RFC, an Andalucia Rugby Team that play in the Andalusia Divisions.
On 5 November 2011 the Gibraltar Rugby Football Union (GRFU) fielded a national team in its first official Test Match. The fixture was against the Belgium Development Team in Brussels. The final score was Belgium XV 20 Gibraltar XV 8. Test Caps have been awarded to the Gibraltar Team.
The GRFU is currently going through the process of FIRA/AER (European Rugby Federation) membership. [5] The GRFU is planning other international fixtures versus international opponents for April 2015.
There is also a Gibraltar National sevens team that plays regularly in tournaments, particularly in the Tangier Sevens.
The lack of a decent playing pitch was long a problem, however the laying of a 3rd generation (IRB Approved) astroturf pitch has meant that Gibraltarian teams have been allowed to play their first game of XVs on their home field. The new surface was laid in April 2010 and the first game played on the pitch was against a touring side. The historic first encounter between a Spanish and Gibraltarian side (U20s) was held in September 2010, against Marbella RFC [6]
In 2011 the GRFU hosted its first, locally based, international Sevens tournament called "The Rock 7s".
Gibraltar's National League is played amongst the four local clubs: DHL Europa Stormers, Inline Framing Straits Sharks, Ibex Buccaneers, Rock Scorpions. The aim of the GRC is to give Gibraltar's young, aspiring rugby players a platform from which to continue their rugby development pathway.
Gibraltar Minis came into existence in 2011. [7]
Jeremy Campbell-Lamerton, born Gibraltar, capped for Scotland three times. [8] Harvey Armstrong record points scorer with 36 as of 14/10/16
The culture of Gibraltar reflects Gibraltarians' diverse origins. While there are Spanish and British influences, a result of the territory's status as a British overseas territory and its proximity to Spain, the ethnic origins of most Gibraltarians are a mix of Andalusian Spaniards, Genoese, Maltese, Portuguese and British. The main religion is Christianity, the majority group being the Roman Catholic Church, then the Church of England. There is a long established Sephardic Jewish community, a number of Hindu Indians and a Moroccan Muslim population. Gibraltarians of Genoese origin came to The Rock in the 18th century, with the Maltese and Portuguese following in the 19th century, coming to work and trade in the British military base. Spanish Andalusian origins are the result of generations of intermarriage with inhabitants of surrounding towns.
Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. Rugby sevens is administered by World Rugby, the body responsible for rugby union worldwide. The game is popular at all levels, with amateur and club tournaments generally held in the summer months. Sevens is one of the most well distributed forms of rugby, and is popular in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and especially in the South Pacific.
Tag rugby, Flag rugby or Rippa rugby is a non-contact team game in which each player wears a belt that has two velcro tags attached to it, or shorts with velcro patches. The mode of play is based on rugby league with many similarities to touch football, although tag rugby is often deemed a closer simulation of full contact rugby league than touch. Attacking players attempt to dodge, evade and pass a rugby ball while defenders attempt to prevent them scoring by "tagging" – pulling a velcro attached tag from the ball carrier, rather than a full contact tackle. Tag rugby is used in development and training by both rugby league and rugby union communities.
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Victoria Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Gibraltar. It is currently used mostly for football matches, but also hosts the annual Gibraltar Music Festival. It is located close to Gibraltar Airport just off Winston Churchill Avenue. It was named after the wife of Gibraltarian philanthropist John Mackintosh.
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Glasgow Hutchesons Aloysians Rugby Football Club, often abbreviated to GHA and colloquially referred to as G-HA!!, is a rugby union club based in the Giffnock area of East Renfrewshire, Scotland. The club plays its home matches at Braidholm and currently competes in the Scottish National League Division One, which is the second tier of Scottish club rugby. GHA competed in the premiership from 2019/20 until the 2022/23 season which saw them being relegated to National League Division 1.
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi) and is bordered to the north by Spain. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, at the foot of which is a densely populated town area, home to some 34,003 people, primarily Gibraltarians.
Football has been a popular part of sport in Gibraltar since its introduction by British military personnel in the 19th century. The Gibraltar Football Association, founded in 1895, is one of the ten oldest active football associations in the world.
Sport plays a prominent role in Gibraltarian life. The range of sports practiced in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar is wide and varied in comparison to its size of less than 7 square kilometres. The Government of Gibraltar promotes sport within Gibraltar and supports many local sports associations financially. Gibraltar also competes in international sporting events, having competed in the Commonwealth Games since 1958, and in the biennial Island Games, which it hosted in 1995 and 2019.
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The Gibraltar Barbarians Rugby Football Club (GRFC) is a Rugby union club from Gibraltar and the surrounding Campo in Spain, who play in the Andalucian League as Gibraltar Barbarians RFC. They play their home games in the town of Guadiaro near Sotogrande in the Cadiz province of Spain. They currently play in the 1 Division National of the Federacion Andaluza de Rugby (FAR). In 2010, Campo Gibraltar is now a Gibraltar-based team and its name has been changed to Gibraltar Barbarians RFC.
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