Rugby union in Hungary

Last updated

Rugby union in Hungary
CountryHungary
Governing body Hungarian Rugby Union
National team(s) Hungary
First played1960s
Registered players2,100
Clubs18
National competitions

Rugby union in Hungary is a minor but growing sport.

Contents

The Hungarian Rugby Union (Hungarian: "Magyar Rögbi Szövetség") was founded in 1990, and affiliated to the IRB in 1991. [1]

History

As early as 1875 a group of British Embassy employees played rugby on the Szabadság tér (Freedom Square) in Budapest.

At the 1935 World University Games held in Budapest, rugby was also included in the program (won 12-10 by France against Germany). Reasons given for the hosts not participating were lack of time for preparation and a serious injury suffered by a player.

Italians have played a major part in the establishment of Hungarian rugby, namely the late Carlos Passalacqua and his friends from the Italian Embassy in Budapest. The game was originally introduced by a group of Italian diplomats in the 1960s and 70s. [1] who founded a number of clubs. However, when they left, the game withered away in all but Budapest, where a small group of enthusiasts kept it going. [1] Like neighbouring Austria and the Czech Republic, rugby has tended to be strongest in the national capital Budapest (which is by far the largest settlement in the country, containing 20% of the population) - however, in 1981, it would spread into the town of Kecskemét. [1]

The former All Black scrum half Chris Laidlaw, writing at the end of the 1970s, saw rugby as a positive force in east-west relations at the time:

"Rugby has become the ping-pong of outdoor sports in its capacity to spread goodwill between East and West. Over the last 30 or 40 years it has spread through Eastern Europe, establishing itself strongly in Rumania and Yugoslavia, Hungary and into the USSR. The fact that a Russian team [sic] has finally played a full-scale, if unofficial Test match against France speaks for itself.
"Rugby tours between countries on either side of the Iron Curtain have generated considerable political interest among the governments concerned, and the results can be quite astonishing. The recent Rumanian tour of New Zealand, for instance, germinated other contacts between the two countries and was partly instrumental in the establishment of new trade agreements which otherwise might not have begun." [2]

Chris Laidlaw writing of the open secret of shamateurism in Soviet sport said:

"So far as the East Europeans and the Russians are concerned, who knows where the incentives lie? In such societies rugby, like many other sports before it, is becoming an expression of national achievement and therefore the subject of careful nurturing. Yet, is the risk of the double standard, so evident in the athletic arena, permeating the East Europeans' approach to rugby so great as to justify the exclusion of the Communist world indefinitely from regular rugby competition?" [2]

Hungary had its first international in 1990, shortly after the foundation of the national union. This was against East Germany, which they lost with a respectable scoreline of 3-7. [1]

In the early 1990s, former Italian cap, Dr Giancarlo Tiziani was a major driving force in Austrian rugby. Before his death in 1994, he tried hard to establish a Central European equivalent of the Five Nations between Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia. [3]

There are over two thousand registered players in the country. [4]

On 6 October 2012 a new record was set for most spectators to watch a rugby match in the country with over 3000 people watching Hungary win against Bulgaria 28-23 in a Rugby World Cup 2015 qualifier.

Notable players

Hungarian actor András Stohl played scrum-half for the now-defunct ELTE-BEAC in the 1980s. He was also involved with the MRgSz in some capacity in the first decade of the 2000s.

Terminology

poszt számaEnglish nameHungarian name
1. Prop pillér
2. Hooker sarkazó
3. Prop pillér
4. Lock/Second row második soros
5. Lock/Second row második soros
6. Flanker Leváló
7. Flanker Leváló
8. No. 8 Összefogó
poszt száma Angol kifejezés Magyar megfelelő
9. Scrum half Nyitó
10. Fly half Irányító
11. Wing Szélső
12. Centre Centre
13. Centre Centre
14. Wing Szélső
15. Full back Fogó

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Hungary</span>

Hungary wields considerable influence in Central and Eastern Europe and is a middle power in international affairs. The foreign policy of Hungary includes commitments to international development, international law, European integration, Atlantic co-operation and increased co-operation within the Global East. The Hungarian economy is fairly open and relies strongly on international trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union</span> Team sport, code of rugby football

Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union or more often just rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in England in the first half of the 19th century. Rugby 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby sevens</span> 7-a-side team sport, sub-code of rugby union

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.

Gary Armstrong is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He played scrum-half for Jed-Forest RFC, Newcastle Falcons and the Border Reivers.

John Young Rutherford is a former Scotland international rugby union player. His regular playing position was Fly half.

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

The Portugal national rugby union team, nicknamed Os Lobos, represents Portugal in men's international rugby union competitions. The team, as well as all rugby union in Portugal, is administered by the Federação Portuguesa de Rugby.

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

Rugby union in Georgia is a popular team sport. Rugby union is considered one of the most popular sports in Georgia.

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

The Hungary national rugby union team is governed by the Hungarian Rugby Union. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup, although they have entered qualifiers for all the tournaments from the 1995 edition onwards. They compete annually in the European Nations Cup, currently in Division 2C.

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

Rugby union is a moderately popular team sport played in Romania with a tradition of more than 100 years. In past eras, the game had been more popular and Romanian national teams had been relatively highly ranked in world rugby, but their standing declined since the dawn of professionalism and the end of communism. The Romanian men's national team are currently 20th in the World Rugby Rankings as of 19 March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting and Guiding in Hungary</span>

The Scout and Guide movement in Hungary is served by

Rugby union in Austria is a minor but growing sport. The national team is currently ranked 79th in the World Rugby's world rankings, which ranks only the top ninety-five countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Bosnia and Herzegovina</span>

Rugby union in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a minor sport. They are currently ranked sixty-eight in the International Rugby Board's world rankings, despite the lack of recognition as an official sport by the government. The governing body for the sport in the country is Rugby Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1992.

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

Rugby union in Croatia is a minor sport. As of August 2011, they are ranked fiftieth in the World Rugby's world rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in the Soviet Union</span> Russian Sport

Rugby union in the Soviet Union was a moderately popular sport. It was most popular in the Georgian SSR; parts of the Russian SFSR such as Moscow and certain regions in Siberia like Krasnoyarsk; and Alma-Ata, the capital of the Kazakh SSR. Rugby enjoyed a more limited popularity in the Ukrainian SSR, Minsk in the Byelorussian SSR and parts of the RSFSR such as Leningrad and areas in Southern Russia, including Krasnodar. Rugby gained a significant following due to the vast size of the Soviet Union, but was never a major sport; despite many attempts to develop the sport, which Soviet citizens came to nickname the "leather melon" due to the shape of the ball. Still, an early championship in 1960 gives an idea of the sheer scale of Soviet rugby: one hundred teams from over thirty cities took part.

Rugby union in Yugoslavia was a moderately popular sport. It was most popular in the Croatian SR, and to a lesser extent in the Serbian and Slovenian SRs, with some presence in the Bosnian SR as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germany–Hungary relations</span> Bilateral relations

Germany and Hungary are both member states of the European Union, NATO, OECD, OSCE, Council of Europe and the World Trade Organization. Germany has an embassy in Budapest. Hungary has an embassy in Berlin, two general consulates and nine honorary consulates. The Agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Hungary on 'Friendly Cooperation and Partnership in Europe' concluded on 6 February 1992 is one of the principal cornerstones of today's bilateral relations.

The Hungarian Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Hungary. It was founded in 1990 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1992. It organises the three leagues, the Extraliga, the NB I and II, for what concerns rugby union. A few rugby 7s tournaments with also National 7s league and University Rugby 7s, and the various national teams. It is based in Esztergom.

The Hungary national women's rugby union team are the national women's rugby union team of Hungary. They have thus far only played in sevens tournaments and they have yet to qualify for the Women's Rugby World Cup.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN   1-86200-013-1) p68
  2. 1 2 Laidlaw, p52
  3. ↑ Bath p63
  4. ↑ "International Rugby Board - HUNGARY". Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-09-25. International Rugby Board - HUNGARY
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.