Rugby union in the Netherlands

Rugby union in the Netherlands
Country Netherlands
Governing body Dutch Rugby Union
National team Netherlands
First played 1879
Registered players 8059
Clubs 79
National competitions
Club competitions

Ereklasse
Klasse2e


Klasse3e
Klasse4e

Rugby union in the Netherlands is a minor but growing sport.. The sport is goverened by the Dutch Rugby Union, which organizes the Netherlands national rugby union team.

Governing body

The Dutch Rugby Federation was founded on September 7, 1920 but ceased to exist in 1923 due to a lack of clubs. They reorganized on October 1, 1932, as Dutch Rugby Union (Dutch: "Nederlandse Rugby Bond"), only six months after the Netherlands national rugby union team played their first match against Belgium.[1] The union is affiliated to the IRB in 1988 [2] and has 8,000 registered players (in 2007).[3]

History

Koninklijke HFC was the first Dutch rugby club in 1879, but defected to association football in 1883.

The first rugby club was HFC, established on September 15, 1879 by the 14-year-old Pim Mulier, who first encountered the sport in 1870. However HFC switched to association football in 1883. The Delftsche Studenten Rugby - Club (DSR-C) was the first official rugby club on September 24, 1918.

Dutch rugby started setting down roots in the pre-World War II period. The subsequent German occupation and World War II disrupted its growth, and it took years for the Dutch game to return to its pre-war state. Then in the post-war years, the massive growth and stifling influence of Dutch association football on other sports also hindered further development.

The first Dutch international was in 1932, against Belgium.

Nonetheless, the Netherlands' proximity to the European rugby heartland of the British Isles and France, has ensured a fairly healthy stream of touring sides from these areas. Given the low profile of the game in the Netherlands, Dutch rugby still manages to support over a hundred clubs, and has 7-8,000 players, which is a larger number than some Rugby World Cup entrants.[2]

In the 1978-79 season, the Dutch leagues were affected by a severe winter, which prevented teams playing on grass rugby pitches.[4] The season managed to finish on time, mainly because the matches were transferred onto beaches to avoid snow and ice.[4]

Dutch rugby received a boost in 1996, when they beat a full strength team from Moseley RFC.[2]

Notable Dutch players

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rugby union in the Netherlands.

References

  1. ↑ (Dutch) utrechtrugby.nl
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1) p67
  3. ↑ (Dutch) rugby.nl PDF file
  4. 1 2 Cotton, p21
  5. ↑ (Dutch) http://www.welzorg.nl/Pages/TER/3/670.html
  6. ↑ (Dutch) Bierman blijft ook in rolstoel zeer betrokken bij de sport (De Volkskrant) Gepubliceerd op 16 april 1998 00:00, bijgewerkt op 16 januari 2009 11:54
  7. ↑ http://www.journallive.co.uk/newcastle-sports/north-east-rugby/2008/01/18/dutch-gem-tim-starts-to-shine-61634-20364418/
  8. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/content/articles/2007/09/05/saints_loaned_newcastle_falcons_duo_feature.shtml
  9. 1 2 http://www.newcastle-falcons.co.uk/113_563.php
  10. 1 2 http://www.edinburghrugby.org/content/view/2411/88/
  11. ↑ http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport/rugby-north-east/2007/08/09/falcons-hope-for-case-of-lucky-sevens-79310-19601556/
  12. ↑ van Harskamp, Kelly. http://www.rugbyworld.com/countries/rest-of-the-world/kelly-van-harskamp-the-flying-dutchwoman/#XsisakmKCY1Rcjbm.99. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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