The Czech Rugby Union () is the governing body for

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It was founded in 1926 and became affiliated to the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international competit ...

in 1988 while still the governing body for

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. It organises the two leagues, the

Extraliga ragby XV The Extraliga rugby XV is a rugby club competition played in the Czech Republic and is the top level of rugby in the country. There is a promotion-relegation process between the Extraliga ragby and the 1. Liga ragby XV. The league used to be know ...

and 1. Liga ragby XV, and the various national teams. It is based in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

History

Rugby was first brought to Czech lands while it was part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

in 1895 but it did not gain popularity after a match at the Prague Yacht Club organised by Josef Rössler-Ořovský. In 1926 following

's independence, the Czech writer Ondřej Sekora returned to his hometown

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

from France with a rugby ball and a French copy of the

laws of rugby union The laws of Rugby Union are defined by World Rugby (originally the International Rugby Football Board, and later International Rugby Board) and dictate how the game should be played. They are enforced by a referee, generally with the help of tw ...

. Sekora translated the laws into Czech and trained two teams to compete in the nation's first rugby match. This was when the Czechoslovak Rugby Union was founded. In 1934, they were one of the founder members of the

Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur Rugby Europe is the administrative body for rugby union in Europe. It was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise, and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of World Rugby (the sport's global governing body). However, it ...

(FIRA). Under communist rule, until 1989, all rugby stadiums were paid for and maintained by the local municipalities. This was despite rugby being a minority sport in Czechoslovakia. In 2016, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Czech Rugby Union, they hosted the

Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

for a match against the

Czech Republic national rugby union team The Czech Republic national rugby union team is the third tier rugby national team of the Czech Republic. They first started playing as the Czech Republic in 1993 after the split of Czechoslovakia and now compete in the European Nations Cup. T ...

. In the same year, they restructured 1. Liga ragby XV to be split into

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

and

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

with the winners of each group gaining promotion to Extraliga ragby XV. In 2023, it was announced by Rugby Europe (formerly FIRA) that the Czech Rugby Union would host the Rugby Europe Under-18 Championship and Rugby Europe Under-18 Championship until 2027. In 2024, the Czech Rugby Union announced a partnership with the

French Rugby Federation The French Rugby Federation (, ; FFR) is the governing body for rugby union in France. It is responsible for the French national team and the Ligue nationale de rugby that administers the country's professional leagues. History Before the FFR ...

in order to assist with coaching with the aim of getting the Czech Republic women's national rugby sevens team to qualify for the

2028 Summer Olympics The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA 28, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place July 14–30, 2028, in the United States. Los Angeles ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Rugby union in the Czech Republic

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

Czechia Sports organizations established in 1926 1926 establishments in Czechoslovakia

History

See also

References

External links