Rugby union in Turkey is a minor but growing sport.
Governing body
The governing body is the
Turkish Rugby Federation. Federation became unique body for rugby in 2011 and has been accepted to FIRA-AER in July, 2012. It is a growing and respected sport.
History
Some of the earliest rugby games played in Turkey were between
ANZACs and British troops serving in the
Dardanelles Campaign during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
[http://wesclark.com/rrr/life_less_ordinary.html "A Life Less Ordinary" on the ''Rugby Readers review'' Retrieved 26 July 2009] In a letter to
Harold Austin, the
Manly rugby club secretary,
Tom Richards said that rugby was "a splendid break in the irksome routine of military life, which dulls one's wits and brings on a state of general carelessness".
[
The eight "old" Rugby clubs in Turkey are the Istanbul Ottomans, Metu Rugby, Kadikoy, Girne Pumas, Saint Benoit, Saint Joseph Istanbul, Saint Joseph Izmir, IRC and Koc School.][http://wesclark.com/rrr/islamic_rugby.html "Islam and Rugby" on the ''Rugby Readers review'' retrieved 2 July 2009] For many years, apart from playing the odd game against a Greek team, or from Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...
there was little outside contact.[
The game is undergoing development by the efforts on senior level of the clubs such as ]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 ...
, Metu Rugby previous champion, Istanbul Ottomans, Kadikoy rugby and samsun rugby. Those teams are working hard to encourage the sport to be known, loved, and played nationwide. With the progress and the determination of the clubs, a Turkish national rugby union team is expected to emerge in the near future. A new Rugby Club has also recently been established in the Aegean resort town of Kusadasi and are called the Kusadasi Eagles. The Eagles host a tournament each year in Kusadasi open to Turkish and overseas clubs.
Niall Doherty (Ireland) in the Technical Director and Head Coach for Turkey.
The Pumas were founded in October 2003 and have developed into one of the most respected teams competing in the Turkish league with matches being played against the Istanbul Ottomans, Metu Rugby, Samsun, Kadikoy, Bakirkoy. They have regular test matches with teams from the UN and recently played host to Worcester Rugby Club who enjoyed their tour of Northern Cyprus.
See also
* Turkey national rugby union team
* Turkey women's national rugby union team
References
External links
Online Rugby Magazine in Turkish
Turkish Rugby Federation
METU Rugby Official Site
Kadikoy Rugby Football Club
Bakirkoy Rugby Club
Cyprus Pumas Rugby Club
are competitive members of the Turkey Rugby Federation
Kusadasi Eagles
* Avrasya Ragbi Takımı
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