Rugby union in Czechoslovakia
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

was a moderately popular sport. It was most popular in Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...

 (especially Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...

), Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 and Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...


Governing body

Czechoslovakia was a founder member of FIRA in 1934, and joined the IRB in 1988.

Traditionally, Czech rugby has centred around a "section of the middle class" in and around Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

, which has been fairly small but fairly loyal to the sport.

History

Rugby union was a moderately popular sport in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...



Josef Rössler-Ořovský, who introduced a number of sports in the then Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

, among others skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

 and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

, was originally credited with starting rugby as well back in 1895. He went to England and brought back a rugby ball with him. Efforts were made to play the game at the Czech Yacht Club, but a public struggle ensued, and rugby subsequently never really caught on.

Rugby union was only properly introduced to the country by the writer Ondřej Sekora
Ondřej Sekora
Ondřej Sekora was a Czech painter, illustrator, writer, journalist and entomologist. He is known mainly as an author of children books. Sekora was also one of the first propagators of rugby in Czechoslovakia....

, when he returned from living in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 in 1926, with a rugby ball and set of rules. Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...

, the Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...

n capital is considered the cradle of rugby in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

, and is where the first match took place, between SK Moravská Slávie, based in Brno-Pisárky, and AFK Zizka, based in Brno. Both of these teams were trained by Sekora, who also coined Czech language
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...

 rugby terminology.

Rugby in Czechoslovakia started out in 1926, with renowned writer and illustrator Ondřej Sekora
Ondřej Sekora
Ondřej Sekora was a Czech painter, illustrator, writer, journalist and entomologist. He is known mainly as an author of children books. Sekora was also one of the first propagators of rugby in Czechoslovakia....

 a major force in promoting the game. Sekora learned the game while in France and played himself. The first rugby match in the country was played on May 9, 1926 when SK Moravská Slavia took on AFK Žižka Brno in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...

, with the former winning 31-17.
"Much to everyone's surprise, Eastern Bloc countries are among the game's vigorous participants, seemingly oblivious to rugby's capitalist class-ridden origins... Rumania, Poland and Czechoslovakia are members of the Federation Internationale de Rugby Amateur
FIRA
FIRA is a four-letter acronym used for:* FIRA - Association of European Rugby* Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations* Foreign Investment Review Agency * Federation of International Robot-soccer Association...

, the governing body for those countries not in the IB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...

.
"

1970s, 1980s and 1990s

Czechoslovakia was not invited to the first Rugby World Cup in 1987
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...

, and did not qualify for the second in 1991
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...

.

Rugby union like many other sports, was long to be connected in the public mind with the less savoury aspects of Communism:
"In fact, since the end of the Second World War, the East European (and world communist) sports system was dominated by clubs of the security forces (often in Eastern Europe bearing the Soviet name Dinamo) and the armed forces. Most sports heroes, therefore, have officially been soldiers or police officers, guardians of public order and role models for a disciplined, obedient and patriotic citizenry. So to many people, élite sport was identified with paramilitary coercion."

Break up of Czechoslovakia

The breakup of Czechoslovakia led to the similar break up of its sporting bodies, with separate Czech and Slovak teams etc.

Popularity

Although such tournaments as the Soviet Cup
Soviet Cup (rugby)
The Soviet Cup was a rugby union club competition between the domestic teams of the Soviet Union era. The first competition was held in 1976, and continued on an annual basis until 1990.-Results:-See also:* Soviet Championship* Professional Rugby League...

 and the Soviet Championship existed, rugby never reached its full potential in the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 was the bigger of the two rugby codes though - rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 only really took off in the former Soviet Union after the collapse of Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

.

National team

The SFR Czechoslovakia side was, strictly speaking, a multinational side, consisting as it did of representatives of all the various nations within the SFR Czechoslovakia.

Its successor teams are the Czech Republic national rugby union team
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. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup, but...

 and the Slovakia national rugby union team
Slovakia national rugby union team
The Slovak national rugby union team represents Slovakia in international rugby union. Slovakia have yet to qualify for a Rugby World Cup. They are currently affiliated to FIRA-AER, but not yet to the IRB.-History:...

.

See also

  • Czech Republic
    • Rugby union in the Czech Republic
      Rugby union in the Czech Republic
      Rugby union in the Czech Republic is a minor sport. As of 01 November 2010, they are currently ranked thirty-first in the International Rugby Board's world rankings,....

    • Czech Republic national rugby union team
      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. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup, but...

    • Czech Republic women's national rugby union team
      Czech Republic women's national rugby union team
      The Czech Republic women's national rugby union team are a national sporting side of the Czech Republic, representing them at rugby union. The side first played in 2004.-Results summary:-Results:...

    • Czech Republic national rugby union team (sevens)
      Czech Republic national rugby union team (sevens)
      The Czech Republic national rugby union sevens is a minor national sevens side.-History:Their most notable achievement to date was in 2001, when they won the Bowl final of the Singer Sevens in Sri Lanka.-Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7's:...

    • Czech Rugby Union
  • Slovakia
    • Rugby union in Slovakia
      Rugby union in Slovakia
      Rugby union in Slovakia is a minor but growing sport.-History:Rugby union was introduced to Czechoslovakia by the Czech/Moravian writer Ondřej Sekora, when he returned from living in France in 1926, with a rugby ball and set of rules....

    • Slovakia national rugby union team
      Slovakia national rugby union team
      The Slovak national rugby union team represents Slovakia in international rugby union. Slovakia have yet to qualify for a Rugby World Cup. They are currently affiliated to FIRA-AER, but not yet to the IRB.-History:...


Sources

  • Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1 86200 013 3)
  • Richards, Huw A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union (Mainstream Publishing
    Mainstream Publishing
    Mainstream Publishing is a publishing company in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1978. It is associated with the Random House Group, who bought Mainstream in 2005....

    , Edinburgh
    Edinburgh
    Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

    , 2007, ISBN 978-1-84596-255-5)


External links

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