Rugby union in Venezuela

Rugby union is a team sport that is played in Venezuela. However it is not as popular as sports such as football (soccer), baseball, volleyball or basketball, but it is practiced at some universities.

History

The history of rugby in Venezuela goes back to the fifties of the last century. When a group of English oil workers played the first match in Zulia state. However the real birth of rugby in Venezuela was around the sixties. Some Frenchmen, who lived in Caracas, created along with some Argentines and Uruguayans two clubs: Martell and Renault. Martell and Renault played the first organized match in Caracas. Later the two clubs mixed together to form a new one: the Rugby Club of Caracas (RCC) . Another club, Anaucos Rugby Club, was founded by a group of Argentines and Uruguayans. The first championship was organised in 1976 and the Rugby Club of Caracas was the winner.

La Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB) was the cradle of Venezuelan rugby at university level. Later other people created clubs of rugby in other Venezuelan universities. These actions gave the Venezuelan rugby a major stimulus, especially with the involvement of native players and the possibility of having permanent headquarters. Luis Castro Leiva, a Venezuelan lecturer of the philosophy of history, was one of the main promoters of rugby at university. The Venezuelan rugby federation was created in 1992.

Current events

At the beginning, Rugby was considered as an elitist sport in Venezuela because of the expenses. Players had to fund themselves in the terms of uniforms, gear, travel costs, etc. Recently the Venezuelan “National Institute of Sport” (IND) has given big financial support to the practice of this sport. On the other hand private companies like Empresas Polar, Ron Santa Teresa, Xerox, Zenda, CATIVEN, Gatorade, Sincor, G3, Price Waterhouse offer patronage to the clubs.

Now the majority of clubs in Venezuela come from the main Venezuelan universities. The local rugby season is held from January to July. The matches are played on the weekend. The most important tournaments are The National Championship (in Caracas), the Walter Bishop tournament (in Mérida) and the Sevens tournament (in Santa Teresa, Aragua state ).

The Venezuelan rugby federation is a member of the IRB and the CONSUR in the South American area. Rugby is rarely practiced outside universities. The most popular sports of Venezuela are baseball, basketball and football.

Men's clubs

Caracas
* Academia Militar de Venezuela (AMV), founded in 1975
* Anaucos Rugby Club, founded in 1974
* Caracas Exiles, founded in 1996
* Hebraica Bulldogs, founded in 1994
* OSOS Rugby Club, founded in 1984
* Payaras R.C. (Colegio Los Arcos), founded in 1995
* Rugby Club Caracas (RCC), founded in 1974
* Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB), founded in 1992
* Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), founded in 1992
* Celtas Rugby Club, founded in 1998
* Universidad Metropolitana (CRUM), founded in 1990
* Espartanos Rugby Club (Univ. Nueva Esparta), founded in 1995
* Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB), founded in 1974
* Unexpo Rugby Club Caracas founded in 1999
Barquisimeto
* Universidad Centro Occidental (UCLA)
Ciudad Guayana
* Albatros Rugby Club
* Dorados Rugby Club, founded in 1996
* Drakos UDO RFC, founded in 2003
* Nomadas Rugby Club
* UNEXPO Rugby Club, founded in 2002
Maracaibo
*Maracaibo Rugby Football Club "Oil Blacks"
Maracay
* Araguaney Rugby Club
* Frailes Rugby Club
Mérida
* Mérida Rugby Club
* Club De Rugby Caballeros De Mérida, founded in 1995
* IUTE Rugby Club
San Cristóbal
* Universidad del Táchira UNETRC
Valencia
* Valencia Rugby Club
Isla de Margarita
*Esparta Rugby Club
*Club de Rugby Unimar

Winners of the Venezuelan Championship (1999-2001)

* 1999 Universidad Metropolitana
* 2000 Liceo Los Arcos
* 2001 Universidad Metropolitana

Women’s clubs

Caracas
* Ángeles CRUM, founded in 1994
* Leónidas (Universidad de Nueva Esparta)
* Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB)
* Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV)
* Universidad Metropolitana (CRUM)
* Amazonas Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB)Mérida
* EspartanasPuerto Ordaz
* [Ateneas] [http://www.ateneasrugby.9f.com]

ources

* http://www.diasderugby.com.ar/venezuela.html (in Spanish)
* “Rugby in Venezuela: A sport to grow”, the Daily Journal, (Caracas) 20th November, 2004.
* http://rugby7.com/ven.asp (in Spanish)

ee also

* Venezuela national rugby union team

[http://rugbycaracas.blogspot.com]