Carinthian Matadors Rugby Football Club

Infobox_esl_club | clubname = Carinthian Matadors R.F.C.


fullname = "Carinthian Matadors Rugby Football Club"
emblem = Red bull fashioned with Rugby ball
colours = Red shirts with Yellow and White sleeves
founded = 2003
sport = Rugby union
league = [http://www.rugbysport.info Austrian Challenge Cup]
ground = Rugby Stadium, Paternion, Carinthia, Austria
web = [http://www.matadors.rugby.at home page]

Carinthian Matadors Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club in the Österreichischer Rugby Verband, they currently play in the [http://www.rugbysport.info Austrian Challenge Cup] .

The club was founded by Mike Wagner and Volker Mannheim in 2003. The Matadors played their first friendly, a 15-a-side against [http://www.rugby-innsbruck.at Rugby Club Innsbruck] , with help from the clubs in [http://www.rugby-graz.com Graz] and [http://www.rugbylinz.at Linz] . Paternion was also the venue for a preparation game between the Austria national rugby union team and [http://www.rugbyudine.it UDINE Rugby Football Club] .

The Matadors take part in the Austrian Challenge Cup since 2004. Steadily improving their game, they have managed so far to win three games. Top scorers are Jürgen Friedrich, Mathias Genser, Roland Gfrerer, Mike Wagner (in alphabetical order). The main handicap in the further development of the club is the low number of active players, currently about a dozen; a problem that will hopefully be addressed by raising increased awareness for the game.

The club hosted the match between Austria and Estonia of the Central Europe Development Tri-nations rugby league competition on the 2nd of September 2006. This was the first ever Rugby League game in Austria. Matadors's Mathias "Mote" Genser won the man of the match award for Austria.

The inaugural Carinthian Sevens took place on the 9th of September 2006, the "ållarerstes internationales Paternioner Kirchtågsturnier" in Carinthian German.

Teams from as far afield as Moldavia (RC UTM being the eventual winners), Slovenia and Germany participated. The success, especially due to the traditional and not so traditional entertainment available after the rugger - the event was held in conjunction with the local fair - encourages the Matadors to repeat the event next year on the second weekend of September, open to all interested teams and clubs.

The season 2008/09 marks a big step in the development of the club. Together with another club based in Carinthian, the Carinthian Bulldogs, founded early in 2008, the Matadors have been invited by the Austrian Rugby Union to participate - as Team Carinthia - in the forthcoming Second National Division.

The club's homeground in Paternion is currently Austria's only full-size permanent rugby ground. The Matadors actively promote the pitch for other unions, clubs and teams to use as a venue for internationals, friendlies and training camps.

External links

* [http://www.matadors.rugby.at Carinthian Matadors RFC Official Website]
* [http://www.rugby-austria.at/content/deutsch/news.php Austrian Rugby Union Official Website]
* [http://www.rugbysport.info Austrian Challenge Cup]
* [http://www.rlef.eu.com/newsstory.php?id=212 Central Europe Development Tri-nations Official Website]