The Limassol Crusaders are an independent
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club based in
Limassol
Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...
,
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
. They were the 2nd independent rugby club to be formed in Cyprus, after the
Paphos Tigers The Paphos Tigers are an independent rugby union club based in Paphos, Cyprus. They are known as the first independent rugby club in Cyprus. They have been established since July 10, 2003. The Paphos Tigers have a senior rugby team as well as a mini ...
. They were established in late 2003.
History
The club was formed, and initial membership recruited, by word of mouth after the
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...
. Temporary training facilities were used initially, including a spell at the Elias Beach Resort Hotel, until the club finally leased the AEK Achileas Stadium in 2004, with the club joining the Joint Services Rugby Football Union and competing formally starting with the 2004/05 season. When the Cyprus Rugby Federation formed its own league, Limassol Crusaders joined it.
When, in 2006, Cyprus formed a
national squad, five Crusaders were members of the team that won their inaugural game against
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
In 2013, the Crusaders moved to a new stadium in the
Mesa Geitonia
Mesa Geitonia ( el, Μέσα Γειτονιά) is a municipality of Cyprus, located in the district of Limassol
Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the dist ...
area of Limassol. The new stadium has a higher capacity, better drainage and conforms better to
IRB safety regulations.
In 2016, the club moved back to the historical stadium next to Katholiki Technical School after closing the contract with the previous venue.
Results
League
Tournaments
Tours
a Match played in the 2015 Warsaw Rugby Festival.
Current squad
''2015/16''
Internationally capped players
* Andrew Spring
* Panayiotis Jacovides
* Scott Lennox
* Dan McFarlane
* Constantinos Constantinides
* Artemis Papageorgiou
* Solomone Tuipulotu
Internationally capped former players
* Marco Mladenovic
* Fidias Efthimiou
* Kiki Vatikiotis
* Dimitri Maratheftis
* George Stylianou
* Dervis Devren
* Nathan Pring
* Greg Loucaides
* Chris Christofi
* Kostas Christou
* Peter Hunter
* Panayiotis Loizides
* Will Booth
* Stevie Awah
* Andy Webster
Captains
* 2004/05 Zeno Nicolaou
* 2005/06 Zeno Nicolaou
* 2006/07 Chris Snaith
* 2007/08 Andrew Spring
* 2008/09 Darryl Davies
* 2009/10 Greg Loucaides
* 2010/11 Andrew Spring - Marko Mladenovic
* 2011/12 Fraser Nelson
* 2012/13 Fraser Nelson
* 2013/14 Constantinos Constantinides
* 2014/15 Constantinos Constantinides
* 2015/16 Constantinos Constantinides
* 2016/17 Constantinos Constantinides
* 2017/18 Constantinos Constantinides
* 2018/19 Constantinos Constantinides
Youth rugby
As well as the senior team, the Crusaders also encourage youth rugby. The Crusader Colts is open to boys and girls aged 13 and older and the Minicru is open to children aged 6 and older.
Veterans rugby
In November 2016 the Limassol Crusaders for the first time fulfil a Veterans squad as opposition for the Camberley Rugby Vet
on tour in Cyprus. The team has been unofficially called "the Commandarias".
References
{{reflist
External links
Limassol Crusaders RFCCyprus Rugby Federation
Rugby union in Cyprus
Cypriot rugby union teams
Sport in Limassol