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 ...
in
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
, formerly known as the
New Hebrides
New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...
, is a popular sport. Vanuatu is a tier three
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 ...
playing nation. They began playing international rugby union in 1966 and have yet to make the
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...
.
Despite its size and lack of club infrastructure, there are 2143 registered players of rugby union, 100 of whom are female, and there are fifteen clubs.
[ IRB.com accessed on 28 June 2009] Although some may argue about the true 'number of players' involved in the game, no one can deny the slow progress the game has had in a nation where politics and sport go hand in hand.
The national side is ranked 91st in the world (as of June, 2009)
[ and has played just 8 matches.
]
Governing body
The governing body is the Vanuatu Rugby Football Union based at Port Vila.
History
Rugby union reached Vanuatu via both the French and the British, as well as contacts with neighbouring islands. Before independence in 1980, the New Hebrides were a unique form of colonial territory in which sovereignty was shared by two great powers - Britain and France - instead of exercised by just one. The Condominium divided the New Hebrides into two separate communities — one Anglophone and one Francophone. This divide continues even after independence, with schools either teaching in one language or the other, and between different political parties.
Teams from Vanuatu have competed with teams from the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...
although usually with not much success.
In the 1980s and 1990s an expatriate team in Port Vila, the Berocca's, regularly played local teams within Port Vila and hosted visiting Australian and New Zealand Navy teams. These games fostered the growth of local rugby and the talent within the local teams.
See also
* Vanuatu national rugby union team
* Vanuatu national under-20 rugby union team
* Vanuatu Rugby Football Union
References
External links
IRB Vanuatu page
Oceania Nations, Vanuatu
Sport in Vanuatu
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