Rugby union in Turkey is a minor but growing sport.
Governing body
The governing body is the
Turkish Rugby Federation. Federation became unique body for rugby in 2011 and has been accepted to FIRA-AER in July, 2012. It is a growing and respected sport.
History
Some of the earliest rugby games played in Turkey were between
ANZAC
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood comm ...
s and British troops serving in the
Dardanelles Campaign during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
[http://wesclark.com/rrr/life_less_ordinary.html "A Life Less Ordinary" on the ''Rugby Readers review'' Retrieved 26 July 2009] In a letter to
Harold Austin
Sir Harold Bruce Gardiner Austin OBE (15 July 1877 – 27 July 1943) was a Barbadian politician and cricketer. He was known as H.B.G..
Austin was the son of John Gardiner Austin, a shipper connected with the sugar trade, and his wife Dorothy ...
, the
Manly rugby club secretary,
Tom Richards said that rugby was "a splendid break in the irksome routine of military life, which dulls one's wits and brings on a state of general carelessness".
[
The eight "old" Rugby clubs in Turkey are the Istanbul Ottomans, Metu Rugby, Kadikoy, Girne Pumas, Saint Benoit, Saint Joseph Istanbul, Saint Joseph Izmir, IRC and Koc School.][http://wesclark.com/rrr/islamic_rugby.html "Islam and Rugby" on the ''Rugby Readers review'' retrieved 2 July 2009] For many years, apart from playing the odd game against a Greek team, or from Northern Cyprus there was little outside contact.[
The game is undergoing development by the efforts on senior level of the clubs such as ]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 it ...
, Metu Rugby previous champion, Istanbul Ottomans, Kadikoy rugby and samsun rugby. Those teams are working hard to encourage the sport to be known, loved, and played nationwide. With the progress and the determination of the clubs, a Turkish national rugby union team is expected to emerge in the near future. A new Rugby Club has also recently been established in the Aegean resort town of Kusadasi and are called the Kusadasi Eagles. The Eagles host a tournament each year in Kusadasi open to Turkish and overseas clubs.
Niall Doherty (Ireland) in the Technical Director and Head Coach for Turkey.
The Pumas were founded in October 2003 and have developed into one of the most respected teams competing in the Turkish league with matches being played against the Istanbul Ottomans, Metu Rugby, Samsun, Kadikoy, Bakirkoy. They have regular test matches with teams from the UN and recently played host to Worcester Rugby Club who enjoyed their tour of Northern Cyprus.
See also
* Turkey national rugby union team
The Turkey national rugby union team is a relatively recent creation, being started at the end of 2009. Turkey is currently a third-tier side. The team first played in 2012 against Slovakia and won 31–5 in Bratislava. On tour, they also defea ...
* Turkey women's national rugby union team
References
External links
Online Rugby Magazine in Turkish
Turkish Rugby Federation
METU Rugby Official Site
Kadikoy Rugby Football Club
Bakirkoy Rugby Club
Cyprus Pumas Rugby Club
are competitive members of the Turkey Rugby Federation
Kusadasi Eagles
* Avrasya Ragbi Takımı
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