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==History==
==History==
[[File:KHFC-hist.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Koninklijke HFC]] was the very first Dutch rugby club in 1879, but defected to association football in 1883.]]
The Netherlands played their first game in 1932, against [[Belgium national rugby union team|Belgium]] on March 13. The Netherlands played Belgium and [[Germany national rugby union team|Germany]] as well as [[Romania national rugby union team|Romania]].

The first rugby club was [[Koninklijke HFC|HFC]], established on September 15, 1879 by the 14 year old [[Pim Mulier]], who first encountered the sport in 1870. However HFC switched to association football in 1883. The ''Delftsche Studenten Rugby - Club (DSR-C)'' was the first official rugby club on September 24, 1918.

Dutch rugby started setting down roots in the pre-World War II period. The subsequent German occupation and [[World War II]] disrupted its growth, and it took years for the Dutch game to return to its pre-war state. Then in the post-war years, the massive growth and stifling influence of Dutch [[association football]] on other sports also hindered further development.

The first Dutch international was in 1932, against [[Belgium national rugby union team|Belgium]].

Nonetheless, the Netherlands' proximity to the European rugby heartland of the British Isles and France, has ensured a fairly healthy stream of touring sides
from these areas. Given the low profile of the game in the Netherlands, Dutch rugby still manages to support over a hundred clubs, and has 7-8,000 players, which is a larger number than some [[Rugby World Cup]] entrants.<ref name=Completerugby/>


During the 1940s they played regularly against Belgium and Germany. The 1960s saw the side play West Germany regularly as well as other fixtures including matches against [[Poland national rugby union team|Poland]], [[Sweden national rugby union team|Sweden]], [[Spain national rugby union team|Spain]] and [[Czech Republic national rugby union team|Czechoslovakia]].
During the 1940s they played regularly against Belgium and Germany. The 1960s saw the side play West Germany regularly as well as other fixtures including matches against [[Poland national rugby union team|Poland]], [[Sweden national rugby union team|Sweden]], [[Spain national rugby union team|Spain]] and [[Czech Republic national rugby union team|Czechoslovakia]].

In the 1978-79 season, the Dutch leagues were affected by a severe winter, which prevented teams playing on grass rugby pitches.<ref name=RugbyDis1>Cotton, p21</ref> The season managed to finish on time, mainly because the matches were transferred onto beaches to avoid snow and ice.<ref name=RugbyDis1/>


The 1970s saw fixtures played against teams including Italy. They won a number of games from 1984 through to 1987. Currently the team plays in the [[2010-12 European Nations Cup First Division]] B
The 1970s saw fixtures played against teams including Italy. They won a number of games from 1984 through to 1987. Currently the team plays in the [[2010-12 European Nations Cup First Division]] B

Dutch rugby received a boost in 1996, when they beat a full strength team from [[Moseley Rugby Football Club|Moseley RFC]].<ref name=Completerugby/>


Since the introduction of the [[Rugby World Cup]], the Netherlands has yet to qualify for the finals tournament.
Since the introduction of the [[Rugby World Cup]], the Netherlands has yet to qualify for the finals tournament.

Revision as of 02:40, 15 January 2015

 Netherlands
File:Netherlands national rugby union team (logo).png
UnionDutch Rugby Union
Coach(es)Alex Chang[1]
Captain(s)Allard Jonkers
Most capsMarc Visser (67)[2]
Team kit
Change kit
First international
Netherlands Netherlands 6 - 6 Belgium Belgium
(March 13, 1932)
Largest win
Netherlands Netherlands 62 - 0 Denmark Denmark
(October 6, 1973)
Largest defeat
England England 110 - 0 Netherlands Netherlands
(November 14, 1998)

The Netherlands national rugby union team are a national sporting side of the Netherlands, representing them at rugby union. The side first played in 1932.

History

Koninklijke HFC was the very first Dutch rugby club in 1879, but defected to association football in 1883.

The first rugby club was HFC, established on September 15, 1879 by the 14 year old Pim Mulier, who first encountered the sport in 1870. However HFC switched to association football in 1883. The Delftsche Studenten Rugby - Club (DSR-C) was the first official rugby club on September 24, 1918.

Dutch rugby started setting down roots in the pre-World War II period. The subsequent German occupation and World War II disrupted its growth, and it took years for the Dutch game to return to its pre-war state. Then in the post-war years, the massive growth and stifling influence of Dutch association football on other sports also hindered further development.

The first Dutch international was in 1932, against Belgium.

Nonetheless, the Netherlands' proximity to the European rugby heartland of the British Isles and France, has ensured a fairly healthy stream of touring sides from these areas. Given the low profile of the game in the Netherlands, Dutch rugby still manages to support over a hundred clubs, and has 7-8,000 players, which is a larger number than some Rugby World Cup entrants.[3]

During the 1940s they played regularly against Belgium and Germany. The 1960s saw the side play West Germany regularly as well as other fixtures including matches against Poland, Sweden, Spain and Czechoslovakia.

In the 1978-79 season, the Dutch leagues were affected by a severe winter, which prevented teams playing on grass rugby pitches.[4] The season managed to finish on time, mainly because the matches were transferred onto beaches to avoid snow and ice.[4]

The 1970s saw fixtures played against teams including Italy. They won a number of games from 1984 through to 1987. Currently the team plays in the 2010-12 European Nations Cup First Division B

Dutch rugby received a boost in 1996, when they beat a full strength team from Moseley RFC.[3]

Since the introduction of the Rugby World Cup, the Netherlands has yet to qualify for the finals tournament.

2010–12 European Nations Cup

The 2010–12 European Nations Cup Division 1B was a very disappointing performance from the Dutch side as they won only 1 of their 10 games, and they were therefore relegated for the 2012–14 European Nations Cup First Division.

For the 2010-11 season, they lost all 5 of their games with their first to Czech Republic by 25 – 13, which was followed by a 29 – 10 loss to Germany. They then lost to Poland, Belgium and Moldova 32 – 18, 30 – 18 and 22 – 15 respectively.

The 2011-12 season started with another loss to Germany 23 – 7, followed by Czech Republic 22 – 10 and the worst of the lot, a 58 – 3 slaughtering to the hands of Belgium. They then had something to smile about even though it had no outcome to their final standing, as they beat Moldova 40 – 26, but finished off a very disappointing year with a 32 – 19 loss to Poland.

Current Team

References

  1. ^ http://www.rugby.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=610&Itemid=308 viewed 19 dec 2011
  2. ^ http://www.edinburghrugby.org/team/back-three/tim-visser
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Completerugby was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cotton, p21
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