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Rugby union in Finland

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Rugby union in Finland
CountryFinland
Governing bodySuomen Rugbyliitto
National team(s)Finland
Nickname(s)SRL
First played1978
Registered players577
Clubs14
National competitions
Club competitions

Rugby union in Finland is a minor but growing sport. They are currently ranked 92nd by World Rugby World Rugby.[1]

Governing body

The governing body is the Finnish Rugby Federation (Suomen Rugbyliitto) (Template:En icon:[2]

History

Finland was the last of the major Nordic countries to take up rugby. Both Denmark and Sweden started playing rugby in the 20th century, and more recently Norway in the 1980s and 1990s. Neighbouring Russia and to a lesser extent Estonia started playing within the Soviet Era, during the 1950s and 60s.

Finnish rugby started to grow during the 1990s, and early 21st century. There are now 577 players registered with the SRL.[3]

In 2000, Helsinki RFC made Finnish rugby history, when they beat a team from HMS Sheffield, a vessel in the British Royal Navy[4]

Teams

Currently Finland fields four national teams. Men 15s, Women 7s as well as the U20 and U17 age groups.

Domestic competition

Several competitions exist in Finland where climatic conditions dictate the main 15 a side season being played during the northern summer. Women play 7s on artificial grass from January to May.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.worldrugby.org/rankings retrieved 17 May 2015
  2. ^ http://www.rugby.fi/en/index.php
  3. ^ http://pulse-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/worldrugby/photo/2015/03/05/61b7a966-a65a-4952-8b71-74bed89a8d7c/WR_2014_Player_Numbers.jpg Retrieved 17 May 2009
  4. ^ http://www.helsinkirugby.org/?p=48&language=en Retrieved 23 June 2009
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