Rugby union in Spain

Rugby union is a popular team sport played in Spain. The national side has played at the 1999 Rugby World Cup and is considered one of the stronger European nations outside the Six Nations Championship. Spanish club rugby is divided into divisions.

Popularity

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Spain, and as such, rugby union gets minimal media coverage. After the national team qualified for their first ever World Cup, the 1999 World Cup, participation rates for rugby union had jumped up by 20% in the Madrid area by 2001. In addition, funding from the Spanish sports council has also been on the rise. There are currently over 17,000 registered rugby union players in Spain, with more than 200 clubs across the country.

There are pockets where the sport is particularly popular, such as Valladolid, a city located in north-central Spain, Sant Boi de Llobregat in Catalonia and the Basque country. French rugby club Biarritz Olympique have played Heineken Cup matches at the 32,000-seat Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastián, Spain and attracted sell-out crowds.

Governing body

The Spanish Rugby Federation (Spanish: Federación Española de Rugby) is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in Spain.

It joined the International Rugby Board in 1988. It is located in Madrid.

Competitions

The Spanish rugby union league is divided into divisions. The top teams play in the División de Honor. In each division, a team plays all other teams twice, once at home and once away. The Spanish league teams compete in a domestic cup competition each year, called the Copa del Rey. The winners of the División de Honor de Rugby (Honor Division) play the winners of the Copa del Rey in the Supercopa de España de Rugby (Super Cup). The champion of the División de Honor earns a spot in the European Challenge Cup.

Current hierarchical divisional breakdowns

* División de Honor (10 teams)
* División de Honor B (2 groups of 8 teams each)
* Primera Nacional (4 groups of 8 teams each)

Other competitions

*Copa del Rey de Rugby

National team

:"Main article:" Spain national rugby union team:"See also:" Spain at the Rugby World CupThe Spain national rugby union team represents the whole country and have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s. Their first match was in 1929 against Italy, which Spain won 9-0. Spain has thus far made one World Cup appearance, being in 1999. They were grouped in Pool A, alongside South Africa, Scotland and Uruguay. South Africa and Scotland defeated Spain by 40 points, and they also lost to Uruguay, though it was a closer contest.

External links

* [http://www.zonarugby.com/ International and Spanish rugby union news ]
* [http://www.ferugby.com/ Royal Spanish Rugby Federation Official Website]
* [http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2001_november/spanish_rugby_going_forward_12494,7716.html SPANISH RUGBY GOING FORWARD]
* [http://www.planet-rugby.com/Story_Listing/0,18261,3968_,00.html Spanish rugby union news on Planet Rugby]