Coach(es) Jon Flynn Most caps Nigel Shaplin (51) Most tries Steve Knowles (11) Location Luxembourg | Captain(s) Saman Rezapour Top scorer Gilles Caviglia (288) Arena/Stadium Stade Boy Konen Ground Stade Josy Barthel | |
Union Luxembourg Rugby Federation | ||
The Luxembourg national rugby union team (FLR) represents Luxembourg at rugby union. Luxembourg is a minor team, and is ranked as a third tier nation. The team participates in the annual Rugby Europe Championship Conference 1 North 2016–17 Rugby Europe Conference.
Contents
- National clubs
- World Rugby Ranking
- Longest winning streak
- Test Record
- Career
- 2016 2018 Rugby Europe Championship Conference 1 North
- Current Squad
- References
Luxembourg has been a member of FIRA since 1976, two years after the founding of Luxembourg Rugby Federation (French: Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Rugby (FLR)). The Grand Duchy has participated several times in the FIRA championships and, despite the small size, has honourably acquitted itself. Luxembourg has also been a member of the International Rugby Board since 1991.
The Luxembourg rugby team is the only national sports team to have been three times champions of their group in a European competition. In 1995, more than 20 points scored against Slovenia at Cessange and more than 20 points scored in Split against Croatia and finally an excellent draw against Andorra in Luxembourg enabled them to be champions of their group. In 1997 they won the Bronze Cup with wins against Bosnia, Bulgaria and Monaco. Luxembourg has in their past encounter recorded a 10-10 draw against Georgia, but the best performance to date was a“Grand Slam” in 2004 in FIRA-AER European Cup division 3B.
National clubs
The Rugby Club Luxembourg was founded in May 1973 by a group of expatriates working in the Grand Duchy. Several of the founders still live in Luxembourg and contribute one way or another to the sport. The club played its first competitive game against US Castillionnaise in September 1973. Up until 1995, the club played in the Alsace-Lorraine regional league. In that year, the team joined the Belgian second division, which it belonged to until 1998, when it earned promotion to the first division. In 2001, the club decided to return to the French league system, again playing regionally in Alsace-Lorraine. It won its division in 2008 but, after an invitation to play in Germany, decided to join the German league system in 2009.
De Rugby Club Walferdange was founded in 1990. In 2001, after 10 years in the Belgian League they finished top of the third division and champion during the 2002/03 season. In its first season in the second division, the club was relegated back to the third Division. The club's objective having gone through a rebuilding phase, is to return to the Belgian 2nd division and remain there.
The Richard Mertens Club is a member of the European Community sports clubs (French: Cercle Sportif des Communautés Européennes) and caters to children from Under 7s up to Under 19s, its goal being to promote the game of rugby in Luxembourg and act as a feeder club for the two senior clubs of Luxembourg with any talented players. Player retention remains a concern for Luxembourgish rugby with most of such players stopping the sport after school for various reasons, even if they remain in Luxembourg. Despite this, the school has had some success stories since its inception with a few of its past players having gone on to play for well known university and club sides, or having gone on to represent Luxembourg at the senior level.
World Rugby Ranking
Currently at 61st (31OCT16), highest 58th (5SEP16), lowest 94th (1DEC08)
Longest winning streak
10 (APR 14 to MAY 16)
Test Record
Career
Updated 5NOV16
2016-2018 Rugby Europe Championship Conference 1 North
2016–17 Rugby Europe Conference