Location Oradea, Romania | President Mircea Tucudean | |
Full name Rugby Club Spartan Oradea Coach(es) Stefan Csornai (player-coach) League Hungarian National Championship I | ||
RC Spartan Oradea (also known as Nágyvarad Spartans, as Nágyvarad is the Hungarian name for the city) is a Romanian rugby club in Oradea. They currently play in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I of Hungary, after having played in Romanian leagues originally. This makes them at least the second club outside Hungary to play in the Hungarian league, after Slovakians Slovan Bratislava back in 2005.
Contents
Their name comes from a security company owned by lock and club president Mircea Tucudean.
History
The club was founded in 2005 by Tucudean, a former soldier and bodyguard who himself had played rugby while at the University of Oradea. Prior to the foundation of the club, the rugby team at the university managed to reach Divizia A, the second level of rugby in Romania, before disbanding a few years later.
In 2008, the club withdrew from the Romanian league to play in neighboring Hungary, citing financial reasons and inconcistencies in refereeing. The Hungarian Rugby Federation (MRgSz) welcomed them with open arms, as they saw the move as an attempt to help improve the quality of rugby in that country.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.