Country Colombia First played Before 1986 Clubs 30 | National team Colombia Registered players 2,942 | |
Governing body Federacion Colombiana de Rugby | ||
Rugby union in Colombia is a minor but growing sport, with 2,942 registered players and 35 rugby union clubs in Colombia. The Colombian national team is currently ranked 53rd by the International Rugby Board.
Contents
Governing body
The governing body is the Colombian Rugby Federation (Federacion Colombiana de Rugby or F.C.R. in Spanish)
History
Rugby was first introduced into Colombia from the southern parts of South America, but really started going in the mid 1970s, when British and French expats, along with Colombians who had received rugby training at the Alianza Francesa, played on Sundays in Bogotá. By the 1990s there was a growing number of Colombians engaged in the sport. In 1977 Colombia hosted a visiting team from Ecuador, and in 1978 a Colombian team captained by Brian Perry (veterinarian) from the Bogota Sports Club travelled to Ecuador, playing the international match on a ground near the equator north of the capital Quito.
In Colombia, rugby is not well supported by the government or media, as football (soccer) has a stronger tradition in the country. The Colombian rugby team is called Los Tucanes.
The game is mainly centred in Bogotá, but there is also a presence in Medellin, and four other Colombian cities.
In Bogotá, rugby was pushed by a few players, initially Brian Perry (veterinarian) in the 1970s, then Alfonso Castafaletti and Hywel Jones in the early nineties and then in early 2000s Andrew Wright, Nick Reeves and Andres Tejada who is currently coaching the team with Juan Roman. Hans Rausch was instrumental in helping the game develop in Medellin. Brian Perry (veterinarian) initiated sevens rugby in Bogota in 1977, a challenge at 2,600 metres, and this is now being actively pursued in schools with support from Andrew Wright.
In 2006, a Colombian team toured Europe for the first time, visiting Anglesey in Wales
Women's rugby
Although Colombia's women have not yet played test match rugby, they have been playing international sevens rugby since 2004. (Current playing record).
National teams
The Colombia national rugby union team competes in rugby fifteens competitions, such as the South American Rugby Championship. The Colombia national rugby sevens team competes in international rugby sevens competitions, such as the 2017 Sudamérica Rugby Sevens.