# 7 in the DOG RIVER HOWLERS RUGBY CLUB'S series of "GLOBAL RUGBY FAMILY" posted on -www.facebook.com/dogriverhowlers?fref=ts ( join to get ongoing rugby updates)
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# 7 -Serbian Rugby ( Ragbi Savez Srbije) - Serbia is a country in southeastern Europe with a population of 7.2 million.
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History

Rugby union was a moderately popular sport in the former Yugoslavia. Although Croatia was the main centre for the sport in the former Yugoslavia, there was still fair amount of rugby union played in Serbia.

The first known rugby players from Serbia were Serbian students in George Heriot's School in Edinburgh, Scotland during The First World War. 

On 11 April, 1918 they played the first international game,in front of 10,000 spectators, against a British Dominions XV and won by eight points to three. Notable players were Toma Tomic from Leskovac, Dimitrije Dulkanovic and Danilo Pavlovic.

After First World War students returned to Serbia and formed a couple clubs like "Jugoslavija" in Belgrade and "Beli orao" in Sabac but in 1923 rugby activities were stopped due to the lack of pitches.

During 60's,70's and 80's Serbian players played for Yugoslavia national rugby teams together with players from Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. 

After the finish of civil war in former Yugoslavia selection of FR Yugoslavia, consisted only by players from Serbia, the first game played in Vrsac against Andorra 1996.

The Rugby Championship of Yugoslavia ran from 1957-1991. Partizan, a Belgrade team, won the second, third, and fourth title, as well as the final one in 1991 and Dinamo Pančevo won the first ever championship played in 57`, and later in '68, '69, '74 and '79. Dinamo Pančevo won and the first ever Cup at the same year.

Before the break up in SFR Yugoslavia RK Partizan won titles in 1988 and 1991, in last championship.

After 1996, playing as FR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro until 2006, they have played regularly in FIRA-AER and IRB competitions.

In 2007, the Serbia women's national rugby union team played their first international, and they have played several games since then and regularly compete in FIRA Sevens competitions.

Domestic Structure 
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There are currently two divisions in Serbia. Pool A compete four clubs from Belgrade - RK Pobednik, RK Partizan, RK Žarkovo Balkanski komarac and KBRK. In Pool B are RK Vojvodina Novi Sad, RK Kruševac, KBRK 2 and RK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade).

IRB World rankings (men) - #74
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Numbers
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Number Of Clubs:10
Registered+Unregistered Players: 2912
Number of Referees: 12
Pre-teen Male Players: 921
Pre-teen Female Player:1 82
Teen Male Player; 717
Teen Female Player: 68
Senior Male Player: 955
Senior Female Player: 69
Total Male Player: 2593
Total Female Player: 319

Contact Information
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Email - rugbyoffice@ptt.rs

Phone - 381 11 32 45 743

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#6 Hungarian Rugby 
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History
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The Hungarian union (Hungarian: "Magyar Rögbi Szövetség") was founded in 1990, and affiliated to the IRB in 1991.

As early as 1875 a group of British Embassy employees played rugby on the Szabadság tér (Freedom Square) in Budapest.

At the 1935 World University Games held in Budapest, rugby was also included in the program (won 12-10 by France against Germany) but Hungary did not participate

Italians have played a major part in the establishment of Hungarian rugby, namely the late Carlos Passalacqua and his friends from the Italian Embassy in Budapest. The game was originally introduced by a group of Italian diplomats in the 1960s and 70s who founded a number of clubs. However, when they left, the game withered away in all butBudapest, where a small group of enthusiasts kept it going. 

Rugby at first was only played in the national capitall Budapest however in 1981 it would spread into the town of Kecskemét.

Hungary had its first international game in 1990, shortly after the foundation of the national union. This was against East Germany, which they lost with a respectable scoreline of 3-7.

In the early 1990s, former Italian cap, Dr Giancarlo Tiziani was a major driving force in Austrian rugby. Before his death in 1994, he tried hard to establish a Central European equivalent of the Five Nations between Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia.

On 6th of October 2012 a new record was set for most spectators to watch a rugby match in the country with over 3000 people watching Hungary win against Bulgaria 28-23 in a Rugby World Cup 2015 qualifier.

The Hungarians reflect the increasingly global nature of the Game, with two players, prop Daniel Toth and centre Tamas Odor, playing in the UK. Meanwhile, South African number 8 Andre Brand and Welsh fly half Gareth Lloyd are both eligible to play for Hungary having spent several years in the country


1968 - Italian diplomat Carlo Pasquale establishes rugby in Hungary. 
1979 - Clubs formed by universities in Budapest and Kecskemét. 
1990 - Hungarian Rugby Union formed with 9 clubs as founder members. Hungary plays it's first international, losing 3 - 7 to East Germany.
1991 - Hungary affiliated to FIRA and the IRB. The Blue Boar (Oxfordshire) becomes the first RFU club to make an official visit to Hungary.
1992 - Hungarian rugby championships and national league established.
1993 - Preliminary rounds of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
1994 - Hungary enters the FIRA European Championship.
1997 - Preliminary rounds of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
2002 - Hungarian National XV win the 3rd division of the European championships, gaining promotion.

Numbers
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Number Of Clubs:32
Registered+Unregistered Players:2930
Number of Referees:47
Pre-teen Male Players:65
Pre-teen Female Player:20
Teen Male Player:1105
Teen Female Player:120
Senior Male Player:1520
Senior Female Player:100
Total Male Player:2690
Total Female Player:240

Rugby Season
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Sep 1 - Jun 15 (excludes Dec 1 to the end of Feb, because of the winter conditions.)

Contact person for tours and any exchanges 
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Balazs Bohm general secretary of the Hungarian Rugby Union. mrgsz@mrgsz.hu . Mobil phone - +36 30 450 5006

# 5 in the DOG RIVER HOWLERS RUGBY CLUB'S series of "GLOBAL RUGBY FAMILY" posted on -www.facebook.com/dogriverhowlers?fref=ts ( join to get ongoing rugby updates)
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# 5 - St Lucia Rugby
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St. Lucia is a picturesque island country in the eastern Caribbean with a population of 175,000 where official language is English.

History
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Rugby was introduced to St Lucia by a group of expatriated living on the island in much the same way as it did in many other Caribbean territories. A Canadian teacher at the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School named Millar Young is credited with the introduction of the game here when he, along with some of his colleagues and friends started playing the game then formed the St Lucia Rugby Club in 1974.

This group of pioneers enlisted the services of some other expatriates and a number of athletic local lads to train and play among themselves. They also hosted teams from overseas and traveled to other rugby-playing nations such as Barbados and Guadeloupe to engage them in the sport played in heaven and the traditional ‘third half.’ Some of the players also became affiliated to teams in Martinique to hone their skills, gain experience and satisfy their thirst for adventure.

The sport was played continually until 1984 when it withered, died and lay dormant until 1993.

Another group of expatriates, Kelly Glass (New Zealand) together with the Trinidadian Trio of Kirk Hubson-Garcia, Derek Webb and Roger Butcher and a few local lads rekindled the flame in 1993 and the flame has been burning continuously ever since.

The SLRFU became a member of the West Indies Rugby Union (WIRU), then known as the Caribbean Rugby Football Union (CRFU,) in 1996 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board (IRB) in 1996. The Union, then known as the St Lucia Rugby Association (SLRFA) became a registered entity with the Ministry of Youth, Community Development, Social Affairs and Sports on 18th April 1995.

In 2011 the sport received a vital boost when the SLRFU agreed a partnership with sports development company; Caribbean Coaching. CC and their coaches have come with a clear remit of ‘introducing St. Lucia’s first ever domestic league’ & ‘raising the profile of the sport amongst the nation’s youth’. They have set-up a number of training districts across the island, decentralising the sport from its Castries base, which is evidenced in the National teams since.

Staff
President: Colvis Samuels
Secretary: Wedrel St Clair

Contact Details 
Email: scolvis@hotmail.com
Telephone: +1 758 4503896

Facebook
www.facebook.com/StLuciaRugby

Club Statistics
Number of Clubs: 3 
Number of Registered Players: 169
Number of Referees: 19
Number of Preteen Male Players: 20
Number of Preteen Female Players:15
Number of Teen Male Players: 35
Number of Teen Female Players: 15
Number of Senior Male Players: 58
Number of Senior Female Players: 26
Total Male Players: 113
Total Female Players: 56

Canada Men Win The Shield And The Women Place Third In Tokyo 7's Rugby Tournament
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Tokyo Sevens: Official day two men's highlights - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThGfvUuWwVg

On Day 2 of the Tokyo Sevens Canada beat Spain 39-0 and then went on to win the Shield by defeating Japan 27-14. Although earning 3 points they slipped from #9 to #11 in the HSBC Sevens World Sevens with a total of 54 points.

Number 2 ranked South Africa (which Canada actually defeated in the earlier played New Zealand Sevens) beat the HSBC Sevens World series leading New Zealand 24-19 to win the Cup Final. 

That is the beauty and excitement of 7's rugby - anyone can beat most any other team on any given day. That is one reason that this genre of the game is truly emerging into a global sport.

In the women's division Canada defeated Brazil 33-0 , then lost to England 19-5 but then went on to defeat USA 19-5 to place third in the tournament

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# 4 - Panama Rugby
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1. Rugby Organization Name: Panamanian Rugby Union (UPR). Officially recognized by the Panamanian Olympic Organization and in process of recognition of the South American Rugby Confederation (Consur)

2. Total Club Members: 4 in total. Dragons Rugby Club, Titans Rugby Club, Barbarians Rugby Club and Spartans Rugby Club.

3. Total Members: there is an average about 20 to 25 members per club. There are two clubs with female divisions who are the Titans RC and Dragons RC with about 10 to 15 female members per club

4. Accomplishments: we have participated in 5 regional tournaments of Rugby XV and Rugby Sevens in Central America and occupying first and second positions in most of the tournaments.

5. Contact Person: Mr. Chang Ng, email: csnl72@yahoo.com

6. Our web page: www.rugbypanama507.com you can get some picture of us in our web page.

. Our Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Union-Panameña-de-Rugby-UPR-Diablos-Rojos/214688155225485

# 3 In The HOWLERS series of "GLOBAL RUGBY FAMILY" posted on - www.facebook.com/dogriverhowlers?fref=ts
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3. Afghanistan Rugby Federation ( ARF ) Afghanistan Rugby Federation ( ARF ) : by Asad Ziar Chief - Executive Officer Afghanistan Rugby Federation
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About
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It is the official Federation for the sport of Afghan Rugby and is involved in educating, supporting and enabling young Afghans to excel and compete

Mission
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In recent times, rugby has been reintroduced by foreign forces once more, being played amongst British, Australian, French, Canadian and even American troops in their forward operating bases where common Afghan people can’t watch them playing rugby and we could not witness any Afghans playing rugby.

ARF cap
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Afghanistan Rugby Federation ( ARF ) officially launched rugby in Afghanistan on May 20, 2011 with the aim and intention that Rugby will soon be developed into a sport game. ARF is registered with National Olympic Committee and approved by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Rugby Federation is in process of developing into a nation-wide organization which will certainly promote the game of rugby and the accompanying spirit of teamwork and fair competition in between all age-groups throughout Afghanistan emphasizing the young generation of Afghanistan. ARF is sure that rugby will only thrive if it becomes a game played by a large number of young generations.

ARF has a very result oriented plan in hand which is called “ Afghan School Rugby (ASR) by implementing this project ARF will be able to achieve a widespread popularity in Afghanistan by making it the number one playing sport game in the country. The ASR project really need sponsors and donors who are willing to help the young generation to avoid war and criminal activities and to be a healthy member of an Afghan family.

Since we understand by making the young generation busy in sport activities they won't have sufficient time for drug addiction and that they will be prevented from other criminal activities and that they won't be part of the fighting sides.

Description
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The Afghanistan Rugby Federation is affiliated with the National Olympic Committee, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan[citation needed]. It is the official Federation for the sport of Afghan Rugby and is involved in educating, supporting and enabling young Afghans to excel and compete internationally. In this way the Afghan Rugby Federation is helping to strengthen a sense of National pride and cohesion among talented young Afghans.

General Information
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Afghanistan has indigenous sports which bear some resemblance to rugby football. One of these sport game is called Buzkashi, which has been compared to a cross between rugby and polo and uses a dead goat or sheep as the ball. The goal of a player is to grab the carcass of a headless goat or sheep and then get it clear of the other players and pitch it across the goal line or into a target circle or vat. The game has even been referred to as "Sheep Rugby" by the Society for Creative Anachronism since the 1970s.

History 
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Rugby in Afghanistan is an intermittent and discontinuous one, often played by invading armies. The game was first introduced into the country from British India and was played by British troops. After the British left Asia, the game died very soon in Afghanistan. By way of return, the British took polo back with them from the region.

During the Soviet Afghan War, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, only few sport games were played by Red Army troops which did not include Rugby at all.

Following Cricket's Lead
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Afghanistan has developed a reputation for its cricket after winning the World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in 2009 and qualifying for the Twenty20 World Cup. Although cricket is still a relatively new sport in Afghanistan, it is increasing in popularity and now players hope the same will happen for rugby. 

It is clear rugby is getting more popular not only in Afghanistan but in Asia which has seen a recent surge of interest from the Middle East and the Islamic world. Dubai has built a specialised academy for rugby players and now hosts tournaments, while unions have been set up in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Qatar.
Afghanistan’s international side may not have showed particularly well at the third and final leg of the HSBC Asian Rugby 7s in October, in Mumbai, but momentum is building, and the game is developing. This is being done by promoting club rugby and by showing the world Afghans have the best physiques for playing and are not simply a struggling nation.

The Afghan people have started to worry about what will happen when NATO departs but the Afghanistan Rugby Federation is optimistic that attitudes towards rugby will remain strong and that each province will continue to develop the sport. 

It has been said that in the absence of war, society looks to sport to fulfill its combative nature. However, the relationship between war and sport goes far beyond the similarities of winning and losing. In fact, sport and war has throughout history proved to have a much more symbiotic relationship.

With very limited resources, the Afghanistan Rugby Federation does face problems but is as ever committed to taking this great game of sport and introducing it to every Afghan. 

Afghanistan Rugby Contact - Asad Ziar : afghan.rugby@yahoo.com

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The Dog River Howlers Rugby Club are sending 150 touch rugby velcro belts, 150 rugby balls along with mouth guards, speed pumps, whistles, saucer cones, kicking tee's, duffel bags, singlets for inter squad training and several sets of playing kit as part of their to Afghan rugby on early summer when transport issues are resolved. This is part of their "Howlers Support Upstart Afghanistan Rugby" campaign:www.facebook.com/HowlersSupportUpstartAfghanistanRugby?fref=ts

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Australia's Warringah Rats Rugby Club (http://www.warringahrugby.com.au/ ) sent a heavyweight squad for their groundbreaking humanitarian rugby tour to Cuba .

The 24-strong party took over 900kg of extra gear (including clothing, stationery and specially-requested items like toothpaste, razors, herbs and spices) which was distributed to local communities around Havana.

Air Canada allowed each tourist to take an extra 30kg of luggage on top of their normal allowance.

This is Warringah's third tour combining rugby and charity work after similar trips to Kenya and Fiji.

"It is all about growing the players as human beings and to learn there is another world out there while having a game of rugby," Parsons tour manger added.

Game results:
Warringah Rats 48 - Havana Selects 5
Warringah Rats 57 - Cuban National Team 20

Hats off to the Warringah Rats Rugby Club as for them obviously                                                                                    "IT'S MORE THAN A GAME, IT'S A WAY OF LIFE "
Other articles :
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby-gold/havana-embraces-warringah-rats-rugby-team/story-fn8ti7yn-1226565356891

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2. CAYMAN RUGBY - by Caroline Deegan. The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom with a population of 55,000 on the Caribbean 
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Founded in 1971

The Cayman Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union football in the Cayman Islands and is a full member of the International Rugby Board and the North American Caribbean Rugby Association NACRA

Based in South Sound the Union administers and delivers Rugby programs through out the Cayman Islands.

How it all begun by Mervyn Cumber Former Player and founder ……….

Circa December 1970 a meeting was held over a few beers at the Beach Club on Seven Mile Beach. Eight people showed up and of those founder members two of us, Paul Sleep and I (Mervyn Cumber) still live here. Bernard Knights still visits the Club at least once a year. 

We started by having touch rugby sessions at the George Town Primary School playing field and this continued through 1971. At that time we were looking a potential site for a pitch. Captain Charles Kirkconnell and his two sons were partners in a car rental company and I knew the family well. Captain Charles and others had just finished dredging in the development now called “Pirates Lair”, and with in a year wild grass and Casuarina trees had sprouted up. The reason the pitch is at an odd angle to the main is that that patch had most wild grass on it! I approached Captain Charles with a view to the club using this area for a rugby pitch until they developed it and he was very happy to oblige. Chris Evans a local Surveyor has been a long time Club supporter, and he and his crew surveyed out the pitch. 

CUC very kindly donated and planted four light poles for us and we had the semblance of a pitch. However, it took many work parties to dig out the pine tree roots, and eventually we had a pitch that was half grass and half dredged sand with sea shells and coral in it! Then with fundraisers and donation of time by many we built a small club house located in the current car park where the sewage pit can be seen!

We all took part in a bar rota and all we served was Heineken, hence we became known as “The Greenies”! At one stage in our club history, Jacques Scott & Co. let us know that the club was the single largest consumer of Heineken in the Caribbean! 

The first game was played against a visiting warship in 1973 and we then started touring to Jamaica as their Rugby Union had kindly invited us the play in the “Cafenol Sheild” league. We suffered many losses in this league, but eventually beat Privateers club in a Sunday morning game in 1974. This one game the club went on to beat all the clubs the following year, and we won the shield on many occasions. 

Sadly, due to Jamaican politics etc. a lot of the expats left Jamaica and their club rugby suffered greatly, and we then started looking to the Bahamas and the US for fixtures. Miami used to play us twice a year. In 1984 – 1985 the current club house was built by a good club supporter called Mike Lockwood who had a construction company. All the monies were raised by social events and membership fees, and a small bank loan.

Number of players (age groups and men and women), clubs , referees.

4 Mens Clubs - Queengate Pigs Trotters, Centry 21 Storm, John Doak Iguanas, Advance Fire Buccaneers

Referees - 15
Men - 152
Women - 30
Social/Touch - 46

U14 - 34
U12 - 23
U10 - 27
U8 - 42
U5 - 68

Summer Corporate Touch League Players- 448

National teams - Mens 15s and 7s; Womens 7s , U19s, and 15s

Accomplishments:

U19s Regional Champions 2008, JWRT 2009, U19s Regional Champions 2009, 2011, 2012
Women's Regional Champions 2010
Mens 7s Regional runners up 2011
Goals :To be the best we can be
Contact person for tours etc. Caroline Deegan crfuadmin@candw.ky

Why Afghanistan Will Become A Great Rugby Nation - by Karl Fix as posted on the Dog River Howlers Rugby Club's facebook page - www.facebook.com/dogriverhowlers?fref=ts (please join to get regular rugby updates)
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Like the Irish have their national game of hurling the fierce sport that many of their rugby players were first weaned on so Afganistan has their national sport of Buzkashi - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UB3eA8B4qI .

Buzkashi is often compared to polo. Both games are played between people on horseback, both involve propelling an object toward a goal, and both get fairly rough. However, polo is played with a ball, and buzkashi is played with a headless goat carcass. Polo matches are played for fixed periods totaling about an hour; traditional Buzkashi may continue for days, but in its more regulated tournament version also has a limited match time.

Competition is typically fierce. Prior to the establishment of official rules by the Afghan Olympic Federation the sport was mainly conducted based upon rules such as not whipping a fellow rider intentionally or deliberately knocking him off his horse. Riders usually wear heavy clothing and head protection to protect themselves against other players' whips andboots. The boots usually have high heels that lock into the saddle of the horse to help the rider lean on the side of the horse while trying to pick up the goat. Games can last for several days, and the winning team receives a prize, not necessarily money, as a reward for their win.

Buzkashi is the national sport and a "passion" in Afghanistan where it is often played on Fridays and matches draw thousands of fans. Whitney Azoy notes in his book "Buzkashi: Game and Power in Afghanistan:.... (that) leaders are men who can seize control by means foul and fair and then fight off their rivals. The Buzkashi rider does the same" . During the rule of the Taliban regime, Buzkashi was banned in Afghanistan, as the Taliban considered the game immoral. Although, ever since the Taliban regime was ousted the game is being played again.

This Buzkashi culture/frame of mind will serve the newly formed (2011) Afghanistan Rugby Federation well in their quest for rugby glory.

To help them attain this goal to become a competitive rugby nation the Dog River Howlers Rugby Club are sending 150 touch rugby velcro belts, 150 rugby balls along with mouth guards, speed pumps, whistles, saucer cones, kicking tee's, duffel bags, singlets for inter squad training and several sets of playing kit in early summer when transport issues are resolved. This is part of their "Howlers Support Upstart Afghanistan Rugby" campaign: www.facebook.com/HowlersSupportUpstartAfghanistanRugby?fref=ts

This Is The First Of A Series Titled "THE GLOBAL RUGBY FAMILY" to be posted on the Dog River Howlers Rugby Club's facebook page (www.facebook.com/dogriverhowlers?fref=ts) - join up to get all the articles 
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1. CUBAN RUGBY - BY FRED FORESTER
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In Cuba, all sports are regulated by the sports ministry (“INDER”). INDER has authorized the “Cuban Rugby Development Group” headed by Chukin Chao to oversee rugby in Cuba. Chukin is a former government lawyer, now general manager of a French company in Havana. 

The development group has of December 2012 INDER received approval to form “Cuban Rugby Federation” (effectively Cuban Rugby Union) and in turn at the same time NACRA (North American Caribbean Rugby Association), the governing body for Rugby in North America and the Caribbean has invited them to become part of their organization . INDER is currently in the process of finalizing their application to NACRA.

Cuba is currently recognized by NACRA as a non member.Two years after joining NACRA, Cuba will be admitted to the IRB (International Rugby Board). Meanwhile IRB is assisting Cuba in coaching and refereeing. IRB sanctioned the recent Havana Howlers Sevens. 

Rugby started in Cuba in October 1992 when a Spanish man from Barcelona, Ricardo Martinez, came to Havana University. Martinez brought a rugby ball and got about 12 students interested in the game. He formed a team called “Indios Caribe”. In June 1993 a team from the Cayman Islands came to Cuba and played Indios.

For the next few years Rugby was limited and was primarily played as an intramural sort at the University of Havana with about 40 to 50 players. 

In 1996, a Frenchman, Max Bouix, came to Cuba. Max was a great help in rescuing, expanding and coaching the sport; He thought the players better scrumming and mauling techniques. He split the club in two and made a new club the “Giraldillos”. He brought in overseas teams especially from France. Max also started rugby in the provinces. Max is considered one of the fathers of Cuban Rugby and its great benefactor.

By 1998 rugby was played in about 4 provinces outside of Havana, this produced a reasonable amount of competition and by 2002 other teams had sprung up in Havana. 

At the end of 2011, there are 15 Rugby Clubs in Cuba, 6 in Havana and teams in 9 other provinces. Cuba has 14 provinces of which 10 now have rugby teams. The Havana Clubs are, 1. Indios Caribe(1992) 2. Giraldillos (1996) 3. Marti(1997) 4. ISS International Sports School (2001) 5. Latin American Medicine School (2002) 6. Ciudad Deportiva (2009.) Teams also play in the following Provinces, 1. Pinar Del Rio 2. Mantanzas 3. Sancti Spiritus 4. Villa Clara 5. Ciego de Avila 6. Camaguey 7. Las Tunas 8. Granma 9. Guantanamo. Rugby is played all year round. Typically teams practice 3 times a week and play on Saturdays. 

The country is divided into 3 regions, 1. West - Havana’s 6 team plus Pinar del Rio and Matanzas 2. Central -Villa Clara, Sancti Spirtitus, Ciego de Avila 3. East - Camaguey, Las Tunas, Granma, Guantanamo. Regional Championships are held from the 3 divisions in May each year and National Championship is competed for by the 3 winning clubs from each region in June each year.

Cuba has hosted visiting teams from several countries including Scotland, England France, Spain, Tahiti, USA, Canada and Japan. Cuban teams compete reasonably with visitors on 2nd or 3rd team level and welcome veteran teams of over 35s.

Cuba has only made one overseas trip to France in 2000 due to the shortage of funds.In addition to men’s teams.

Cuba has youth development program at 5 schools, where 160 boys age 9 to 12 participate in flag rugby regularly.

Women’s rugby is just starting to emerge . Teams were formed in May 2011 and played their first competitive games in the women’s division at the Havana Howler Sevens in early December 2011.

Rugby in Cuba is expected to expand significantly in the next 5 years, when they become members or the IRB and from the publicity that will result from rugby in the Olympic Games. 

Cubans are very good athletes and can adapt very well to rugby. Cuba is not a rich country, uniforms, boots and balls are hard to come by. Thanks to the Canadian Dog River Howlers Club run by Karl Fix of Regina, most teams in Cuba obtain equipment from the Howlers and their sponsor Xtreme Sports, in Bangkok, owned by Eddie Evans a former Canadian international.

The spirit is there, the interest is there, the organizers are there, the government is agreeable, moral and financial support is there thanks to the IRB, NACRA and the benevolent Canadians. Expansion and skills will continue to grow.

Cuba is “Rugby Friendly” and an excellent host for visiting teams. Internal travel, hotels etc are well organized and efficient. Prices are very reasonable, tour agencies are helpful and good and they do all internal travel including airport transfers and cooperate with the rugby clubs. It is a great place to visit. 

Teams from the US are required to obtain a license from the US Treasury Department. The process takes 2 to 3 months. Licenses are granted on a group basis and can be obtained before the final list of travelers is known. The final list is then attached to the license and is for people who are players, coaches, trainers, referees or physios. Supporters and spouses are not permitted to travel with teams. The process is not complicated and licenses are obtainable for US teams wishing to play in Cuba. 

The Dog River Howlers RFC and Cuban Rugby jointly organize and host the IRB sanctioned Havana Howlers Rugby 7's (men and women) which in 2013 is being held on November 23 and 24. For further information on this tournament ot any Cuban rugby tours please contact Karl Fix at karl_v_fix@hotmail.com