München RFC
Encyclopedia
The München RFC is a German
rugby union
club from Munich
, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West.
Rugby had been in hibernation
in Bavaria since the days of the Nazis and when US soldiers in the garrison of Augsburg
formed a team in 1974, it was the first post-war rugby club to be formed in Bavaria. After a number of other military teams were formed in the following years, MRFC became the first civilian club to be formed in the state in 1977, by British
exile
s, mostly from Wales
. The club was formed in a pub in the Isarvorstadt and played its first game that autumn.
The first game it played in Munich, in June 1978, was against the Bad Tölz US Army and it took another year to play its first German opponent, RC Rottweil, on 30 June 1979. Not until 1985 was a second non-military team established in Bavaria, the rugby department of TuS Fürstenfeldbruck.
The club was officially registered in 1982 and in July 1983 attained incorporated status (German: e.V.). However, it could not obtain a regular home ground in Munich and had to play its matches in Fürstenfeldbruck
.
Due to Bavaria neither having a league nor a rugby federation in those days, the club had to join the Regionalliga in neighbouring Baden-Württemberg
in 1984.
In 1990, the club's long term coach, Rory Donoghue, signed up and a generation change was carried out within it. A quick result of this was the winning of the South German Championship in 1991.
MRFC finally obtained a home ground within Munich, Am Hedernfeld and was promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga South in 1992, where it only lasted for one season.
After two seasons back in tier three, the club once more won promotion to the second division in 1995. A year later, the club became one of the founding members of the Bavarian Rugby Federation, the RVBY.
In 1998, the club celebrated promotion to the Rugby-Bundesliga
for the first time, only to be denied a licence and having to stay in division two.
In 2000, the MRFC finally reached the top-tier of German rugby through a third place in the Bundesliga qualification round. Its first season in the new league was reasonably successful and any other year, a second place in the spring qualification round would have been enough to hold on to its league place but a restructuring of the German league system, but the move from two to a single division Bundesliga meant, RFC had to return to the 2nd Bundesliga.
The club's greatest success to date, the championship in the 2nd Bundesliga in 2002, won against North/East champion Post SV Berlin, meant promotion back to the elite league.
Again, the stay in the Bundesliga lasted for only one season and the team was relegated back down immediately, without a win and 14 losses.
Since then, the club has been playing in the 2nd Bundesliga South/East as a mid-table side. In 2004, it was joined there by local rival StuSta München
. Another promotion to the Bundesliga was not in sight in 2008-09
either, with the team coming fourth in the league once more.
Since 2002, the club also has a women's team and with Yvonne Schwarzkopf its first German international.
In 2009, the club is still searching for a more suitable home ground. A move to the suburbs, to Truedering, fell through however. The club's shirt sponsor in 2008-09 is EADS
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club from Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West.
History
While rugby had been played in Munich and Bavaria before the interception of the MRFC in 1977, four clubs existed in the city in the 1920s and 1930s, the club's game on 10 June 1978 was the first proper game of rugby played in the city of Munich in almost 50 years.Rugby had been in hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
in Bavaria since the days of the Nazis and when US soldiers in the garrison of Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
formed a team in 1974, it was the first post-war rugby club to be formed in Bavaria. After a number of other military teams were formed in the following years, MRFC became the first civilian club to be formed in the state in 1977, by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
s, mostly from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The club was formed in a pub in the Isarvorstadt and played its first game that autumn.
The first game it played in Munich, in June 1978, was against the Bad Tölz US Army and it took another year to play its first German opponent, RC Rottweil, on 30 June 1979. Not until 1985 was a second non-military team established in Bavaria, the rugby department of TuS Fürstenfeldbruck.
The club was officially registered in 1982 and in July 1983 attained incorporated status (German: e.V.). However, it could not obtain a regular home ground in Munich and had to play its matches in Fürstenfeldbruck
Fürstenfeldbruck
Fürstenfeldbruck is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Fürstenfeldbruck. it has a population of 35,494. Since the 1930s, Fürstenfeldbruck has had an air force base....
.
Due to Bavaria neither having a league nor a rugby federation in those days, the club had to join the Regionalliga in neighbouring Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
in 1984.
In 1990, the club's long term coach, Rory Donoghue, signed up and a generation change was carried out within it. A quick result of this was the winning of the South German Championship in 1991.
MRFC finally obtained a home ground within Munich, Am Hedernfeld and was promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga South in 1992, where it only lasted for one season.
After two seasons back in tier three, the club once more won promotion to the second division in 1995. A year later, the club became one of the founding members of the Bavarian Rugby Federation, the RVBY.
In 1998, the club celebrated promotion to the Rugby-Bundesliga
Rugby-Bundesliga
The Rugby-Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany's rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation.The league is predominantly amateur, with only two of the ten clubs in the league being professional outfits,the SC 1880 Frankfurt and Heidelberger RK.-History:The German rugby...
for the first time, only to be denied a licence and having to stay in division two.
In 2000, the MRFC finally reached the top-tier of German rugby through a third place in the Bundesliga qualification round. Its first season in the new league was reasonably successful and any other year, a second place in the spring qualification round would have been enough to hold on to its league place but a restructuring of the German league system, but the move from two to a single division Bundesliga meant, RFC had to return to the 2nd Bundesliga.
The club's greatest success to date, the championship in the 2nd Bundesliga in 2002, won against North/East champion Post SV Berlin, meant promotion back to the elite league.
Again, the stay in the Bundesliga lasted for only one season and the team was relegated back down immediately, without a win and 14 losses.
Since then, the club has been playing in the 2nd Bundesliga South/East as a mid-table side. In 2004, it was joined there by local rival StuSta München
StuSta München
The StuSta München is a German rugby union club from Munich, currently playing in the 3rd Liga South/West. It is based in the Studentenstadt in Munich, the student city....
. Another promotion to the Bundesliga was not in sight in 2008-09
Rugby-Bundesliga 2008-09
-Overview:The 2008-09 modus was somewhat different from the previous season. The competition had been expanded from eight to nine teams. The final, which used to be determined by the top-two teams of the regular season was now played by the two winners of the semi-finals which pair the first placed...
either, with the team coming fourth in the league once more.
Since 2002, the club also has a women's team and with Yvonne Schwarzkopf its first German international.
In 2009, the club is still searching for a more suitable home ground. A move to the suburbs, to Truedering, fell through however. The club's shirt sponsor in 2008-09 is EADS
EADS
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...
.
Club honours
- 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga
- Champions: 2002
- 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West
- Champions: 2002
- Runners-up: 2010
First team
| Year | Division | Position |
| 1998-99 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West (II) | |
| Bundesliga qualification round | 4th | |
| 1999-2000 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 3rd |
| Bundesliga qualification round | 3rd — Promoted | |
| 2000-01 | Rugby-Bundesliga South/West (I) | 4th |
| Bundesliga qualification round | 2nd — Relegated | |
| 2001-02 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West (II) | 1st — Promoted |
| 2002-03 | Rugby-Bundesliga (I) | 8th — Relegated |
| 2003-04 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West (II) | 3rd |
| 2004-05 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 3rd |
| 2005-06 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 3rd |
| 2006-07 Rugby-Bundesliga 2006-07 The Rugby-Bundesliga 2006-07 was the 36th edition of this competition and the 87th edition of the German rugby union championship. The season went from 26 August 2006 to 12 May 2007, ending with the championship final.-Overview:... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 6th |
| 2007-08 Rugby-Bundesliga 2007-08 The Rugby-Bundesliga 2007-08 was the 37th edition of this competition and the 88th edition of the German rugby union championship. The season went from 25 August 2007 to 31 May 2008, ending with the relegation final.-Overview:... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 5th |
| 2008-09 Rugby-Bundesliga 2008-09 -Overview:The 2008-09 modus was somewhat different from the previous season. The competition had been expanded from eight to nine teams. The final, which used to be determined by the top-two teams of the regular season was now played by the two winners of the semi-finals which pair the first placed... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 4th |
| 2009–10 Rugby-Bundesliga 2009–10 -Overview:The 2009-10 modus was somewhat different from the previous season. The competition had been expanded from nine to ten teams. It marks the first time since introduction of the single-division Bundesliga in 2001, that ten teams competed in the league. This change of modus was decided upon... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 2nd |
| 2010–11 Rugby-Bundesliga 2010–11 -Overview:The 2009-10 modus is identical to the previous season. However, the competition had been reduced from ten to nine teams, after the withdrawal of the ASV Köln Rugby during last season and no team from the 2nd Bundesliga accepting promotion. Like in 2008-09, the top four teams qualify for... |
2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West | 3rd |
| 2011–12 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West |
- Until 2001, when the single-division Bundesliga was established, the season was divided in autumn and spring, a Vorrunde and Endrunde, whereby the top teams of the Rugby-Bundesliga would play out the championship while the bottom teams together with the autumn 2nd Bundesliga champion would play for Bundesliga qualification. The remainder of the 2nd Bundesliga teams would play a spring round to determine the relegated clubs. Where two placing's are shown, the first is autumn, the second spring.
Rserve team
| Year | Division | Position |
| 2001-02 | Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria Rugby-Regionalliga The Rugby-Regionalliga is the third-highest level of Germany's Rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation. Its set below the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga... (III) |
4th |
| 2002-03 | Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria | 3rd |
| 2003-04 | Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria | 4th |
| 2004-05 | Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria | 5th |
| 2005-06 | Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria | 4th |
| 2006–07 | Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria | 5th |
| 2007–08 Rugby-Bundesliga 2007–08 The Rugby-Bundesliga 2007-08 was the 37th edition of this competition and the 88th edition of the German rugby union championship. The season went from 25 August 2007 to 31 May 2008, ending with the relegation final.-Overview:... |
Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria | 4th |
| 2008–09 | Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria | 4th |
| 2009–10 Rugby-Bundesliga 2009–10 -Overview:The 2009-10 modus was somewhat different from the previous season. The competition had been expanded from nine to ten teams. It marks the first time since introduction of the single-division Bundesliga in 2001, that ten teams competed in the league. This change of modus was decided upon... |
Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria | 7th |
| 2010–11 Rugby-Bundesliga 2010–11 -Overview:The 2009-10 modus is identical to the previous season. However, the competition had been reduced from ten to nine teams, after the withdrawal of the ASV Köln Rugby during last season and no team from the 2nd Bundesliga accepting promotion. Like in 2008-09, the top four teams qualify for... |
Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria | 4th |
Women
| Year | Division | Position |
| 2002-03 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga Women's Rugby Bundesliga The Women's Rugby Bundesliga is the top national competition for women's rugby union football clubs in Germany. The competition started in 1988 and the most successful teams are the SC Neuenheim and the FC St. Pauli.... (I) |
4th |
| 2003-04 | Women's Rugby Bundesliga | 4th — Relegated |
| 2004-05 | ||
| 2005-06 | Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga (II) | 3rd |
| 2006–07 | Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga | 4th |
| 2007–08 | Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga | 3rd |
| 2008–09 | Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga | 6th |
| 2009–10 | Women's 2nd Rugby Bundesliga | 6th |