Belgian federation of Rugby

The Belgian Fédération of Rugby (FBRB) is an organization which joins together the VRB (Vlaamse Rugby Jump) and the LBFR (French-speaking Belgian League of Rugby). It is member of several sporting organizations:

member of the International Rugby Board (IRB)
member of the Olympic committee and Belgian Interfédéral (C.O.I.B.)
founding member (1934) of the International federation of Rugby Amateur (F.I.R.A.)
member of the FIRA - European Association of Rugby
associated member of the International Rugby Board (I.R.B.) since 1988
honorary member of Rugby Football Union

The Belgian federation created the November 24th 1931 (one of the founding members of FIRA - European Association of Rugby in 1934) is one of oldest European Federation the. It was created on the initiative of French of Rugby French Club (created in 1930 by Jean Rey, future first selector of the national team), although they are the British of British Sport Club of Antwerp (section created in 1919 on the initiative of Henri Truyens) and of Brussels (1925) which established Rugby in Belgium. The first board of directors took place the January 20th 1932 and the first match of the national team was organized the March 13rd 1932 and showed a tie in the Netherlands, 6 to 6.

Rugby in Belgium

The F.B.R.B counts:

6.500 bachelors.
50 clubs including 7 in Brussels, 23 in Wallonia, 19 Flanders and 1 in Luxembourg
2 regional leagues: the VRB (Vlaams Rugby Jump) and the LBFR (French-speaking Belgian League of Rugby).

In addition to the national competition and the matches of cut, the FBRB manages the organization of the international matches where are committed the seniors teams, hopes (less than 20 years), juniors (less than 18 years), juniors (less than 17 years), female.

National competition includes/understands teams of seniors, juniors, juniors, ladies and a circuit of Rugby at Sept.

The competition of the Seniors is divided into 5 divisions.

All teams evolving/moving within l'" Elite" have a team reserves and a school of Rugby, which is also the case more and more of clubs.

The system of competition in force is modified as from the season 2004-2005; only 8 teams will evolve/move within the first division, so that they have a raised competition and that it sufficient remains place in their calendar for their international obligations. The following series of 10 teams evolve/move within the second, third and the fourth division. The remainder of the teams evolves/moves in the fifth division into 2 or 3 series distributed according to regional criteria.

Belgium appears on the international scene via its participation in championship FIRA-A.E.R and the qualificative phases for the World cup whose next edition will take place in France in 2007. The national team with VII participle with the Circuit European and international tournaments.

The best Belgian teams take part in Bénécup, gained in 1997 and 2006 by the Belgian club of Boitsfort.

Vlaamse Rugby Jump set up an operation worthy of the high level sport. The French-speaking Belgian League of Rugby set up the " Sport and Etude" , to which Rugby is recipient.

History

The federation was created on November 24th, 1931 on the initiative of the Rugby French Club which consequently becomes Gallia Rugby Club (created in 1930 by Jean Rey which played before Brussels British Sport Club) although Rugby was introduced in Belgium by the British of Antwerp (1919) then of Brussels (1925) after the First World War. Since 1931 and the creation of the first club created by Belgians in Anderlecht (William Ellis Rugby Club become the RSCA-Rugby in 1935), the clubs multiply (Léopold, White Star, Beerschot, Schaerbeek R.C and the R.A. Molenbeekois), and the first championship of Belgium is set up in 1936-37. It is Antwerp British Sport Club which gains it and are the teams of Beerschot and Anderlecht which gain the two last editions of pre-war period in 1938 and 1939. During the war the president of the federation, the anderlechtois Desired D' Hooghe, maintains the activity of Rugby in Belgium by creating, in 1941, the Belgian School of Rugby in Anderlecht to gather the " ruggers" country. With the release, in 1944, the selection of the school (where the majority of the international Belgians is found) meets Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Artillery and plays even two tests vis-a-vis the selection of British Army One the Rhine. In 1945-46, only the clubs of Anderlecht and Schaerbeek take again their activities. The following season, they are the British of Antwerp who make reappearance and a second club, Sparta, is created in Anderlecht. And, especially the same year, it is the inscription of those in the " franco-belge" (championship of France of the committee of the flandres) which makes the event. The senior of the clubs (created by players of the R.C. French the September 21st 1931), and founding member of the federation (with Rugby French Club, Antwerp British Sport Club and Brussels British Sport Club), is thus the RSCA-Rugby. The section Rugby of Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois also is titrated with 20 championships of Belgium. Currently, it is a club born of " Anderlecht" in 1970 which dominates Belgian Rugby: the Boitsfort Rugby Club.

Today, the FBRB counts 6.500 affiliated divided into 50 clubs of which 7 are located in the Région of Brussels-Capital, 23 in Walloon region, 19 in Flemish Région and 1 with the Grand-Duché of Luxembourg.

Prize list of the clubs

Championship " Franco-belge" (of 1946 to '63)

After the second world war and until 1963, the Belgian clubs were registered, for lack of championship of Belgium, in the French championship of the committee of Flandres (Northern, Pas-de-calais, Somme, Aisne and the Ardennes), currently corresponding to the French federal championship of the " North-Est".

1947-48: Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois
1948-49: Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois
1951-52: Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois
1957-58: Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois
1961-62: Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois
1962-63: A.S.U.B

BENECUP (since '96)

That which is more usually called " ING CUP" (and which included/understood also the Germans at its beginnings and which was to see arriving Luxembourg) gathers the best clubs Be lges and born erlandais with a large difference compared to the other European cuts, that to have obligatorily finally a club of each country is not always the two best teams!

1996-97: Boitsfort beats $the Hague (Den Haag).
2005-06: Boitsfort beats Castricum.

See too

rugby.be : the official site
lbfr.be: league French-speaking
SportKipik.be: all the information of Rugby in Belgium
Team of Belgium of Rugby to XV

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