==============
#6 Hungarian Rugby
**********************
History
---------
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
--------
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
------------
Sep 1 - Jun 15 (excludes Dec 1 to the end of Feb, because of the winter conditions.)
Contact person for tours and any exchanges
--------------------------------------
Balazs Bohm general secretary of the Hungarian Rugby Union. [email protected] . Mobil phone - +36 30 450 5006