Soviet Union National Rugby Union Team - History

History

See also: Rugby union in the Soviet Union, Rugby union in Georgia, and Rugby union in Russia

Although such tournaments as the Soviet Cup and the Soviet Championship existed, rugby never became a major sport in the USSR. Rugby union was the bigger of the two codes though - rugby league only really took off in the former Soviet Union after its collapse.

Rugby football was played in the Russian Empire as early as 1908, however the first official match, played in Moscow, did not take place until 1923. Because of the Russian Revolution, some Soviet/Russian players emigrated and/or ended up playing for foreign sides, a notable example being Prince Alexander Obolensky (Александр Сергеевич Оболенский) who played for Oxford and England in the 1930s - he was the scorer of 2 tries on his England debut in their win over New Zealand in January 1936. His noble birth precluded him from playing in his home country and his family had fled the country when he was only a year old.

In 1934 the Moscow Championship was initiated, followed by the first Soviet Championship which took place in 1936.

In 1949, rugby union was forbidden throughout the USSR during the "fight against cosmopolitanism". Competition was resumed in 1957, and the Soviet Championship recommenced in 1966. In 1975, the Soviet national team played their first ever match.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the Soviet team began to improve their performances, often coming second to France, or third to Romania in various European competitions, however they never managed to beat any major side.

The USSR were to be invited to the 1987 Rugby World Cup, they refused the invitation on political grounds, allegedly due to the continued IRB membership of South Africa. The first tournament was by invitation rather than qualification, and despite successes against teams such as Italy and Romania in the years leading up to the inaugural Cup, the USSR did not enter.

The Soviet team did not attempt to qualify for the 1991 Rugby World Cup finals. The USSR successor, in 1992, was briefly the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The Soviet rugby team visited Ireland and the United States for the first time in 1990 .