The Rugby Club Unterföhring is a German rugby union club from Munich district, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga and with a second team in the Verbandsliga Bayern. It is based in Unterföhring, the closest suburb to Munich city centre. Since January 2017 the RCU is the second biggest rugby club in Bavaria with 240 members.[1]

Rugby Club Unterföhring
Full nameRugby Club Unterföhring e.V.
UnionGerman Rugby Federation
Founded21 June 2012
LocationUnterföhring, Germany
Ground(s)RC Unterföhring Rugby Park
ChairmanGermany Steve Kotza
Coach(es)Scotland Robbie Johnston
Captain(s)Germany Linus Kurz
League(s)2. Rugby-Bundesliga
2023-20243rd
Official website
www.rugby-unterfoehring.de

Also Unterföhring was the smallest municipality in Germany with its own rugby union club[2] from 2012 until 2016.[3] After the promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in 2016/17 Unterföhring is the only village (German: Gemeinde) in the history of German rugby to have ever played in a Bundesliga. All other clubs where always based in towns or cities (German: Stadt) or army bases.

The RCU also has a growing youth section and the club is the fourth biggest club with kids under 14 years old in all of Germany.[4] The RCU has secured championships in the Under 8, Under 10 and Under 12 age groups in recent years, as well as runners-up in U8, U10, U12 and U14. The RCU youth teams are known for consistently being able to field complete sides in the Bavarian youth competition.

Founded in 2016 the RCU also has a women's team playing in the Deutsche 7er-Liga Frauen Süd. For the season 2022/23 the aim of the first Men's team was to achieve a ranking in the top 3 at the end of the 2. Bundesliga season.[5] They had success and reached 2nd place at the end of the season and qualified for the promotion match for 1st Bundesliga South/West against RSV Köln in Cologne which RCU unfortunately lost. Still a very successful season, taken into account the club only exists for 11 years.

Youth summer camps

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In summer 2022 former All Black Kane Hames held a summer camp in Unterföhring with 25 junior players attending. On February 23, 2023, the club announced that they will hold again a summer camp for youth players from age 7 to age 17 in Unterföhring. This time Robert Mohr, former player and current Director of Rugby at Stade Rochalais and former German Rugby International visited Unterföhring and conducted two out of four days at the training camp from July 31 to August 4 in Unterföhring.[6]

Facilities

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The RCU plays their home games on the rugby pitch in Unterföhring am Etzweg.

Honours

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Seniors:

  • Bavarian rugby union championship
    • Runners-up: 2016, 2017
  • Promotion to 2nd Bundesliga
    • 2017
  • Quarter Finals Liga Pokal
    • 2018
  • Runners up 2nd Bundesliga
    • 2023 (most successful season so far)

Youth

  • Bavarian rugby union championship
    • Champions: Under-8: 2017, 2018, 2019; Under-10: 2017, 2018; Under-12: 2019
      • Runners-up: Under-8: 2016; Under-10: 2015, 2016; Under-12: 2018; Under-14 2019

Recent seasons

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First team

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Year Division Position
2012-13 Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria (IV) 7th[7]
2013-14 Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria (IV) 6th[8]
2014-15 Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria (III) 6th[9]
2015–16 Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria 2nd[10]
2016 playoff 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South lost[11]
2016–17 Rugby-Regionalliga Bavaria 2nd promoted
2017-18 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South 5th
2018-19 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South 5th
2019-20 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South cancelled due to COVID-19-outbreak
2020-21 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South cancelled due to COVID-19-outbreak
2021-22 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South 5th
2022-23 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South 2nd (best season so far)

Reserve team

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Year Division Position
2012-13 Rugby-Verbandsliga Bavaria (V) 4th[12]
2013-14 Rugby-Verbandsliga Bavaria (V) 6th[13]
2016-17 Rugby-Verbandsliga Bavaria North (IV) 3rd[14]
2017-18 Rugby-Verbandsliga Bavaria South (IV) 4th[15]
2018-19 Rugby-Verbandsliga Bavaria (IV) 8th[16]
2019-20 Rugby-Verbandsliga Bavaria (IV) cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak
2020-21 Rugby-Verbandsliga Bavaria (IV) cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak
2022-23 Rugby-Verbandsliga South Bavaria (IV) 3rd

Women

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Year Division Position
2017 - 2018 Rugby-7s Division South (I) 10th[17]
2018 - 2019 Rugby-7s Division South (I) 4th[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Aufstieg als Sahnehäubchen".
  2. ^ http://www.wochenanzeiger.de/article/156642.html (in German) Newspaper, accessed: 06 July 2016
  3. ^ "TotalRugby - RC Unterföhring verpasst faustdicke Überraschung".
  4. ^ "TotalRugby - die Jugendförderer: Welche Klubs haben den stärksten Nachwuchs?".
  5. ^ "Unterföhringer Ambitionen: "Allermindestens Platz drei"".
  6. ^ "Rugby Club Unterföhring on LinkedIn: Ex-All Black und aktueller Queensland Reds Assistant Coach Kane Hames…".
  7. ^ http://www.rugbyweb.de/index.php?archive=2012-13&league=324 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 03 April 2014
  8. ^ http://rugbyweb.de/index.php?archive=2013-14&league=391 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 30 June 2014
  9. ^ http://rugbyweb.de/index.php?archive=2014-15&league=451 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 6 July 2016
  10. ^ http://rugbyweb.de/index.php?archive=2014-15&league=491 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 6 July 2016
  11. ^ http://rugbyweb.de/index.php?archive=2015-16&league=497 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 26 September 2016
  12. ^ http://www.rugbyweb.de/index.php?archive=2012-13&league=331 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 03 April 2014
  13. ^ http://rugbyweb.de/index.php?archive=2013-14&league=392 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 26 September 2016
  14. ^ https://rugbyweb.de/index.php?le=548 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 20 May 2019
  15. ^ https://rugbyweb.de/index.php?archive=2017-18&league=628 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 20 May 2019
  16. ^ https://rugbyweb.de/index.php?le=696 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 17 June 2020
  17. ^ https://rugbyweb.de/index.php?le=613 (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 20 May 2019
  18. ^ "RugbyWeb Spielpläne - 718".
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