Rugbyfélag Reykjavíkur (Reykjavík Raiders) is the first registered and officially recognized rugby team in Iceland, both with the Icelandic sport authority (The National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland) as well as Rugby Europe. The Raiders are situated in Reykjavík and have regular training sessions for both men and women as well as being active in raising rugby development and awareness in Iceland.
| Nickname(s) | Reykjavík Raiders | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2010[1] | |
| Location | Reykjavík, Iceland | |
| Ground(s) | Safamýri, Kaplakriki | |
| President | Birnir Orri Pétursson | |
| ||
Their development program holds regular presentations in schools as well as hosting open introductory sessions for new players.
The Club fields both a 7s and a 15s team.
History
editThe club was founded in 2010 and competed for the first time in the Scandinavian Sevens in Copenhagen, Denmark in August of that year. This was the first time an Icelandic rugby team had played anywhere abroad. The Raiders have been regulars in Copenhagen ever since.
Sunday 3 July 2011, was an historic date for the development of rugby union in Iceland and a major milestone for the Reykjavík Raiders. This was the date of the first 15s match played by the club and the first ever match played on Icelandic soil. The game was played against the Thunderbird Old boys from Phoenix (Arizona) at the Valur sports complex in Reyjkavik. This was an important step for the Icelandic team that ended with an Icelandic win.
2013 Was an incredibly important year for the development of the Raiders club and rugby in Iceland. The Icelandic Exiles rugby team was created as a touring club for Icelandic and international players for occasions which did not warrant a full Raiders team. The Icelandic Exiles in their first years had players from Iceland, Ireland, Australia, the U.S. and Japan to name a few. The tour started in Canada before traveling by bus to the United States, playing six 15s games on the way before participating in the Vegas HSBC Invitational Rugby Tournament. Members of the Reykjavík Raiders have attended several tournaments since then under as the Exiles with players from all over the world. Also in 2013 The Icelandic National Rugby Team (which in those first several years was made entirely out of Raiders players) played its first official rugby 7s tournament. The FIRA-AER Rugby 7s tournament was held on Saturday the 1st of June in Riga, Latvia. The national team continued its participation in the FIRA-AER Rugby 7s tournament, remaining an active participant (as FIRA-AER became Rugby Europe) until the 2018 tournament in Estonia. After the 2018 tournament, Rugby Europe reshuffled the tournament organization following rugby 7s inauguration as an Olympic sport which resulted in several national teams (Iceland included) being cut from the tournament.
In later years the Reykjavík Raiders have continued to develop and have played regular international games both abroad and in Iceland. They are currently one of only three rugby clubs in Reykjavík.
During the Covid pandemic the club was not allowed to train for almost two years and as a result suffered a loss in registered members. Furthermore, several key players and organizers moved abroad during this period which delayed the resurgence of the club. Since autumn of 2021 the Raiders have been fully active and developing in numbers and ambition, achieving full 15s team numbers in 2023 during which the Raiders played three matches against visiting international teams in Iceland.[2] Winning two out of three.[3][4]
Current squad
edit| Player | Position | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Caps | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandre Paumier | Prop | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 105 kg (231 lb) | 01.06.1997 | 4 |  Luxembourg
|
| André Ventura | Prop | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 100 kg (220 lb) | 22.11.1994 | 0 |  Portugal
|
| Florin-Robertino Alexa | Prop | 1.82 m (6.0 ft) 11 1⁄2 in) | 103 kg (227 lb) | 27.01.1979 | 5 |  Romania
|
| Kristján Wales | Hooker | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 110 kg (240 lb) | 16.04.1997 | 6 |  Iceland
|
| Daníel Árnason | Hooker | 1.79 m (5.9 ft) 10 1⁄2 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 28.01.2001 | 0 | Iceland
|
| Höskuldur Sylvain | Hooker | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | 98 kg (216 lb) | 20.09.1985 | 21 | Iceland
|
| Birnir Pétursson | Lock | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 118 kg (260 lb) | 25.06.1985 | 46 | Iceland
|
| Þorkell Guðnason | Lock | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 135 kg (298 lb) | 21.03.1987 | 21 | Iceland
|
| Orri Viðarsson | Lock | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | 118 kg (260 lb) | 01.03.1994 | 18 | Iceland
|
| Michael Nestor | Lock | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 100 kg (220 lb) | 20.05.1996 | 2 |  Ireland
|
| Thomas Clogan | Loose Forward | 1.94 m (6.4 ft) 4 1⁄2 in) | 110 kg (240 lb) | 15.02.1987 | 5 |  USA
|
| Björn Lerm | Loose Forward | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | 07.07.1996 | 2 |  South Africa
|
| Henning Sørensen | Loose Forward | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 97 kg (214 lb) | 26.04.1979 | 16 |  Denmark
|
| Radosław Jasiński | Loose Forward | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 103 kg (227 lb) | 22.10.1988 | 3 |  Poland
|
| Sean Wales | Loose Forward | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 90 kg (200 lb) | 06.05.2004 | 2 |  Uganda
|
| Antoine Cordier | Scrum-half | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) ) | 83 kg (183 lb) | 14.12.1985 | 6 |  France
|
| Christopher Long | Scrum-half | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 76 kg (168 lb) | 18.12.1994 | 1 |  Scotland
|
| Romain Lasseur | Fly-half | 1.72 m (5.6 ft) 8 ¾ in) | 78 kg (172 lb) | 11.04.1993 | 4 | France
|
| Phillip Kendrick (C) | Fly-half | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 108 kg (238 lb) | 13.05.1981 | 18 |  Wales
|
| Heiðar Heiðarson | Centre | 1.81 m (5.9 ft) 11 1⁄2 in) | 93 kg (205 lb) | 19.09.1973 | 24 | Iceland
|
| Martin Nizon | Centre | 1.83 m (6.0 ft) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 29.10.2002 | 0 | France
|
| Ágúst Ágústsson | Centre | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 16.11.2001 | 4 | Iceland
|
| Ruairi Hanlon | Centre | 1.79 m (5.9 ft) 10 1⁄2 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 21.09.2005 | 0 | Ireland
|
| Thejus Venkatesh | Wing | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 14.05.1995 | 5 |  India
|
| Áki Jarl Láruson | Wing | 1.77 m (5.8 ft) 9 1⁄2 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) | 25.11.1985 | 4 | Iceland
|
| Sebastían Sigurðarson | Wing | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | 17.03.2001 | 0 | Iceland
|
| Egill Helgason | Full-back | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | 80 kg (180 lb) | 04.04.2001 | 3 | Iceland
|
| Guillaume Janson | Full-back | 1.84 m (6.0 ft) ¼ in) | 84 kg (185 lb) | 01.07.1991 | 2 | France
|
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Birnir Pétursson | Club President |
| Phillip Kendrick | Head Coach |
| Kristján Wales | Strength and Conditioning Coach |
| Cécile Dargentolle | Assistant Coach (Backline) |
| Thomas Clogane | Assistant Coach (Forwards) |
| Didier Roulin | Logistics Manager |
| Fearghus Omaitiu | Team Physiotherapist |
| Höskuldur Dutilh | Event Manager |
| Tómas Gunnar Tómasson | Disciplinary Advisor |
References
edit- ^ Iceland comes in from the cold
- ^ Fréttir, Innlendar. "Hressilegt Rugby í rigningunni". MBL. MBL. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ Ástvaldsson, Jóhann Páll. "Íslendingum fjölgar í Rugby-félagi Reykjavíkur". RUV. RUV. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ "Lögðu frönsku sjóliðana að velli". MBL. MBL. Retrieved 23 July 2023.