Rugby-Welfen Braunschweig is a German rugby union team from Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, currently playing in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga. The team is part of a larger sports club, TuRa Braunschweig, which apart from rugby also offers other sports like athletics, basketball, gymnastics and pétanque. The team is named after the House of Welf.
Full name | Rugby Welfen Braunschweig (beim TuRa e.V. 1865) |
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Union | German Rugby Federation |
Founded | 27 January 1954 1865 (parent club) |
Location | Braunschweig, Germany |
Ground(s) | Am Bienroder Weg Rote Wiese (until 2014) |
League(s) | 2. Rugby-Bundesliga (II) |
2015–16 | 2. Rugby-Bundesliga North, 7th |
Official website | |
www |
The history of the club's rugby section goes back to 27 January 1954. On that date, the rugby section of Post SV Braunschweig, a large multi-sports club, was founded.[1] The club played mostly in regional lower-tier competitions, but in 1991 won their first (and only) promotion into the Rugby-Bundesliga, but suffered relegation again after just one season at the top-level.[2]
In the late 1990s, Post SV Braunschweig ran into financial problems, which eventually led to the club's dissolution in 2001.[3] Due to this, the rugby section separated from the parent club and joined Welfen SC Heidberg, another local sports club, in 1999.[4] The club, based in the Heidberg district of Braunschweig and founded in 1973,[5] later changed its name into Welfen SC Braunschweig.
After several seasons in the Rugby-Regionalliga, Welfen SC won promotion back to the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga in 2011. In the 2014–15 season the club finished second in the north-east Liga-Pokal group and was knocked out by TuS 95 Düsseldorf in the quarter-finals of the play-offs.
In 2014 the rugby players of Welfen SC decided to leave the club again due to being dissatisfied with the condition of the club's grounds. On 1 January 2015 they joined Turn- und Rasensportverein Braunschweig (short: TuRa Braunschweig), but continue to compete under the name Rugby-Welfen Braunschweig. TuRa Braunschweig had been founded as the city's second gymnastics club (after MTV Braunschweig) in 1865.[6] The club's athletes have also won several German championships in other sports such as acrobatic gymnastics and Steinstossen.[7]
Recent seasons of the club:[8]
Year | Division | Position |
2010–11 | Rugby-Regionalliga (III) | 1st — Promoted |
2011–12 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East (II) | 8th |
2012–13 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga qualification round – North | 3rd |
Ligapokal – North/East | 3rd — Quarter finals | |
2013–14 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga qualification round – North | 3rd |
Ligapokal – North/East | 1st — Quarter finals | |
2014–15 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga qualification round – North | 4th |
Ligapokal — North/East | 2nd — Quarter finals | |
2015–16 | 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North | 7th |