Welfen Braunschweig
Full nameRugby Welfen Braunschweig (beim TuRa e.V. 1865)
UnionGerman Rugby Federation
Founded27 January 1954 (1954-01-27)
1865 (parent club)
LocationBraunschweig, Germany
Ground(s)Am Bienroder Weg
Rote Wiese (until 2014)
League(s)2. Rugby-Bundesliga (II)
2015–162. Rugby-Bundesliga North, 7th
Official website
www.rugby-braunschweig.de

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.

History

Former logo

Post SV Braunschweig

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]

Welfen SC Braunschweig

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.

TuRa Braunschweig

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

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

References

  1. ↑ Welfen SC Heidberg e.V. (2004). 50 Jahre Rugby in Braunschweig. 1954 bis 2004 (in German). p. 5. Online version: 50 Jahre Rugby in Braunschweig. 1954 bis 2004 (in German) (Welfen SC Heidberg – 50 Years of rugby in Brunswick), accessed: 30 August 2014
  2. ↑ 50 Jahre Rugby in Braunschweig. 1954 bis 2004 (in German). p. 20.
  3. ↑ Hoffmeister, Kurt (2010). Zeitreise durch die Braunschweiger Sportgeschichte: 180 Jahre Turnen und Sport in Braunschweig (in German). p. 147.
  4. ↑ 50 Jahre Rugby in Braunschweig. 1954 bis 2004 (in German). p. 29.
  5. ↑ Hoffmeister (2010). p. 161.
  6. ↑ Hoffmeister (2010). p. 15.
  7. ↑ Hoffmeister, Kurt (1986). Meister und Medaillen. Braunschweigs Olympiasieger, Welt-, Europa-, Deutsche Meister 1946–1986 (in German). Stadtbibliothek Braunschweig. p. 64.
  8. ↑ RugbyWeb Ergebnisarchiv (in German) rugbyweb.de - Results archive, accessed: 27 August 2014
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