Rugby union in Bahrain

Rugby union in Bahrain
CountryBahrain
National teamBahrain
First playedMid 20th century

Rugby union is a minor but growing sport in Bahrain.[1]

Governing body

The Bahrain Rugby Football Union was the country's national rugby governing body, under the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU). In January 2009, the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) announced that the AGRFU would be broken up, with new unions established in each member country. The first national union to be formed from the AGRFU is expected to be that of the UAE.[2][3] Bahrain's rugby governing body is now the Bahrain Rugby Federation.[4][5]

History

Bahraini rugby is frequently played in high temperatures, and much of the time on sand.[6] Beach rugby and rugby sevens are also popular. Up until the mid-1980s, the only grass rugby pitch in the country was next to the airport, and games were could be interrupted by the comings and goings of the aircraft.[7]

The sport was reintroduced by Commonwealth ex-patriates working in the oil industry, and they continue to dominate the game.[8][9] For example, the ARGFU website continues to be in English only. A problem is the drinking culture of rugby, which discourages Muslims from taking up the sport.[9]

Bahrain also has a national sevens team.[10]

See also

References

  • Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1)
  • Cotton, Fran (Ed.) (1984) The Book of Rugby Disasters & Bizarre Records. Compiled by Chris Rhys. London. Century Publishing. ISBN 0-7126-0911-3
  1. ^ Elliott, Charlie (31 October 2025). "Historic win highlights rugby's rapid growth across the Middle East". Ruck.
  2. ^ "Major boost for West Asia" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 16 January 2009. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  3. ^ Johnson, Alex (10 May 2025). "How the AGRFU Shaped Gulf Rugby from 1974 to 2010".
  4. ^ "Bahrain Rugby Football Club Profile // Yalla Rugby".
  5. ^ "Bahrain Rugby Federation".
  6. ^ Cain, Nick & Growden, Greg "Chapter 21: Ten Peculiar Facts about Rugby" in Rugby Union for Dummies (2nd Edition), p295 (pub: John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, England) ISBN 978-0-470-03537-5
  7. ^ Cotton, p16
  8. ^ Bath, p62
  9. ^ a b http://wesclark.com/rrr/islamic_rugby.html "Islam and Rugby" on the Rugby Readers review retrieved 2 July 2009
  10. ^ McLaren, Bill A Visit to Hong Kong in Starmer-Smith, Nigel & Robertson, Ian (eds) The Whitbread Rugby World '90 (Lennard Books, 1989), p 70
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