All about FCB Rugby

When you hear the name FC Barcelona, you probably think about Messi, Neymar, Suárez, Iniesta or Piqué. Just like most football clubs, though, Barcelona is home to plenty of other sports teams with less visibility, its rugby squad being one of them. Dating back to 1924, FCB Rugby, as it is often shortened to avoid confusion with the football team, has had a long and successful history, having conquered 19 national titles and also 19 regional competitions.

Rugby?

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Depending on where in the world you are from, you may or may not be familiar with the sport of rugby, which is most popular in Australia and New Zealand. While it shares its origins with American Football, the two sports have evolved in different directions and fans of each would be quick to tell you that they are completely different.

Rugby is a game of two teams who carry, pass, kick and ground a ball with the objective of scoring as many points as possible. A point is scored when the ball is grounded after passing the opponent’s goal line. What makes the game tactically interesting are a few special rules: the ball needs to be passed backwards in order to go forward, and it can be kicked forward only if the kicker’s team mates are behind the ball when it’s kicked. This creates a need for team work and defines the game as a constant collective endeavor to create and use space in the most effective ways possible.

FCB Rugby squads

Famous Spanish actor Javier Bardem once said that “playing rugby in Spain is like being a bullfighter in Japan.” The truth is, while rugby is far from being the most popular sport in the country or even in Catalonia, there is a constantly growing niche for it among sports enthusiasts.

To prove this, we just need to look at the number of different FCB Rugby squads, which contain players of all ages and genders. In addition to the Senior FC Barcelona Rugby team, which competes in the Spanish rugby system’s higher tier, there’s also a B team, a youth team, under-18 and under-16 squads, a school squad for children still learning the sport, a veteran team for older athletes and a women’s squad.

The Spain national team is currently placed at 23rd out of 102 teams in the World Rankings, which isn’t bad at all.

How to follow FCB Rugby

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If this article has piqued your curiosity and you’d like to know more about FCB Rugby, make sure to follow them on social media to start getting a feel of what’s happening in the club and in the sport.

If you’d like to watch some rugby live-action, Barcelona’s home games take place at the La Teixonera rugby field, located at Calle Granja Vella, 10-12. You can keep up with the schedule of all their different squads at the club’s official website.

We hope to have helped you find a new cool interest you had never thought about before! Please use the comment box below to let us know your thoughts on the sport of rugby. Are you going to see a game live in Barcelona?