Hungary national rugby league team
The Hungary national rugby league team represents Hungary in the sport of rugby league football. They made their international debut on July 23rd in the 2011 European Bowl tournament. [1]
History and setting up
Magyar Bulls RLFC, Hungary's National Rugby League team was founded in Budapest in May 2011 by members of the Budapest Exiles RFC, keen to try rugby league and with an open invitation to other teams in Hungary to send players - all with the objective of honouring an invitation to play in the CEE European Bowl competition vs. the Czech Republic.
From small beginnings on a Monday evening, on Margit Island, in the middle of the Danube, the squad has grown to be able to select a nucleus of 20 players to play against the Czech Republic on the 23rd July. The pull of playing international RL has seen enquiries to train and play from a number of other clubs in Hungary as well as players of Hungarian origin who have travelled back to play from Italy and the UK.
2011 Squad
The current squad has a mix of nationalities, all of whom have qualified for Hungary on residency basis if not originally Hungarian and includes players from Hungary, the UK, France, Italy, South Africa and Venezuela. The 2011 squad is coached by Adam Nunn, originally from the UK but who has been the founder of Rugby League in Hungary, and is captained by Zsolt Haboczki. It also features a father and son combination in the form of Lajos and Matyas Bihari (affectionately known as Majom and Kis Majom (Hungarian for Monkey and Little Monkey)).
The 20 man training squad in full
| Name |
Position |
Name |
Position |
| Imre Szalontai |
Full Back/Wing |
Federico Sciotti |
Fullback/Wing |
| Scott Torrance |
Full Back/Wing |
Mehdi Benaniba |
Centre/Wing/Half-back |
| Nandor Szabo |
Centre/Wing |
Laszlo Harangozo |
Centre/Second-row forward |
| Gergo Zubornyak |
Centre/Wing |
Adam Nunn |
Stand-off/Loose forward |
| Peter Fustos |
Hooker/Half Back |
Joel Jimenez |
Hooker/Half Back |
| Zsolt Haboczki (Captain) |
Prop/Second-row forward |
Lajos Bihari |
Prop |
| Geza Juhas |
Prop |
Laszlo Dekany |
Prop |
| Phil Angel |
Hooker/Half Back |
Geza Goleth |
Second-row forward/Centre |
| Matyas Bihari |
Loose Forward/Centre |
Andre Brand |
Second row forward/Loose forward |
| Luca Tramontin |
Second-row forward |
Cedric Gaidet |
Prop/Second-row forward |
Back row - Nunn, Juhas, Gaidet, Bihari M, Bihari L, Haboczki, Brand, Harangozo, Goletz, Dekany, Szalontai
Front row - Zubornyak, Benaniba, Jimenez, Angel, Torrance, Fustos, Szabo, Sciotti
Affiliations
RLEF - Rugby League Europe Federation
International Match Results
| vs. |
Date |
Location |
Score |
Result |
Tries |
Cons |
Pens/DGs |
MoM |
Match Report |
| Czech Republic |
23 July 2011 |
Kecskemet, Hungary |
16-38 |
Lost |
Torrance, Bihari L, Angel |
Torrance x 2 |
N/A |
Bihari M and Jimenez |
23rd July Photos |
| Belgrade Selection |
31st July |
Kecskemet |
0-44 |
Lost |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Bihari M |
Photos |
Scorer of the first ever points for the Hungarian Rugby League was Scott Torrance
Cap Number and playing record
| Cap Number |
Name |
Total Caps |
Total Points |
| 1 |
Imre Szalontai |
2 |
0 |
| 2 |
Federico Sciotti |
2 |
0 |
| 3 |
Gergo Zubornyak |
2 |
0 |
| 4 |
Laszlo Harangozo |
2 |
0 |
| 5 |
Scott Torrance |
2 |
8 |
| 6 |
Adam Nunn |
2 |
0 |
| 7 |
Peter Fustos |
1 |
0 |
| 8 |
Lajos Bihari |
2 |
4 |
| 9 |
Joel Jimenez |
2 |
0 |
| 10 |
Zsolt Haboczki |
2 |
0 |
| 11 |
Geza Goletz |
2 |
0 |
| 12 |
Andre Brand |
2 |
0 |
| 13 |
Matyas Bihari |
2 |
0 |
| 14 |
Luca Tramontin |
1 |
0 |
| 15 |
Cedric Gaidet |
2 |
0 |
| 16 |
Phil Angel |
1 |
4 |
| 17 |
Nandor Szabo |
2 |
0 |
| 18 |
Arno Franken |
1 |
0 |
| 19 |
Mehdi Benaniba |
1 |
0 |
| 20 |
Geza Juhas |
1 |
0 |
Domestic Clubs
September 2011 saw the creation of the first domestic rugby league club in Hungary, with the formation of the Danube River Pirates RLFC - the rugby league arm of the Budapest Exiles. The club has been involved in the development of the game on a local level, having played against the Belgrade Selection in their first game and is now open to invitations to tour, or play against touring teams from across Europe.
References
- RLEF (Rugby League Europe Federation)[2]
- "An appetite for Rugby League?" - Forty-Twenty Magazine - article dated 30 June (pages 38–39)- Adam Nunn and Phil Caplan
- "Reality Czech" - Rugby League World magazine - article dated August 2011 (pages 65–67) - Tom Coates
External links
- Magyar Bulls RLFC blog page [3]
- Magyar Bulls RLFC Youtube channel [4]
- RLEF (Rugby League Europe Federation News site - Squad announcement [5]
- RLEF (Rugby League Europe Federation News site - Official match report for the first game [6]
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