Jump to content

Limassol Crusaders

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Limassol Crusaders
Full nameLimassol Crusaders Rugby Football Club
Nickname(s)Crusaders
Founded2003; 21 years ago (2003)
LocationLimassol, Cyprus
Ground(s)AEK Achileas Stadium (Capacity: 2,000)
ChairmanArtemis Papageorgiou
PresidentNicholas Mastoroudes
Coach(es)Rick Wadmore
Captain(s)Constantinos Constantinides
League(s)Cyprus Rugby Federation League
Official website
limassolcrusadersrfc.com

The Limassol Crusaders are an independent rugby union club based in Limassol, Cyprus. They were the 2nd independent rugby club to be formed in Cyprus, after the Paphos Tigers. They were established in late 2003.[1]

History

[edit]

The club was formed, and initial membership recruited, by word of mouth after the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Temporary training facilities were used initially, including a spell at the Elias Beach Resort Hotel, until the club finally leased the AEK Achileas Stadium in 2004, with the club joining the Joint Services Rugby Football Union and competing formally starting with the 2004/05 season. When the Cyprus Rugby Federation formed its own league, Limassol Crusaders joined it.

When, in 2006, Cyprus formed a national squad, five Crusaders were members of the team that won their inaugural game against Greece.[2]

In 2013, the Crusaders moved to a new stadium in the Mesa Geitonia area of Limassol. The new stadium has a higher capacity, better drainage and conforms better to IRB safety regulations. In 2016, the club moved back to the historical stadium next to Katholiki Technical School after closing the contract with the previous venue.

Results

[edit]

League

[edit]
Season League Final Position
2004/05 JSRFU League 6th
2005/06 JSRFU League 6th
2006/07 JSRFU League 6th
2007/08 JSRFU League 5th
2008/09 JSRFU League 6th
2009/10 JSRFU League 3rd
2010/11 JSRFU League 5th
2011/12 CRF League 4th
2012/13 CRF League 5th
2013/14 CRF League 3rd
2014/15 CRF League 3rd
2015/16 CRF League 3rd
2016/17 CRF League 2nd
2017/18 CRF League 3rd
2018/19 CRF League Unfinished

Tournaments

[edit]
Year Tournament Final Position
2009 Aya Nik 15s 4th
2010 Aya Nik 15s 3rd
2011 Aya Nik 15s 3rd
2012 Aya Nik 15s 3rd
2013 Cyprus Beach Rugby[3] Runner-up
2013 Aya Nik 15s 5th
2015 Warsaw Rugby Festival Cup Winner

Tours

[edit]
Year Team Location Result Year Team Location Result
2006 Maastricht University Netherlands Limassol Techniki School Cyprus Won 2015 Honey Badgers IrelandPoland Warsaw - AWF a Poland Drawn
2009 Beit Jala Lions State of Palestine Limassol Techniki School Cyprus Won 2015 Old Actonians [1] England Warsaw - AWF a Poland Lost
2009 Cairo Rugby Egypt Cairo Egypt Won 2015 Cani Sciolti [2] Italy Warsaw - AWF a Poland Lost
2012 Warwick University England Limassol Techniki School Cyprus Lost 2015 Abbeyfeale Ireland Warsaw - AWF a Poland Lost
2013 Leigh RFC [3] England Limassol Techniki School Cyprus Won 2015 Warsaw Frogs (White)[4] Poland Warsaw - AWF a Poland Won
2013 URAG Italy Rome Campo Tre Fontane Italy Won 2015 Aberdeen Grammar Scotland Warsaw - AWF a Poland Won
2013 Rugby Roma Italy Rome Campo Tre Fontane Italy Lost 2015 Camberley Rugby Vets [5] England Limassol Techniki School Cyprus Won
2013 The World The Bahamas Limassol - Mesa Geitonia Cyprus Won 2016 Cirencester RFC [6] England Limassol Techniki School Cyprus Lost
2014 HMS Diamond United Kingdom Limassol - Mesa Geitonia Cyprus Won 2016 Brussels Celtic Barbarians [7] Belgium VUBBelgium Lost
2014 Courbet France Limassol - Mesa Geitonia Cyprus Won 2017 Arlechinii Bucuresti [8] Romania Stadionul Florea DumitracheRomania Lost
2015 Les Zozos [9] France Warsaw - AWF a Poland Won 2018 Kiev Rebels [10] Ukraine Spartak StadiumUkraine Lost
2018 Jamhour Black Lions [11] Lebanon Limassol Techniki School Cyprus Lost

a Match played in the 2015 Warsaw Rugby Festival.

Current squad

[edit]

2015/16 Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Michael Quain Hooker England England
Gregoire Pilorge Hooker France France
Artemis Papageorgiou Hooker Cyprus Cyprus
Antonio Fiorillo Prop Italy Italy
Ilie Lucian Prop Romania Romania
Lee Gilmour Prop England England
Fraser Nelson Lock Scotland Scotland
Andrew Spring Lock Cyprus Cyprus
Panayiotis Jacovides Lock Cyprus Cyprus
Scott Lennox Lock Cyprus Cyprus
Neofytos Christou Lock Cyprus Cyprus
Dan McFarlane Flanker Cyprus Cyprus
Laurent Rabiega Flanker France France
Constantinos Constantinides Number 8 Cyprus Cyprus
Player Position Union
Jonathan Davies Scrum-half Wales Wales
Conor O'Driscoll Fly-half Ireland Ireland
Solomone Tuipulotu Centre Cyprus Cyprus
Alexi Toufexis Centre Switzerland Switzerland
Marc-antoine Fallet Centre France France
Patrice Malraux Wing Cameroon Cameroon
George Savvides Wing Cyprus Cyprus
Reginald Sherekete Centre Zimbabwe Zimbabwe

Internationally capped players

[edit]
  • Cyprus Andrew Spring
  • Cyprus Panayiotis Jacovides
  • Cyprus Scott Lennox
  • Cyprus Dan McFarlane
  • Cyprus Constantinos Constantinides
  • Cyprus Artemis Papageorgiou
  • Cyprus Solomone Tuipulotu

Internationally capped former players

[edit]
  • Cyprus Marco Mladenovic
  • Cyprus Fidias Efthimiou
  • Cyprus Kiki Vatikiotis
  • Cyprus Dimitri Maratheftis
  • Cyprus George Stylianou
  • Cyprus Dervis Devren
  • Cyprus Nathan Pring
  • Cyprus Greg Loucaides
  • Cyprus Chris Christofi
  • Cyprus Kostas Christou
  • Cyprus Peter Hunter
  • Cyprus Panayiotis Loizides
  • Cyprus Will Booth
  • Cyprus Stevie Awah
  • Cyprus Andy Webster


Captains

[edit]
  • 2004/05 Cyprus Zeno Nicolaou
  • 2005/06 Cyprus Zeno Nicolaou
  • 2006/07 England Chris Snaith
  • 2007/08 Cyprus Andrew Spring
  • 2008/09 Wales Darryl Davies
  • 2009/10 Cyprus Greg Loucaides
  • 2010/11 Cyprus Andrew Spring - Cyprus Marko Mladenovic
  • 2011/12 Scotland Fraser Nelson
  • 2012/13 Scotland Fraser Nelson
  • 2013/14 Cyprus Constantinos Constantinides
  • 2014/15 Cyprus Constantinos Constantinides
  • 2015/16 Cyprus Constantinos Constantinides
  • 2016/17 Cyprus Constantinos Constantinides
  • 2017/18 Cyprus Constantinos Constantinides
  • 2018/19 Cyprus Constantinos Constantinides

Youth rugby

[edit]

As well as the senior team, the Crusaders also encourage youth rugby. The Crusader Colts is open to boys and girls aged 13 and older[4] and the Minicru is open to children aged 6 and older.[5]

Veterans rugby

[edit]

In November 2016 the Limassol Crusaders for the first time fulfil a Veterans squad as opposition for the Camberley Rugby Vets [12] on tour in Cyprus. The team has been unofficially called "the Commandarias".

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Limassol Crusaders". Limassol Crusaders Website.
  2. ^ "Limassol Crusaders". Limassol Crusaders Website.
  3. ^ "CRF Beach 2013". CRF.
  4. ^ "Crusaders Colts". Crusaders Colts Website. Archived from the original on 2010-03-29.
  5. ^ "MiniCrusaders". MiniCrusaders Website. Archived from the original on 2010-02-21. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
[edit]