RG Heidelberg
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| Full name | Rudergesellschaft Heidelberg 1898 e. V. |
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| Union | German Rugby Federation |
| Founded | 4 June 1898 |
| Location | Heidelberg, Germany |
| Ground(s) | Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark (Capacity: 3,500) |
| Chairman | Jürgen Baust |
| Coach(es) | Christopher Weselek |
| League(s) | Rugby-Bundesliga |
| 2015–16 | Rugby-Bundesliga South/West, 3rd |
| Official website | |
| www |
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The RG Heidelberg is a German rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Apart from rugby, the club also offers the sport of rowing.
The club was formed on 4 June 1898 as a rowing club. Out of necessity to have an alternative sport in winter, forzen rivers made rowing naturally impossible, the rugby department of the club was formed in 1919.
The RGH was the third rugby club to be formed in Heidelberg, after the Heidelberger RK and the SC Neuenheim, making it easy for the new team to find opposition to play against. The SC 1880 Frankfurt and the rugby department of the VfB Stuttgart were also teams the club played in its early years.
Due to many South Africans who were studying in Heidelberg, the club developed a good relationship with Dutch teams and eventually, the Dutch national colours, orange, became RGH's team colours, which they still are today.
In 1930, the club played in its first German rugby union championship final but lost to SV Odin Hannover 0-13. In 1932, 1933, 1937 and 1938 the RGH made four more losing appearances in the German championship final.
In 1959, the club appeared in another final, losing once more but in 1967 it finally won its first national title, winning the German rugby union cup. After another finals defeat in 1970 and the introduction of the Rugby-Bundesliga in 1971, the club formed its very successful youth department in 1972.
In 1980, the team finally won its first German title, followed by another three in 1997, 2006 and 2007. The 2006 final, the 86th in the competitions history, produced a novelty in the history of the game in Germany, with RGH and SC Neuenheim two clubs from Heidelberg competed for the title, for the first time. It was also the first time that no club from Hannover stood in the final.
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