Sport | Rugby union |
---|---|
Founded | 1975 (as Hawaii RFU) |
USAR affiliation | 2009 (Associate Union) |
Website |
www |
The Hawaii Rugby Union is the local governing body for rugby union teams in the state of Hawaii. Rugby Hawaii Inc. is a non-profit organization and an associate union (AU) under the umbrella of the national organization, USA Rugby. [1]
Rugby union in Hawaii was effectively established with the founding of the Hawaii Harlequins Club in 1964, [2] [3] although occasional games had been played earlier in Hawaiian history as far back as 1884. [2] [3]
The Harlequins staged annual invitational tournaments in the 1980s at Kapiolani Park, [4] that attracted teams from the around the Asia-Pacific, Australasia and North America which promoted the development of rugby in Hawaii. [5]
The original Hawaii Rugby Football Union was founded in 1975, [4] and they selected teams from 1976 onwards to make tours to the United States mainland as well as other rugby destinations including Australia and New Zealand. [2] Hawaii also played in the curtain raiser for the 1987 World Cup in New Zealand, defeating Rotorua. [4]
Hawaii Youth Rugby was founded as a non-profit organization in 2004 to build rugby programs for boys and girls and increase participation in rugby. It became a State Based Rugby Organization (SBRO) under the USA Rugby umbrella in 2009. [6]
Big Island
Oahu