A new stadium opens in Hungary, but the sport will suprise you!
Hungary officially opened its first stadium dedicated to rugby.
As reported by hvg.hu, on Saturday the Hungarian Rugby Federation (MRGSZ) opened the Magyar Rugby Center at Kinchem Park, which is where Hungary’s national teams will play their home fixtures.
The event coincided with the celebrations that honoured the 50 year anniversary of the sport’s introduction to the country.
The 2200 stadium hosted its first game on Saturday, in which Hungary defeated Latvia 38-13.
A dedicated rugby stadium in Hungary has been long overdue. In the space of the last few years, Hungary went from being ranked as one of the worst teams in the world to its current 65th positioning out of 105 teams. Indeed, this year Hungary was the 5th most improved team out of all nations playing the sport.
The celebrations this weekend were accompanied by a range of events for children with the hope of growing the sport in the country and inspiring the next generation of Hungarian rugby players. Hungary surpassed expectations when they reached the 3rd round of qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
If you are interested in the sport or you want to find out more, the website of the Hungarian rugby federation has the contact details of rugby teams from around the country.
There is no better time to get involved with rugby than right now; showcasing the world’s best, the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan is well under way. It is the 7th most watched sporting event in the world, ahead of the Winter Olympics.
Hungary have a steep mountain to climb in order to qualify for Euro 2020 as they lost to Croatia 3-0 this week. Cristiano Ronaldo is close to breaking Ferenc Puskás’ overall goal tally.
Source: hvg.hu, nemzetisport.hu, mrgsz.hu