The Soviet Championship was a rugby union club competition between the domestic teams of the Soviet Union era. It was first contested in 1936, and was last held in 1990.
History Historically rugby union had been banned in the Russian Empire due to Tsarist authorities thinking it liable to cause a riot. When the Soviet Union was established, rugby was encouraged within Soviet educational institutions. The growth led to the creation of the Rugby Federation of the USSR in 1936 with the Soviet Championship being established in the same year. Despite interruption as a result of the Second World War, the Soviet Championship resumed until 1949 when the Soviet Union politburo ruled that rugby was: "a game not relevant to the principles of the Soviet people" and banned it. It was unbanned in 1957 with a game between the Welsh club Llanelli RFC and Romanian club Grivita Rosa. The Soviet Championship resumed in 1966 following an increase in sports participation following Joseph Stalin's death.
In the 1970s, 20 teams were playing in the Soviet Championship, with a growing popularity within Siberia. Originally, the Soviet Championship was dominated by teams from the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic. By the 1980s, clubs from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic became the stronger region in the Soviet Championship until its dissolution. Despite rugby union officially being strictly amateur, in the Soviet Championship, a number of clubs paid players professionally by giving them paper jobs with Soviet companies while playing rugby. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, four former Soviet Championship clubs went out of business due to a lack of funding as state sports sponsor money was prioritised for Olympic sports.
Results
Year Gold Silver Bronze 1936 Dynamo Moscow VTsIK School Moscow Technical Gorky 1938 Dynamo Moscow Spartak Moscow Lokomotiv Moscow 1939 Dynamo Moscow Spartak Moscow Burevestnik Moscow 1966 MVTU Dynamo Tbilisi Dynamo Moscow 1968 MVTU Dynamo Moscow Lokomotiv Tbilisi 1969 VVA Fili Moscow MAI Moscow 1970 Fili Moscow MAI Moscow VVA 1971 VVA MAI Moscow Burevestnik Leningrad 1972 Fili Moscow VVA Lokomotiv Tbilisi 1973 Fili Moscow Burevestnik Leningrad VVA 1974 Fili Moscow KIIGA Kiev VVA 1975 Fili Moscow KIIGA Kiev RC Lokomotiv Moscow 1976 VVA Slava Moscow KIIGA Kiev 1977 VVA Slava Moscow Fili Moscow 1978 Aviator Kiev Fili Moscow Lokomotiv Tbilisi 1979 Slava Moscow Fili Moscow VVA 1980 VVA RC Lokomotiv Moscow Slava Moscow 1981 VVA Aviator Kiev Lokomotiv Tbilisi 1982 Slava Moscow VVA Aviator Kiev 1983 RC Lokomotiv Moscow Fili Moscow Slava Moscow 1984 VVA RC AIA Kutaisi Aviator Kiev 1985 VVA Slava Moscow RC AIA Kutaisi 1986 VVA Slava Moscow Fili Moscow 1987 RC AIA Kutaisi VVA Aviator Kiev 1988 RC AIA Kutaisi Krasny Yar SKA Alma-Ata 1989 RC AIA Kutaisi VVA Krasny Yar 1990 Krasny Yar VVA Aviator Kiev 1991 Krasny Yar SKA Alma-Ata VVA
Results by republic Republic Gold Silver Bronze Total top 3 26241963 32510 1359 -112
References
See also Soviet Cup Professional Rugby League
External links Soviet Era of rugby union