Limassol Crusaders

Full name	Limassol Crusaders Rugby Football Club
Nickname(s)	Crusaders
Founded	2003 (2003)
Location	Limassol, Cyprus
Ground(s)	AEK Achileas Stadium (Capacity: 2,000)
Chairman	Artemis Papageorgiou
President	Nicholas 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

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

Tours

Year	Team	Location	Result		Year	Team	Location	Result
2006	Maastricht University	Limassol Techniki School	Won		2015	Honey Badgers	Warsaw - AWF a	Drawn
2009	Beit Jala Lions	Limassol Techniki School	Won		2015	Old Actonians	Warsaw - AWF a	Lost
2009	Cairo Rugby	Cairo	Won		2015	Cani Sciolti	Warsaw - AWF a	Lost
2012	Warwick University	Limassol Techniki School	Lost		2015	Abbeyfeale	Warsaw - AWF a	Lost
2013	Leigh RFC	Limassol Techniki School	Won		2015	Warsaw Frogs (White)	Warsaw - AWF a	Won
2013	URAG	Rome Campo Tre Fontane	Won		2015	Aberdeen Grammar	Warsaw - AWF a	Won
2013	Rugby Roma	Rome Campo Tre Fontane	Lost		2015	Camberley Rugby Vets	Limassol Techniki School	Won
2013	The World	Limassol - Mesa Geitonia	Won		2016	Cirencester RFC	Limassol Techniki School	Lost
2014	HMS Diamond	Limassol - Mesa Geitonia	Won		2016	Brussels Celtic Barbarians	VUB	Lost
2014	Courbet	Limassol - Mesa Geitonia	Won		2017	Arlechinii Bucuresti	Stadionul Florea Dumitrache	Lost
2015	Les Zozos	Warsaw - AWF a	Won		2018	Kiev Rebels	Spartak Stadium	Lost
					2018	Jamhour Black Lions	Limassol Techniki School	Lost

^a Match played in the 2015 Warsaw Rugby Festival.

Current squad

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 Gregoire Pilorge Hooker France Artemis Papageorgiou Hooker Cyprus Antonio Fiorillo Prop Italy Ilie Lucian Prop Romania Lee Gilmour Prop England Fraser Nelson Lock Scotland Andrew Spring Lock Cyprus Panayiotis Jacovides Lock Cyprus Scott Lennox Lock Cyprus Neofytos Christou Lock Cyprus Dan McFarlane Flanker Cyprus Laurent Rabiega Flanker France Constantinos Constantinides Number 8 Cyprus

Player Position Union Jonathan Davies Scrum-half Wales Conor O'Driscoll Fly-half Ireland Solomone Tuipulotu Centre Cyprus Alexi Toufexis Centre Switzerland Marc-antoine Fallet Centre France Patrice Malraux Wing Cameroon George Savvides Wing Cyprus Reginald Sherekete Centre Zimbabwe

Youth rugby

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

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

References

External links

• Limassol Crusaders RFC
• Cyprus Rugby Federation