Cyprus rugby: why investment is needed to build on record-breaking start

Sports diasporarugbyTop News Cyprus rugby: why investment is needed to build on record-breaking start Cyprus Rugby Federation Relevant News Cyprus rugby: why investment is needed to build on record-breaking start 26 June 2026 Cyprus gets its first homegrown social media platform 26 June 2026 Lars Ebert: A compass is only valuable if we start walking 26 June 2026 Daniel Zambartas 26 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Cyprus may not hold many world records in sport, but they did break an impressive one in rugby which still stands to this day. By winning 28 of their first 30 games, they set the world record for the most consecutive men’s international Test wins, reaching 24 before they lost to Latvia in November 2014. But what has happened since then, and could we see the return of the glory days? Or could they go one step further and one day qualify for the World Cup? En.philenews spoke to Antonio Fiorillo, general secretary of the Cyprus Rugby Federation and chairman of AEL Limassol Rugby, to explore Cyprus’s rugby scene. A quick history of rugby in Cyprus Rugby first arrived in Cyprus in the 1950s, played by British soldiers stationed on military bases. The sport didn’t enter the local community until 2003, when Cypriot expats returning from South Africa founded the island’s first domestic club, the Paphos Tigers. Other teams like the Nicosia Barbarians and Limassol Crusaders quickly followed, leading to the creation of the Cyprus Rugby Federation in 2006. Even though the federation was brand new, it had a secret weapon. Many players were diaspora Cypriots who grew up playing high-level rugby in the UK and South Africa. This gave the national team a massive head start, resulting in a dominant victory over Greece in their first-ever international match in March 2007. The expat communities driving Cypriot rugby Rugby on the island heavily relies on diverse expat communities, and the player demographics change from town to town. Fiorillo said: “Paphos has historically always been the place for South African Cypriots and Nicosia draws a lot of French students from the local medical and dentistry universities. “Limassol is about 95% expats. We have big groups of Italian, French, Russian, Ukrainian, and Israeli players, plus guys from Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.” However, relying so much on foreigners creates challenges for growing the game locally, especially when trying to keep young talent on the island. “We lose guys when they get to 18 years old. To do their university studies or avoid the army, they go to the UK. If they do come back, it’s after five or six years. That is a struggle we face. We would really like to have more Cypriots and Greeks involved. “We are doing as much marketing as we can in Greek, trying to build a core group of Greek speakers so that when new locals join, they can easily gel into the team.” Women’s rugby Another area of rugby Fiorillo is focused on is women’s rugby. For years, it was held back because the numbers simply weren’t there, but a breakthrough happened entirely by chance at Barley’s bar on the Limassol seafront during the Rugby World Cup. “During a South African game, it was full of girls wearing their jerseys, so we started going around asking, ‘Do you want to play?'” he recalls. That recruitment drive gathered an initial group that quickly grew to 15 players. For the first two years, the Limassol team played touch rugby and won the Cyprus league twice in a row. “This year the federation started the ladies’ rugby program, and it’s growing on the island. We had a camp in the UK in March with eight or nine ladies from the island and another eight or nine from the UK. Now we’re planning more camps, and hopefully, we will invite two or three other national teams to Cyprus for a friendly tournament. We just need to find a stadium.” Dreams of World Cup qualification It’s a long shot, but it’s not something Fiorillo dismissed as impossible when asked. Fiorillo said: “That would be fantastic, but the Rugby World Cup doesn’t have that many teams. They have increased the number for the next World Cup in Australia in 2027, but we are still two levels below the main European teams that we would need to progress through. So, never say never, but it would require us to earn two promotions before we reach that level.” He also explained that in rugby, the number of teams in competitions is limited to protect player welfare. Smaller nations like Cyprus cannot be matched against top-ranked sides such as the All Blacks, as organisers ensure teams compete against opponents of a similar level to reduce the risk of injury. Image credit: Cyprus Rugby Federation Investment and the future of rugby in Cyprus Cyprus rugby operates almost entirely on raw passion and goodwill. The federation is run roughly 95% on private funding, driven by corporate sponsorships, and there is not a single paid employee or salary on the books. The men’s national team plays just three games per season, yet running those three matches costs nearly €100,000. Because the vast majority of the men’s player pool is based in the UK, the federation faces steep logistical expenses for flights, accommodation, food, and training camps just to bring the squad together on the island. Looking ahead, Fiorillo is hoping for more investment so that Cyprus rugby can be taken to the next level. “We need to have more teams playing and we need an under-20 squad. We currently have a team, but budget restrictions prevent us from participating in competitions. More training camps when possible would help us better prepare for events and aim for improved results, while also boosting rugby development across the island. “Personally, my dream is to have a TV channel broadcast one or two games per season, including highlights in the main sports news, to increase visibility. Greater exposure would help attract sponsors, more fans, and more players. Cyprus is focusing on achievable goals in rugby over the next few years, competing in the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSC), a mini-Olympics for countries with populations under one million. The squad is gaining momentum, having recently earned a medal and finishing top three at the European Sevens Championship in Andorra, narrowly missing promotion. Now, they have their targets set on winning medals at the GSSC in Monaco next year. Read more: History made in Limassol as Cyprus women play first ever full contact rugby matches Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Cyprus gets its first homegrown social media platform Lars Ebert: A compass is only valuable if we start walking Cyprus weather: 37°C inland on Friday with mountain showers possible and fog risk overnight Overnight pharmacies on Thursday, June 25 Man restrained by passengers on Larnaca to Manchester flight dies “I’d never go back”: the Liverpool couple who swapped rain and rising costs for a new life in Paphos Cyprus to pilot AI cameras targeting phone-using drivers to cut road deaths Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.