The Union Cup
The Union Cup is a biannual European inclusive and gay rugby tournament.
The tournament was first held in 2005, in Montpellier, France. It saw nine teams compete, and the competition was won by Les Artichauds over the Manchester Village Spartans.
The second tournament was hosted by the Copenhagen Wolves, Denmark in May 2007. The XVs competition was won by the Kings Cross Steelers , while the 7s tournament was won by the Emerald Warriors RFC Dublin.
In 2009 the tournament went to London, with visiting teams from Amsterdam, Bristol, Cardiff, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Manchester, Montpellier, Newcastle, Paris and a Barbarians side. The tournament saw success for the Kings Cross Steelers, Cardiff Lions and Bristol Bisons.
The fourth tournament was hosted by the Amsterdam Lowlanders in 2011, with visiting teams from Amsterdam, Bristol, Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Lisbon, Lyon, Manchester, Montpellier and Paris. The XVs competition was won by the Kings Cross Steelers, while the Xs competition was won by the Los Valents Montpellier.
In 2013, the tournament travelled to Britsol where 19 squads took part from 17 different teams. The Kings Cross Steelers won the Union Cup for the fourth time with a win over Dublin Emerald Warriors RFC
In 2015, the tournament was hosted by Straffe Ketten, in Brussels, Belgium. This tournament saw 700 players and spectators in attendance. This year the winners were Kings Cross Steelers (the Union Cup), Straffe Ketten (the Union Plate) and Cardiff Lions (the Union Bowl)
Madrid hosted the 2017 tournament. This tournament saw the attendance of the Jozi Cats, from Johannesburg, South Africa, who were the first non-European team to attend.
The last Union Cup, 2019, was hosted by the Emerald Warriors, Dublin. This tournament saw a record number of attendees, with around 45 teams from 15 countries.