As a student of rugby trivia, I have been following the "longest unbeaten run" discussion with interest for some time. Everyone used to focus on the glamourous NZRT and their run that JO'C ended with a 7 pointer in Hong Kong.
At that time Lithuania was also tied in "first place" in the unbeaten run stakes. Since then, Cyprus has passed both these and the Mouflons bandwagon rolls on.
Impressive that like Ireland, the Cyprus Rugby team includes players from both sides of a long standing ongoing conflict.
This contribution from a post in response to a Mike Cleary article in the Daily Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ru...-they-no-longer-carry-the-swagger-of-old.html
Have all of the Cyprus team's wins occurred in 'the professional era?' Yes.
Have all of the Cyprus team's wins been in recognised international test matches? Yes.
Have there been 23 of them in a row? Yes.
Do the Mouflons hold the world record for the number of test matches played and won? Yes.
The Mouflons have won promotion to ENC 2B for the next season. From a standing start, they are now ranked 40th in the world. They were denied entry to the qualification stages of the 2025 RWC on a technicality - having beaten, (twice,) the teams from they division that did qualify. The same technicality, (not enough clubs in the domestic league,) was waived for Greece and, wait for it, Saudi Arabia... Go figure.
Full declaration,the Mouflons success has been achieved thanks to the enthusiasm of a number of South Africans of Cypriot ancestry now living in Cyprus. The current side, however, is the only Cypriot national team that includes both Greek and Turkish Cypriots - one brave young man from the Turkish occupied zone. Spirit of rugby anyone...?
Does any of this detract from New Zealand's achievements on the world stage? Of course not, but the fact remains that New Zealand are not 'within touching distance of the world record'
At that time Lithuania was also tied in "first place" in the unbeaten run stakes. Since then, Cyprus has passed both these and the Mouflons bandwagon rolls on.
Impressive that like Ireland, the Cyprus Rugby team includes players from both sides of a long standing ongoing conflict.
This contribution from a post in response to a Mike Cleary article in the Daily Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ru...-they-no-longer-carry-the-swagger-of-old.html
Have all of the Cyprus team's wins occurred in 'the professional era?' Yes.
Have all of the Cyprus team's wins been in recognised international test matches? Yes.
Have there been 23 of them in a row? Yes.
Do the Mouflons hold the world record for the number of test matches played and won? Yes.
The Mouflons have won promotion to ENC 2B for the next season. From a standing start, they are now ranked 40th in the world. They were denied entry to the qualification stages of the 2025 RWC on a technicality - having beaten, (twice,) the teams from they division that did qualify. The same technicality, (not enough clubs in the domestic league,) was waived for Greece and, wait for it, Saudi Arabia... Go figure.
Full declaration,the Mouflons success has been achieved thanks to the enthusiasm of a number of South Africans of Cypriot ancestry now living in Cyprus. The current side, however, is the only Cypriot national team that includes both Greek and Turkish Cypriots - one brave young man from the Turkish occupied zone. Spirit of rugby anyone...?
Does any of this detract from New Zealand's achievements on the world stage? Of course not, but the fact remains that New Zealand are not 'within touching distance of the world record'
