Rugby Union Donau Wien is an Austrian rugby club based in Vienna. The club competes in the Austrian Rugby Bundesliga and fields menâÂÂs, womenâÂÂs, and youth teams.
The club was originally founded in 1989 as RC Donau, one of the first youth-focused rugby clubs in Austria. RC Donau quickly rose to prominence, winning youth championships in 1989 and 1991 before progressing into senior competition.
In 1999, RC Donau merged with RC Wien, and the combined side competed under the name <nowiki>Rugby Club Donau Wien</nowiki>. In 2012/13, following the clubâÂÂs entry into the organisation, it adopted its current name <nowiki>Rugby Union Donau Wien</nowiki>.
Rugby Union Donau Wien plays at the Union Trendsportzentrum (also referred to as Donau Rugby Park) in ViennaâÂÂs Prater, MeiereistraÃÂe 20, 1020 Vienna.
Since 2023, DonauâÂÂs menâÂÂs first XV has taken part in the Czech 1. Liga ragby XV (second tier). The club emerged as 1. Liga champions for three consecutive seasons (2023, 2024, 2025). In 2025, Donau succeeded in winning the promotion/relegation playoff and secured promotion to the **Extraliga ragby XV, the top-tier Czech club competition.
In 2015, Rugby Union Donau Ladies broke new ground abroad by competing in a tournament in Brno, becoming the first Austrian womenâÂÂs team to play in the Czech Republic. That same year, they also toured Ireland to take part in the Kinsale Sevens, returning again in 2017.
Four years later, in 2019, Donau entered the Czech WomenâÂÂs 15s League as a playing community with RC Tatra SmÃÂchov. The partnership proved successful, with the side winning the league and claiming the Czech championship. Since 2021, Donau has also competed in the Czech WomenâÂÂs 7s League while continuing to play in the Austrian competition. Today, the club fields teams in both leagues.
Rugby Union Donau Ladies, also known as the Pirates, is AustriaâÂÂs largest womenâÂÂs rugby team and the second club in the country to establish a womenâÂÂs side.
Rugby Union Donau Ladies was the second womenâÂÂs team founded in Austria, after Vienna Celtic. Rugby Union Donau Ladies was the second womenâÂÂs team founded in Austria, after Vienna Celtic. CelticâÂÂs womenâÂÂs side grew out of a touch rugby team in 2002, although women had already been playing touch in Austria since 1995. The 2002 team included 26 players and became the first official womenâÂÂs rugby team on record. In 2003, they played their first full-contact matches. To further support development, Renée Carmine-Jones founded a second womenâÂÂs team at Rugby Union Donau in 2004.
That same year the first unofficial womenâÂÂs national team match was played. In 2005, the first official Austrian womenâÂÂs national team entered the European Championship, with five Donau players selected. Early domestic matches were mostly between Celtic and Donau, or occasional fixtures against Hungary and Croatia.
In 2006, the inaugural Austrian WomenâÂÂs Bundesliga was held with Donau, Celtic, WRCI Innsbruck, and RC Graz. Rugby Union Donau Ladies won the competition, becoming AustriaâÂÂs first womenâÂÂs rugby state champions.
From 2008 to 2013, Donau and Celtic combined forces as the playing community FRU (Frauen Rugby Union) Schönbrunn. In 2012, as FRU Schönbrunn, the team traveled to its first international friendly tournament in Slovakia. Later that year, Donau re-established itself as an independent womenâÂÂs team.
DonauâÂÂs womenâÂÂs teams also play international friendly tournaments in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Germany. These competitions have developed into a close network with clubs across Central and Eastern Europe, evolving into the âÂÂFive City Tournaments.â Donau both participates in and hosts these events, alongside teams from the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary, to strengthen womenâÂÂs rugby in the region.
The Donau Ladies have also competed in several beach rugby tournaments, most notably the Lignano Beach Rugby Championship, which they won in 2018 and 2022.
Donau operates a comprehensive youth pathway under the âÂÂMini Piraten/Mini Piratinnenâ and âÂÂJunior Piratesâ banners, fielding U6 through U18 teams that train at the Union Trendsportzentrum in the Prater.
Note: In Austria, the winner of the national XV league (Bundesliga) is officially recognized as Staatsmeister (national champion) since 2007.