Rugby was introduced to the Dominican Republic by French diplomat Jean-Paul Bossuge, vice consul at the time, in 1969. Jean Paul Rugby Club is named after him. Rugby began to grow in the seventies, but went into decline in the early 1990s. As in many other countries, rugby had suffered from lack of Olympic recognition. There was a revival in 1997, and from 1997 to 2000 the Dominican Republic was represented in Trinidad and Tobago's international rugby sevens tournament.
