The earliest recorded match in Switzerland was in 1869, and Lausanne RFC can claim to be as old as Blackheath.

[1] In 1974, a side from Basel toured France and were on the end of record breaking defeats.

"[2] Swiss rugby continued in a haphazard manner during the 1970s and 80s, for example, when Switzerland was due to play Bellinzona RFC in Italy, two of their players were delayed by a landslide.

[3] The Swiss Federation undertook an intensive development program in the 1980s, under Evelyne Oberson, and managed to gain a number of new native players.

[1] Ms Oberson, working often alone in Lausanne as a volunteer, was in every way a key element to Swiss rugby as, through her high level of personal organisation and admin skills, for the most part managed the (then) small Federation almost single-handedly.