List of international rugby union teams
The following is a list of international rugby union teams:
National teams – band classification
Starting in 2008, in addition to the existing tier system, the IRB introduced a four-band system of classification in which unions are classified based on "their development status and record on the international stage". The new structure is:[1]
High performance
All countries previously in Tiers 1 and 2.
Development One
These are countries earmarked for increased developmental funding and include:
Targeted
The IRB did not release a list of unions in this category, but named several as World Cup hopefuls being in this band:
Belgium
Brazil
Germany
Ivory Coast
Malaysia
Netherlands
Paraguay
Poland
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Philippines
Developmental
World Rugby associates in italics
Other teams
Benin
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
DR Congo
Egypt
Gabon
Guinea
Malawi
Mozambique
Niger
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Asia Rugby teams not affiliated to World Rugby
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Iraq
Macau
Oman
Palestine
Saudi Arabia
Rugby Europe teams not affiliated to World Rugby
Rugby Americas North teams not affiliated to World Rugby
Belize
Curaçao
Dominican Republic
French Guiana
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Turks and Caicos Islands
Oceania Rugby teams not affiliated to World Rugby
Nauru
New Caledonia
Tahiti (associate member of Oceania Rugby)
Tuvalu
Wallis and Futuna (associate member of Oceania Rugby)
Sudamerica Rugby teams not affiliated to World Rugby
Bolivia
Ecuador
El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
Teams with affiliation suspended or without affiliation
Armenia
Cambodia
Comoros
Gibraltar
Mauritania
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Sudan
Tokelau
Multinational teams
- The British and Irish Lions.
- Established in 1950, East Africa conducted seven tours between 1954 and 1982 and played against incoming international, representative and club touring sides including twice against the British Lions; perhaps the only example of representative (as opposed to invitational) multinational teams playing against each other. They also played against the Barbarians.
- A similar development in 2004 has been the Pacific Islanders team.
- The South American Jaguars were a combination team who played South Africa during the early 1980s.
- The African Leopards are a development side drawn from across Africa, they have played representative rugby union against South African students.
- The Arabian Gulf rugby union team combined various teams from Arab countries in the Persian Gulf and competed in World Cup qualification. The Arabian Gulf Rugby Union has now been dismantled and responsibility for the game devolved to each of the member nations, although the team may be revived in the future.
- There was also a West Indies side, which first toured when the Caribbean Rugby Union sent a team (managed by Gavin Clark) to tour England in 1976. Their last tour was also to England in October and November 2000.
- The Commonwealth of Independent States played during the early 1990s.
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Moldova
Russia
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Ukraine
Defunct national sides
Various national sides have ceased to exist for political reasons. In the case of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, there is more than one successor team. In the case of Catalonia, the Spanish Civil War and Franco's crackdown put an end to it, and in the case of East and West Germany, reunification led to their amalgamation into a single German side.
Arabian Gulf* – dissolved by the end of 2010 and replaced by separate unions and national teams
Catalonia
CIS*
Czechoslovakia
East Africa* – a combination of Kenya, Tanzania/Tanganyika and Uganda. It has not played since 1982 but the Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA) still exists and there have been recent talks to resurrect the team
East Germany
Soviet Union
Yugoslavia
* For more information on these teams see above.
Women's rugby
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Barbados
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Canada
Cayman Islands
China
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
England
Fiji
Finland
France
Germany
Guyana
Hong Kong
India
Ireland
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Kenya
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malaysia
Namibia
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Scotland
Senegal
Serbia
Singapore
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
United States
Uzbekistan
Wales
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Defunct women's national sides
Invitation sides
Notes and references
- ^ "IRB announces increased funding for the game" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rugby Americas North Member
- ^ a b c d e f Sudamérica Rugby Member
- v
- t
- e
Rugby World Cup participation
(World Rugby members)
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Andorra
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Bermuda
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cayman Islands
- China
- Chinese Taipei
- Colombia
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Eswatini
- Finland
- Germany
- Ghana
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Israel
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malaysia
- Mali
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- Nigeria
- Niue
- Norway
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Qatar
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Zambia
to World Rugby
Rugby Africa | |
---|---|
Asia Rugby | |
Rugby Europe | |
Rugby Americas North | |
Oceania Rugby | |
Sudamerica Rugby |
or without affiliation
- Arabian Gulf
- Commonwealth of Independent States
- Czechoslovakia
- East Africa
- East Germany
- Nyasaland (Malawi)
- Serbia and Montenegro
- Soviet Union
- West Germany
- Yugoslavia