Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union or more often just rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. Rugby is simply based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is played between two teams of 15 players each, using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field called a pitch. The field has H-shaped goalposts at both ends.
The Rugby Championship, formerly known as the Tri Nations Series (1996–2011), is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. These are the four highest ranked national teams in the Southern Hemisphere; the Six Nations is a similar tournament in the Northern Hemisphere.
World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rugby competitions, such as the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the World Under 20 Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup.
The Namibia national rugby union team represents Namibia in men's international rugby union competitions nicknamed the Welwitschias, are a tier-two nation in the World Rugby tier system, and have participated in the six Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999. They are governed by the Namibia Rugby Union.
The 2007 Rugby World Cup, was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003, beating a bid from England. The competition consisted of 48 matches over 44 days; 42 matches were played in ten cities throughout France, as well as four in Cardiff, Wales, and two in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The Argentina national rugby union team represents Argentina in men's international rugby union; it is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union. Nicknamed the Pumas, they play in sky blue and white jerseys. They are ranked 10th in the world by World Rugby, making them by some distance the highest-ranked nation in the Americas.
The Romania national rugby union team represents Romania in men's international rugby union competitions, nicknamed Stejarii, is long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations. They have participated in all but one Rugby World Cup and currently compete in the first division of the European Nations Cup, which they won recently in 2017. Rugby union in Romania is administered by the Romanian Rugby Federation.
The Nations Cup is a rugby union competition that was first held in 2006 at Estádio Universitário in Lisbon with Argentina A, Italy A, Portugal and Russia taking part. The tournament is part of the International Rugby Board's US $50 million Strategic Investment programme, which also includes the Pacific Nations Cup, the Pacific Rugby Cup and the Americas Rugby Championship.
Rugby union in South Africa is a highly popular team sport, along with cricket and soccer, and is widely played all over the country. The national team is among the strongest in the world and has been ranked in at least the top seven of the World Rugby Rankings since its inception in 2003. The country hosted and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and won again in 2007 and 2019.
Rugby union in Argentina is a hugely popular team sport. The first rugby match played in the country dates back to 1873, as the game was introduced by the British. The Argentina national team, sometimes referred to as the Pumas, have competed at the Rugby World Cup, and are considered a tier one nation by the sport's governing body, World Rugby.
Argentina XV, formerly known as the Jaguares, are the second national rugby union team in Argentina, after the full national side, the Pumas.
The 2009 IRB Nations Cup was the fourth edition of the international rugby union tournament, a competition created by the International Rugby Board. It pits the "A" Teams of the stronger rugby nations against some of the Tier 2 and 3 nations.
The 2008 IRB Nations Cup was the third edition of the international rugby union tournament, a competition created by the International Rugby Board. It pits the "A" Teams of the stronger rugby nations against some of the Tier 2 and 3 nations.
The 2007 IRB Nations Cup is the second edition of the international rugby union tournament, a competition created by the International Rugby Board. It pits the "A" Teams of the stronger rugby nations against some of the Tier 2 and 3 nations.
The 2006 IRB Nations Cup was the first edition of the international rugby union tournament, a competition created by the International Rugby Board. It pits the "A" Teams of the stronger rugby nations against some of the Tier 2 and 3 nations.
The 2010 IRB Nations Cup was the fifth edition of the international rugby union tournament, a competition created by the International Rugby Board. It pits the "A" Teams of the stronger rugby nations against some of the Tier 2 and 3 nations.
The 2012 autumn internationals, also known as the autumn tests, November tests and, in the Southern Hemisphere, the end of year tests, were international rugby union matches. They were predominantly played between visiting Southern Hemisphere countries and European nations.
The 2012 IRB Nations Cup was the seventh edition of the international rugby union tournament, a competition created by the International Rugby Board. It pitted the "A" Teams of the stronger rugby nations against the Tier 2 (Romania) and Tier 3 nations. And Uruguay played against Romania, Russia and Portugal.
For the most recent Mid-year window go to 2022 July rugby union tests
The 2016 World Rugby Cup of Nations was the eleventh edition of the World Rugby Nations Cup rugby union tournament, created by World Rugby. As with the previous nine tournaments, the competition took place in the Stadionul Naţional de Rugby in Bucharest, Romania.
Argentina XV 
Georgia 
Namibia 
Portugal 
Romania 
South African Kings 
