Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is 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 Russia national rugby union team, nicknamed Medvedi, represented Russia in men's international rugby union international competitions. The team is administered by the Rugby Union of Russia (RUR). The RUR is considered the official successor union of the Soviet Union by World Rugby and the combined CIS team which played in the early 1990s. Since 1992, the team has played as Russia. Its first test match as Russia was against the Barbarians in Moscow in June 1992 and the country's first test against an official Test nation was against Belgium later that same year.
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.
The 2007 mid-year rugby union tests refers to the Rugby union Test matches played during June and May 2007. These are played in the Southern Hemisphere, and include all Tests hosted by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa outside the 2007 Tri-Nations. The Tests are being used by many countries as their last opportunity to prepare for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. For Australia, New Zealand and South Africa it is used as preparation for the 2007 Tri-Nations. The only match listed here with a Northern Hemisphere winner was Italy's victory over Uruguay.
Women's international rugby union has a history going back to the late 19th century, but it was not until 1982 that the first international fixture involving women's rugby union took place. The match was organised in connection with the Dutch Rugby Union's 50th anniversary: as part of the celebrations, on June 13, 1982, the French national women's team played the Dutch in Utrecht, Netherlands, with France winning 4–0 in a game that has since been recognised as the first ever women's international rugby union match.
The 2011 mid-year rugby union tests featured only seven matches due to the upcoming 2011 Rugby World Cup. No test series took place, although the Barbarians did play two matches in the United Kingdom; England and Wales. New Zealand and Australia hosted a respective Tier 2 side, Australia hosted Samoa, New Zealand hosted Fiji. Argentina hosted the French Barbarians, while Japan played a Top League XV side in Tokyo.
The 2012 mid-year rugby union tests refer to the rugby union Internationals that were played through June, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.
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.
For the most recent Mid-year window go to 2022 July rugby union tests
The 2013 mid-year rugby union tests were international rugby union matches that were played in June 2013, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.
The 2014 mid-year rugby union internationals were international rugby union matches mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the June international window.
The 2015 mid-year rugby union internationals refer to international rugby union matches that were mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere.
The 2016 mid-year rugby union internationals are international rugby union matches that were mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the June international window.
The 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals, also known as the 2016 Autumn Internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, were a series of international rugby union matches predominantly played between the visiting Southern Hemisphere countries: Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – and the European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
The 2017 mid-year rugby union internationals were international rugby union matches that were mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the June international window.
This page covers the major events of 2017 in rugby union.
Luke Pearce is a British rugby union referee representing the Rugby Football Union. He is a regular referee in the English Premiership and has refereed games at European level and at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
The 2018 mid-year rugby union internationals are international rugby union matches that are mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the June international window.
The 2020 end of year rugby union tests, also referred to as the 2020 Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, are a number of rugby union test matches scheduled to be contested approximately during the months of October, November and December 2020, primarily involving countries from the Northern Hemisphere hosting those from the Southern Hemisphere. Also involved in matches were those from second-tier teams. These international games counted towards World Rugby's ranking system, with a team typically playing from two to four matches during this period.
The 2022 mid-year rugby union internationals were international rugby union matches that were mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the July international window. For the first time since 2018 all leading Northern Hemisphere teams toured, following a cancelled calendar in 2020 and a largely reversed calendar in 2021.
