This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(April 2021) |
Nickname | Diables Noirs / Zwarte Duivels (Black Devils) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Union | Belgian Rugby Union | ||
Head coach | Laurent Dossat | ||
Captain | Jens Torfs | ||
Most caps | Alan Williams (68) | ||
Top scorer | Alan Williams (736) | ||
Top try scorer | Julien Berger (15) | ||
Home stadium | Various | ||
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World Rugby ranking | |||
Current | 28 (as of 16 November 2024) | ||
Highest | 21 (2012, 2013) | ||
Lowest | 55 (2004) | ||
First international | |||
Netherlands 6–6 Belgium (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 13 March 1932) | |||
Biggest win | |||
United Arab Emirates 3–94 Belgium (Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 8 December 2012) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Romania 83–5 Belgium (Bucharest, Romania; 19 April 1996) | |||
Website | www.rugby.be |
The Belgium national rugby union team, [1] nicknamed Diables Noirs / Zwarte Duivels (Black Devils), currently competes in the first division of the Rugby Europe International Championships, which they have been playing in since 2023. They have yet to participate in a Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Belgium is administered by the Belgian Rugby Federation.
The Belgium rugby team played their first match on 13 March 1932 against the Netherlands. They contested annual games against the Netherlands for half a decade starting in 1932. They drew the 1932 game, but lost subsequent matches during the 1930s. They also played Italy and Germany in 1937, losing both games.
During the 1950s, Belgium continued playing the Netherlands, as well as teams like Spain. They managed to obtain a draw in the 1960s against Portugal. In the 1970s they won the majority of their games, as well as playing a broader range of European nations. This trend continued throughout the 1980s. Belgium had a six-game winning streak in the late 1980s. They began playing more games against their regular European opponents as they entered the 1990s. A Belgium side played the Argentina national rugby union team prior to the 2007 Rugby World Cup. A Belgium XV played the Barbarians on 24 May 2008.
Belgium has been steadily improving, ranked number 55th in 2004, the 'Black Devils' improved a whole lot on the following years, obtaining good results against other European Nations, gaining entry to the IRB Ranking's Top 30 in 2010. Since their induction to the first 30 rugby nations in the international ranking, they have managed to maintain their place.
Belgium had a very successful campaign during the 2010-2012 European Nations Cup, with a 10 match winning streak from March 2011 to December 2012. Following their promotion in 2023, Belgium is competing in the top division of the Rugby Europe International Championships. In the 2024 season of the Rugby Europe International Championships Belgium earned a historic win over Portugal following their impressive Rugby World Cup campaign.
Jacques Rogge, the former International Olympic Committee president, was a member of the Belgium national team.
World Cup record | World Cup Qualification record | |||||||||||||
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Year | Round | P | W | D | L | F | A | P | W | D | L | F | A | |
1987 | Not invited | - | ||||||||||||
1991 | did not enter | did not enter | ||||||||||||
1995 | did not qualify | |||||||||||||
1999 | did not qualify | |||||||||||||
2003 | did not qualify | |||||||||||||
2007 | did not qualify | |||||||||||||
2011 | did not qualify | |||||||||||||
2015 | did not qualify | |||||||||||||
2019 | did not qualify | |||||||||||||
2023 | did not qualify | |||||||||||||
2027 | TBD | |||||||||||||
Total | - | |||||||||||||
Belgium's 35-man squad for their 2024 South American tour matches against Chile, Paraguay and Brazil.
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Rank | Change [i] | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | South Africa | 92.78 | |
2 | Ireland | 90.78 | |
3 | New Zealand | 90.36 | |
4 | France | 88.51 | |
5 | Argentina | 84.97 | |
6 | Scotland | 83.34 | |
7 | England | 82.31 | |
8 | Australia | 81.52 | |
9 | Fiji | 80.07 | |
10 | Italy | 78.64 | |
11 | Wales | 74.01 | |
12 | Georgia | 73.85 | |
13 | Japan | 72.95 | |
14 | Samoa | 72.68 | |
15 | United States | 70.02 | |
16 | Portugal | 68.82 | |
17 | 1 | Uruguay | 67.06 |
18 | 1 | Spain | 65.98 |
19 | Tonga | 65.46 | |
20 | Romania | 63.01 | |
21 | Chile | 61.72 | |
22 | Hong Kong | 59.49 | |
23 | Canada | 59.18 | |
24 | Netherlands | 58.56 | |
25 | Russia | 58.06 | |
26 | Namibia | 57.87 | |
27 | Zimbabwe | 57.16 | |
28 | Brazil | 56.53 | |
29 | Belgium | 56.51 | |
30 | Switzerland | 56.04 |
Belgium's historical rankings | ||
See or edit source data. |
Below is a table of the representative rugby matches played by a Belgium national XV at test level up until 7 July 2024, updated after match with Brazil..
Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Armenia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
Barbarians | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
Brazil | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
Canada | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
Chile | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
Croatia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50% |
Czech Republic | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 57.14% |
Czechoslovakia | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 16.67% |
Denmark | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 60% |
Fiji | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
Georgia | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
Germany | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 46.15% |
Hong Kong | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25% |
Italy | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
Latvia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% |
Lithuania | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Luxembourg | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Malta | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Moldova | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 71.43% |
Monaco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Morocco | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25% |
Netherlands | 48 | 23 | 21 | 4 | 47.92% |
Paraguay | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Poland | 15 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 40% |
Portugal | 17 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 23.53% |
Romania | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0.0% |
Russia | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 14.29% |
Samoa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
Serbia and Montenegro | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 87.5% |
Slovenia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% |
Spain | 17 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 11.76% |
Sweden | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 66.67% |
Switzerland | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 60% |
Tunisia | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 20% |
Ukraine | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 50% |
United Arab Emirates | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Uruguay | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
West Germany | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 66.67% |
Zimbabwe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0% |
Total | 250 | 104 | 134 | 12 | 41.6% |
The Georgia national rugby union team, nicknamed The Lelos, represents Georgia in men's international rugby union. The team is administered by the Georgian Rugby Union and takes part in the annual Rugby Europe Championship and the Rugby World Cup, which takes place every four years and in which it has appeared continuously since 2003.
The Belgium national football team has officially represented Belgium in men's international football since their maiden match in 1904. The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA—both of which were co-founded by the Belgian team's supervising body, the Royal Belgian Football Association. Periods of regular Belgian representation at the highest international level, from 1920 to 1938, from 1980 to 2002 and again from 2014 onwards, have alternated with mostly unsuccessful qualification rounds. Most of Belgium's home matches are played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
The Romania national rugby union team represents Romania in men's international rugby union competitions. Nicknamed Stejarii, the team 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 in 2017. Rugby union in Romania is administered by the Romanian Rugby Federation.
The United States men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States of America Rugby Football Union in men's international rugby union. USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States, and is a member of Rugby Americas North, one of six regional governing bodies under World Rugby. Until rugby returned to Olympic competition, with sevens at the 2016 Rio Games, the United States was the reigning Olympic rugby champion, having won gold at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics.
The Rugby Europe International Championships is the European Championship for tier 2 and tier 3 rugby union nations.
The Uruguay national rugby union team, nicknamed Los Teros, represents the Uruguayan Rugby Union in men's international rugby union. One of the older test sides in the world, Uruguay has qualified five times for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999, 2003, 2015, 2019 and most recently 2023. As of 10 July 2023 they are ranked 17th in the world, and are ranked 2nd in the Americas region, behind rivals Argentina.
The Spain national rugby union team, nicknamed Los Leones, represents the Spanish Rugby Federation in men's international rugby union competitions. The team annually takes part in the European Nations Cup, the highest European rugby championship outside the Six Nations. The national side is ranked 17th in the world.
The Netherlands national rugby union team, nicknamed The Oranges (Oranje), is considered one of the stronger tier 3 teams in European rugby. They currently compete in the second division of the Rugby Europe International Championships in the Rugby Europe Trophy, a competition which is just below the Rugby Europe Championship where the top six countries in Europe compete. They are yet to participate in any Rugby World Cup.
The Portugal national rugby union team, nicknamed Os Lobos, represents Portugal in men's international rugby union competitions. The team, as well as all rugby union in Portugal, is administered by the Portuguese Rugby Federation.
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.
The Germany national rugby union team represents Germany in men's international competitions. It currently plays at the second level of European rugby but is yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. The national team first played in 1927, with rugby union in Germany being administered by the German Rugby Federation.
The Brazil national rugby union team, nicknamed Tupis, is controlled by the Brazilian Rugby Confederation. Brazil is one of the founding unions of CONSUR and played in the inaugural South American tournament. Brazil has not qualified for a Rugby World Cup, but participated in the first edition of rugby 7s in the Olympics. Brazil currently ranks 4th in South America and 6th in the Americas region.
The Morocco national rugby union team are a national sporting side, representing Morocco in rugby union. The team is also known as the Atlas Lions. Morocco is governed by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Rugby. Morocco competes in the Africa Cup annually. The team has won the competition in 2003 and 2005. They usually play their internationals in Casablanca.
The Poland national rugby union team represents Poland in men's international rugby union competitions. Nicknamed The White and Reds (Biało-czerwoni), is considered one of the stronger tier 3 teams in European rugby and currently compete in the second division of the Rugby Europe International Championships in the Rugby Europe Trophy, a competition which is just below the Rugby Europe Championship where the top 6 countries in Europe compete. They are yet to participate in any Rugby World Cup and often play in white with red shorts as well as in red with white shorts.
The Ukraine national rugby union team represents Ukraine in men's international rugby union competitions. Nicknamed The Cossacks, is one of the tier 3 teams in Europe that currently compete in the second division of the Rugby Europe International Championships in the Rugby Europe Trophy, a competition which is just below the Rugby Europe Championship where the top 6 countries in Europe compete. They are yet to participate in any Rugby World Cup.
The Switzerland national rugby union team, nicknamed The White Flowers (Edelweiss), is considered one of the stronger tier three teams in European rugby. They currently compete in the second division of the Rugby Europe International Championships in the Rugby Europe Trophy, a competition which is just below the Rugby Europe Championship where the top six countries in Europe compete. They are yet to participate in any Rugby World Cup. They often play in all red, while their alternative kit is all white.
The Netherlands national football team has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands, which is a part of UEFA, under the jurisdiction of FIFA. Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion, and De Grolsch Veste.
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 France national women's team played the Netherlands 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 France women's national rugby union team represents France in women's international rugby union. They played the first-ever women's rugby union test match against the Netherlands on 13 June 1982. They compete annually in the Women's Six Nations Championship and have placed third in seven of nine Rugby World Cup's.
The most successful teams in women's international rugby union have been England, France, and New Zealand.