Rugby union in Belgium | |
---|---|
Country | Belgium |
Governing body | Belgian Rugby Federation |
National team(s) | Belgium |
Registered players | 36,266 [1] |
Clubs | 58 |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
Rugby union in Belgium is a growing sport. The national governing body for rugby union in Belgium is the Belgian Rugby Federation. The national team plays in the European Nations Cup, and as of October 2014, they were ranked thirtieth in the World Rugby Rankings. [2]
The national governing body for rugby union in Belgium is the Belgian Rugby Federation (FBRB - Fédération Belge de Rugby in French and Belgische Rugby Bond in Dutch) which is headquartered in Brussels. The Belgian Rugby Federation was formed in 1931, and joined the IRFB in 1988. [3]
Rugby union is governed by two regional bodies that answer to FBRB, the national governing body. Most of the clubs in the northern region of Belgium are governed by the Vlaamse Rugby Bond (VRB). The remaining clubs are governed by the Ligue Belge Francophone de Rugby (LBFR). [4]
Rugby union in Belgium is also structured into four districts for competition purposes. These districts are; Brabant, Hainaut, Liège/Namur/Luxembourg, and Flanders.
Within these districts, there are also several leagues and divisions that are structured based on the skill level of the clubs.
For a long time, Belgian rugby's most high-profile personality was the former international referee, Teddy Lacroix, who became president of the union. [3]
Rugby union in Belgium has not been popular historically, but due to its recent international successes, it is a quickly growing sport. As of the December 2007, more than half of the nearly seven thousand registered players are pre-teens or teenagers. [5] In addition, there are currently forty-eight domestic clubs that compete against each other on various levels.
Notable Belgian rugby players include:
The national team, nicknamed the Black Devils (Zwarte Duivels), has been competing in international tests since 1932.
The national team competed in competition in the Second Division at the 2010-2012 European Nations Cup winning the division and securing promotion to Division 1A for the next season.
Date | City | Opponent | Results¹ | Attendance | Type of game |
12 February 2011 | Brussels | Moldova | 20-5 | ??? | European Nations Cup |
12 March 2011 | Gdynia, Poland | Poland | 21-28 | ??? | European Nations Cup |
19 March 2011 | Brussels | Germany | 28-25 | ??? | European Nations Cup |
23 April 2011 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | 30-18 | ??? | European Nations Cup |
5 November 2011 | Brussels | Czech Republic | 55-0 | ??? | European Nations Cup |
25 February 2012 | Brussels | Netherlands | 58-3 | ??? | European Nations Cup |
10 March 2012 | Chisinau | Moldova | 17-16 | ??? | European Nations Cup |
17 March 2012 | Heusenstamm | Germany | 30-29 | ??? | European Nations Cup |
7 April 2012 | Brussels | Poland | 20-13 | ??? | European Nations Cup |
¹ Results from Belgian view
Rugby union is a growing team sport in Spain. As of 2019, there were 37,241 registered rugby union players in Spain, playing for 332 clubs in various divisions. The sport's governing body in Spain, the Spanish Rugby Federation, was founded in 1923. It joined the International Rugby Board in 1988, and is also a member of Rugby Europe.
The Belgium national rugby union team represents Belgium in men's international rugby union competitions, nicknamed Diables Noirs / Zwarte Duivels. They are yet to participate in a Rugby World Cup and currently compete in the first division of the Rugby Europe International Championships, which they have been playing in since 2023. Rugby union in Belgium is administered by the Belgian Rugby Federation.
The Belgian Rugby Federation is the governing body for rugby union in Belgium.
Rugby Africa is the administrative body for rugby union within the continent of Africa under the authority of World Rugby, which is the world governing body of rugby union. As of 2018, Rugby Africa has 37 member nations and runs several rugby tournaments for national teams, including the Africa Cup which is the main 15-a-side competition for African national teams.
Sport in Belgium plays a prominent role in the society. As of 2010, Belgium counted around 17,000 sport clubs with approximately 1.35 million members, or about 13% of the Belgian population. Popular sports in Belgium are, among others: football, cycling, tennis, table tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, badminton, judo, hockey, rowing, motocross, auto racing, volleyball, and running. Belgium has organized the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp as well as the 1972 UEFA European Championship and the 2000 UEFA European Championship along with the Netherlands. The Belgium national football team's best result was a 3rd place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and a second place of the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Belgian football clubs have won 3 times the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and twice the UEFA Cup, plus 3 times the UEFA Supercup.
The Arabian Gulf rugby union team was a combined team of players that represented the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council in international rugby union competitions. The team competed in international matches between 1993 and 2010, and was governed by the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU). Associate members were Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.
Rugby union in Vanuatu, formerly known as the New Hebrides, is a popular sport. Vanuatu is a tier three rugby union playing nation. They began playing international rugby union in 1966 and have yet to make the Rugby World Cup.
Rugby union in Azerbaijan is a growing sport. They are currently unranked in the International Rugby Board's world rankings, which ranks only the top ninety-five countries. The governing body for Azerbaijan is Azerbaycan Reqbi Federasiyasl.
Rugby union in Barbados is a minor, but relatively successful sport. There are fewer than 1700 registered rugby union players in Barbados and only five official IRB sanctioned teams. The governing body for rugby union in Barbados is the Barbados Rugby Football Union, and their headquarters is located in Wildey, St. Michael.
Rugby union in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a minor sport. They are currently ranked sixty-eight in the International Rugby Board's world rankings, despite the lack of recognition as an official sport by the government. The governing body for the sport in the country is Rugby Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1992.
Rugby union in Madagascar is the most popular team sport in the nation. As of August 2023, Madagascar is ranked 45th worldwide by World Rugby (WR), and boasts over 42,540 registered players and more than 410 rugby clubs. Although Madagascar lacks a professional competition, as it is one of the poorest countries in the world, it does possess a national club competition that is extensively covered in the national print media, as well as having matches televised. Rugby is considered the national sport of Madagascar.
Rugby union in the Netherlands is a popular sport. The sport is governed by the Rugby Nederland, which organizes the Netherlands national rugby union team.
Rugby union in Wallis and Futuna is a popular sport within the French overseas territory.
The Uzbekistan Rugby Federation is the governing body for rugby union in Uzbekistan. The Rugby Federation of Uzbekistan was established in 2002, becoming a full member of ARFU and full member of World Rugby.
Rugby Europe is the administrative body for rugby union in Europe. It was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise, and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of World Rugby. However, it is not responsible for the organisation of the Six Nations Championship or the competitions run by European Professional Club Rugby.
The Royal Belgian Tennis Federation is an organisation set up in 1902 that formally takes charge of tennis in Belgium. From 1979 on, most tasks are executed by the tennis branches of the Flemish and Francophone Communities. The Belgian Federation is one of the 15 inaugural members of the International Tennis Federation. Its headquarters are located in the Brussels Capital Region, in the municipality of Ixelles.
The Royal Belgian Hockey Association is the governing body for the game of (field) hockey in Belgium. It was formed in 1907 and as of 2014 it is presided by Marc Coudron.
Belgian Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Belgium.
The Royal Belgian Swimming Federation is the umbrella swimming association in Belgium and is responsible for all types of swimming: swimming in lanes, water polo, synchronised swimming, diving and open water swimming. The federation has its registered office in Brussels. Michel Louwagie is the current president since 1998. The RBSF is affiliated with the Belgian Olympic Committee, the Ligue Européenne de Natation and the Federation Internationale de Natation. The Board of Directors and the General Assembly of the RBSF consist of representatives of the Flemish and Francophone swimming federations. The Belgian Swimming Federation is formally authorized to represent the Belgian swimming world and to deliver athletes and teams to international tournaments. The informal power and sport policy lie in fact with the regional swimming federations, which have the financial resources.
The Royal Belgian Handball Federation (RBHF) is the governing body of handball and beach handball in Kingdom of Belgium. Founded in 1956, the RBHF is affiliated to the International Handball Federation and European Handball Federation. RBHF is also affiliated to the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee. It is based in Ans. and Halen.