List of international rugby union teams

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2023)

|

The following is a list of international rugby union teams:

##  National teams – band classification

[edit]

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 details of tiers and bands are in the next sections of this article.[1]

## High performance

[edit]

All countries previously in Tiers 1 and 2. Now under "High Performance" status are still divided in "Tier 1" and "Tier 2".

### Tier 1

[edit]

* Argentina
* Australia
* England
* Fiji
* France
* Ireland
* Italy
* Japan
* New Zealand
* Scotland
* South Africa
* Wales

### Tier 2

[edit]

* Canada
* Chile
* Georgia
* Namibia
* Portugal
* Romania
* Samoa
* Spain
* Tonga
* United States
* Uruguay

## Developmental

[edit]

### Development One

[edit]

* Belgium
* Brazil
* Germany
* Hong Kong
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Netherlands
* Paraguay
* Russia
* Zimbabwe

### Developmental

[edit]

European countries

* Andorra
* Austria
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Finland
* Greece
* Hungary
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Norway
* Poland
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine

North & South American countries

* Bahamas[2]
* Barbados[2]
* Bermuda[2]
* British Virgin Islands[2]
* Cayman Islands[2]
* Colombia[3]
* Costa Rica[3]
* Guatemala[3]
* Guyana[2]
* Jamaica[2]
* Mexico
* Panama[3]
* Peru[3]
* Saint Lucia[2]
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[2]
* Trinidad and Tobago[2]
* Venezuela[3]

African countries

* Algeria
* Botswana
* Burundi
* Burkina Faso
* Cameroon
* DR Congo
* Egypt
* Eswatini
* Ghana
* Lesotho
* Madagascar
* Mali
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* Senegal
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia

Asian countries

* Azerbaijan
* China
* Chinese Taipei
* India
* Iran
* Israel
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Kyrgyzstan
* South Korea
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Mongolia
* Nepal
* Pakistan
* Qatar
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Thailand
* Turkey
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan

Oceanian countries

* American Samoa
* Brunei
* Cook Islands
* Guam
* Indonesia
* Malaysia
* Niue
* Papua New Guinea
* Philippines
* Singapore
* Solomon Islands
* Vanuatu

* Note: World Rugby associates in italics.

## Other teams

[edit]

Rugby Africa teams
not affiliated to World Rugby

* Benin
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Congo
* 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

* Belarus
* Estonia
* Iceland
* Kosovo
* Liechtenstein
* San Marino

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 ‡
* 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

[edit]

* The British and Irish Lions.
* England
* Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* 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.
* Kenya
* Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika)
* Uganda
* A similar development in 2004 has been the Pacific Islanders team.
* Fiji
* Samoa
* Tonga
* The South American Jaguars were a combination team who played South Africa during the early 1980s.
* Argentina
* Chile
* Uruguay
* 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.

* Bahrain
* Egypt
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* Lebanon
* Oman
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* United Arab Emirates

* 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

* The Black Sea Thunder is a combined team newly established by the countries having coast on the Black Sea
* Bulgaria
* Georgia
* Romania
* Turkey

###  Defunct national sides

[edit]

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

[edit]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (May 2024)

|

Main article: Women's international rugby union

* 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

[edit]

* Catalonia
* Great Britain
* Soviet Union

### Invitation sides

[edit]

* Nomads

## Notes and references

[edit]

1. ^ "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.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rugby Americas North Member
3. ^ a b c d e f Sudamérica Rugby Member

* v
* t
* e

International men's rugby union teams

Tier 1 teams|

* Argentina
* Australia
* England
* France
* Ireland
* Italy
* Japan
* New Zealand
* Scotland
* South Africa
* Wales

Emerging teams with
Rugby World Cup participation|

* Canada
* Chile
* Fiji
* Georgia
* Hong Kong
* Ivory Coast
* Namibia
* Portugal
* Romania
* Samoa
* Spain
* Tonga
* United States
* Uruguay
* Zimbabwe

Other Emerging teams
(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
* 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

Teams not affiliated
to World Rugby|

| Rugby Africa|

* Benin
* Chad
* Congo
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Egypt
* Libya
* Niger
* Seychelles

|

Asia Rugby|

* Bangladesh
* Cambodia
* Macau

Rugby Europe|

* Belarus
* Estonia
* Iceland
* Kosovo
* Liechtenstein
* Montenegro
* San Marino

Rugby Americas North|

* Curaçao
* Dominican Republic
* Guadeloupe
* Martinique
* Turks and Caicos Islands

Oceania Rugby|

* French Polynesia (Tahiti)
* Nauru
* New Caledonia
* Wallis and Futuna

Sudamerica Rugby|

* Ecuador
* El Salvador

Combination teams|

* African Leopards
* British & Irish Lions
* Pacific Islanders
* South American XV

Teams with affiliation suspended
or without affiliation|

* Armenia
* Bahrain
* Basque Country
* Catalonia
* Gibraltar
* Greece
* Mauritania
* Russia

Teams affiliated to the FFR|

* Mayotte
* Réunion

Defunct teams|

* Arabian Gulf
* Commonwealth of Independent States
* Czechoslovakia
* East Africa
* East Germany
* Nyasaland (Malawi)
* Serbia and Montenegro
* Soviet Union
* West Germany
* Yugoslavia

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template