Spain national rugby union team

Men's rugby union team representing Spain

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Spain women's national rugby union team.

Spain

Nickname| Los Leones (The Lions)
Emblem| Lion
Union| Spanish Rugby Federation
Head coach| Pablo Bouza
Captain| Fernando López
Most caps| Francisco Puertas (93)
Top scorer| Esteban Roqué (285)
Top try scorer| César Sempere (31)
Home stadium| Estadio Universidad Complutense de Madrid

First colours

Second colours

|

World Rugby ranking
Current| 18 (as of 25 November 2024)
Highest| 15 (2022, 2025)
Lowest| 32 (2004, 2005)
First international
Spain 9–0 Italy
(Barcelona, Spain; 20 May 1929)
Biggest win
Spain 90–8 Czech Republic
(Madrid, Spain; 2 April 1995)
Biggest defeat
Spain 10–92 Australia
(Madrid, Spain; 1 November 2001)
World Cup
Appearances| 1[note 1] (first in 1999)
Best result| Pool stage (1999)
Website| ferugby.es

The Spain national rugby union team,[1] nicknamed Los Leones (The Lions), is administered by the Spanish Rugby Federation. The team competes in the annual European Nations Cup, the highest European rugby championship outside the Six Nations. The national side is ranked 18th in the world (as of 25 November 2024).

Rugby union in Spain dates back to 1901, although Spain did not play its first international until 1929, beating Italy 9–0 in Barcelona. Throughout the century, Spain mostly played against other European opponents such as France, Italy, Romania, West Germany, the Soviet Union, and Portugal. The team's greatest moment of success came in 1999, when Spain qualified for the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Despite being whitewashed, the team performed admirably in a group which included South Africa and Scotland.

Today, Spain competes in the European Nations Cup against Georgia, Germany, Portugal, Romania, and Russia. Spain has never been crowned European champions, though has come close. The closest they've come to becoming European champions was in 2012, having beaten both Romania and Georgia and finishing second.

## History

[edit]

### Early history and amateur era

[edit]

The exact starting point of rugby union in Spain is unknown; Catalan student Baldiri Aleu introduced the game from France to a mainstream Spanish audience in 1921, but the game might have been played on Spanish soil earlier.[2] Through the 1920s, the game gradually gained popularity through universities in the country. The first Copa del Rey de Rugby was organized in 1926, and won by Barcelona. An unofficial Spanish XV played France, including Yves du Manoir, in 1927, but it was organised by a rebel governing body.[3]

Spain played their first officially recognised match in 1929, winning 9–0 over Italy in the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc.[3] During the 1930s the Spanish rugby team played sporadically in the 1930s, playing against the national teams of Italy, Morocco, Germany, and Portugal. Due to the outbreak of World War II, rugby in much of Europe was suspended, and this included Spain. Rugby operations throughout Europe were continued in the 1950s; through this decade the Spanish struggled to the likes of West Germany, Italy and Romania. This pattern of consistency continued somewhat in the 1960s and 1970s; Spain traditionally struggled versus more established opponents such as Romania and Italy, but beat other neighboring sides such as Portugal and Morocco. However, while no official games were played between Spain and the Home Nations or the SANZAR, some Spanish sides traveled to play against various foreign sides.[4]

The 1980s proved to be somewhat of a golden age for Spanish rugby; for the first time Spain played against non-FIRA competition, playing a test against both the Māori All Blacks as well as South American giants Argentina in November 1982, in Madrid. The Spanish were thrashed 66–3 to the Māori, but came close to upsetting Argentina, losing only 28 to 19. The Spanish also received Zimbabwe through various tests in the 80s. The Spanish recorded upsets, defeating Zimbabwe in Harare in 1984, winning 30–18.

### World Cup begins (1987–2009)

[edit]

Even more impressive, the Spanish swept a two-game tour in Zimbabwe, a team that had appeared in the 1987 Rugby World Cup, winning 28–16 and 14–9 in Bulawayo and Harare. Other notable results in this period included beating Uruguay 18–6, as well as giving scares to the sides of England and Scotland, and coming within 10 points of beating the Māori in 1988. By the end of the 80s, Spain was considered one of the best non-5 Nations teams in Europe, just barely behind Romania, Italy, and the Soviet Union. Spain officially joined the IRB in 1987, after not being invited for the 1987 Rugby World Cup, despite the USSR declining an invitation.

Spain playing against the Czech Republic in 2007.

The 1990s provided a mixed fortune of both near misses and eventual success. In the 1991 qualifying rounds, Spain easily toppled its first group consisting of the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium, all games being played at home. However, Spain very narrowly missed on qualifying for the Rugby World Cup, losing 19–6 against Romania, finishing third behind Italy and Romania. In 1992, Spain finally beat Romania for the first time in 1992, winning 6–0. Spain again nearly beat Argentina that same year, only losing 43–34 in a shootout in Madrid.

1995 began in similar fashion to the 1991 campaign, easily toppling the first group. However, Spain were unfortunately placed in a group with Wales, losing the key fixture 54–0, and again coming close, yet not close enough.

Spain began their quest for 1999 Rugby World Cup qualification in Pool 3 of Round B of the European qualification. They won all four of their games in the round, finishing first in the group above Portugal. They, along with Portugal advanced to the next pool round with Scotland. They finished second and qualified for their first Rugby World Cup.

For the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Spain were in Pool A, along with Scotland, South Africa and Uruguay. Their first ever World Cup game was played against Uruguay, with Spain losing 27–15. They lost their subsequent pool games to Scotland and the Springboks by 40 points, both of which were played at Murrayfield. They failed to score a try in the tournament, the only team in the World to have qualified but not scored a try in the World cup.

Spain began 2003 Rugby World Cup qualifying games in May 2002. Spain advanced to Round 3 after defeating Portugal. However, they lost to both Italy and Romania, and moved through to face Russia for a place in the repechage competition. Despite losing the first game in Madrid 3–36, and looking dead in the water, Spain pulled off a very unlikely victory, winning 38–22. Despite losing on aggregate, Spain went through the repechage due to Russia being disqualified for fielding ineligible players. They defeated Tunisia and moved on to face the United States. Spain lost 62–13 and 58–13, again missing out on the World Cup.

Spain playing against Portugal in 2013.

For the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Spain finished at the top of Pool A or Round 2 of the European qualification and advanced to Round 3 where they went into Pool A. Here they won all four fixtures to finish at the top and advance to the play-off. There they faced Germany, and although they lost the first game, they won the second and went through on a 42–28 aggregate and went into Round 4 where they defeated the Czech Republic to enter Round 5. However they lost out to Romania and Georgia in Pool B, ending their hopes of reaching the World Cup in France.

### 2010–present

[edit]

Spain playing Classic All Blacks at Metropolitano Stadium in 2022.

Spain missed the qualification for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, this time struggling through their fixtures. They lost 8 of their 10 fixtures, beating only Germany those two times, and missed out on advancing to the next round of qualifying.

Spain entered the top 20 in the IRB ranking in February 2013 for the first time following a 25–18 win over the higher ranked Georgia making headlines with semi-pro back Jack Rowland making a surprising call up, due to both fly-half and first team inside center pulling out with injury moments before the squad was announces. Rowland a last moment replacement scoring 12 out of the 25 points on his international debut. Surprising ranked Georgia first time in 29 years with a victory. Spain remained in the top 20 throughout the year, ending 2013 ranked 19th.[5] Despite this, the 2015 campaign was similarly disastrous, winning only two of their games as well as two draws. This led to a restructure of the makeup and strategies of the FER.[6] Spain has recently participated in the World Rugby Nations Cup and the 2014 IRB Tbilisi Cup.

The 2019 qualifying saw the team markedly improve; in 2017 they beat Germany, Russia and Belgium, and lost narrowly to Romania at home. The Spaniards started 2018 with great fortune, as they defeated Russia on their home soil for the first time since 2002, and defeated Romania for the first time since 2012.[citation needed] With both of these victories, Spain led their qualifying group and looked set for a possible qualification at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, but a defeat at Belgium in the last round, and a heavy deduction of points because of fielding of ineligible players,[citation needed] ended their hopes.

A similar outcome occurred in 2022 when the team initially qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup after wins over direct rivals Romania and Portugal, but was later disqualified due to fielding a player who didn't meet the selection criteria.[citation needed] This second expulsion resulted in many veteran players abandoning the national team and the Spanish side struggled to get good results in the 2023 rugby championship campaign. With heavy defeats against Georgia and Portugal and a narrow home defeat to Romania.

After a win over Switzerland on 9 February 2025 in the Rugby Europe championship, Spain qualified for the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup.[7]

## Kits

[edit]

Historically, Spain's kit reflected the colours of Spain; a red jersey with blue shorts deriving from the House of Bourbon. The current home kit consists of a red shirt with a triangular pattern and black on the waist sides, dark blue shorts and dark blue socks, while the away kit consists of a dark blue jersey, red waist sides, dark blue shorts and dark blue socks; previously, during the 1980s and 1990s, the Spanish team wore a yellow top as away kit.[8]

In 2013, it was announced that O'Neills, one of Ireland's most notable sporting brands, would be providing the new kits for Spain. This partnership is expected to last for the rest of the decade.[9][10] The team has been previously sponsored by Iberia, Orange and Renfe, and previous kit providers include Canterbury, Westport, Viator, Kondy Sport and Puma.

Currently, the kits are provided by Joma since 2016. Since 2017, Generali is the current sponsor.

### Kit suppliers

[edit]

Period  | Kit manufacturer  | Main shirt sponsor

|
|

2013-2015  | O'Neills |
2016-  | Joma | Assicurazioni Generali

### Kit evolution

[edit]

RWC 1999

2005

2009

2013

2015

2017

|
|
|
|
|

## Record

[edit]

### European Nations Cup & FIRA Trophy

[edit]

FIRA Nations Cup (1965 – 1973)

Nation  | Games  | Points  | Table
points  | Champs
played  | won  | drawn  | lost  | for  | against  | diff
France | 26 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 824 | 198 | +626 | 65 | 7
Romania | 26 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 528 | 222 | +306 | 51 | 1
Czechoslovakia | 17 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 135 | 411 | –267 | 16 | 0
Morocco | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 65 | 332 | –267 | 13 | 0
Italy | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 86 | 227 | –141 | 12 | 0
West Germany | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 81 | 132 | –51 | 6 | 0
Spain | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 55 | +1 | 5 | 0
Poland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 132 | –113 | 3 | 0
Portugal | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 108 | –85 | 0 | 0

See also: European Nations Cup (rugby union)

Season | Division | Games | Won | Drew | Lost | PF | PA | Points | Position

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2000 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 109 | 105 | 9 | 4th
2001–02 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 246 | 247 | 16 | 4th
2003–04 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 129 | 335 | 11 | 6th
2004–06 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 364 | 87 | 23 | 1st
2007–08 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 233 | 240 | 18 | 4th
2008–10 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 145 | 304 | 14 | 5th
2010–12 | 1A | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 225 | 275 | 26 | 3rd
2012–14 | 1A | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 159 | 243 | 15 | 4th
2014–16 | 1A | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 232 | 207 | 23 | 4th
2017 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 91 | 54 | 13 | 3rd
2018 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 147 | 66 | 13 | 3rd
2019 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 127 | 75 | 18 | 2nd
2020 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 103 | 93 | 13 | 2nd
2021 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 164 | 109 | 12 | 4th
2022 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 135 | 17 | 2nd
2023 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 98 | 133 |  | 4th
2024 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 120 | 127 |  | 3rd

Note: Green signifies promotion; red signifies relegation. Italic signifies current competition.

### Rugby World Cup record

[edit]

Rugby World Cup record |  | Qualification

|
|

Year  | Round  | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Squad  | Head coach  | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA
1987 | Not invited | –
1991 | Did not qualify | 3rd  | 6  | 4  | 0  | 2  | 144  | 91
1995 | 2nd  | 5  | 4  | 0  | 1  | 179  | 94
1999 | Pool stage  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 18  | 122  | Squad | A. Feijoo | 2nd  | 6  | 5  | 0  | 1  | 182  | 144
2003 | Did not qualify | P/O | 9  | 3  | 0  | 6  | 158  | 359
2007 | 3rd  | 14  | 11  | 1  | 2  | 528  | 224
2011 | 5th  | 10  | 2  | 0  | 8  | 145  | 304
2015 | 4th  | 10  | 2  | 2  | 6  | 159  | 243
2019 | Expelled from competing at tournament after qualification | 4th  | 8  | 6  | 0  | 2  | 217  | 85
2023 | 4th  | 10  | 6  | 0  | 4  | 334  | 244
2027 | Qualified | 2nd  | 3  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 128  | 99
2031 | To be determined | To be determined
Total  | —  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 18  | 122  | —  | —  | —  | 81  | 45  | 3  | 33  | 2174  | 1887

* Champions
* Runners–up
* Third place
* Fourth place
* Home venue

### Overall

[edit]

Men's World Rugby Rankings

* v
* t
* e

Top 20 as of 4 August 2025[11] Rank | Change[i] | Team | Points

|
|
|

1  |  |  South Africa | 092.78
2  |  |  New Zealand | 092.06
3  |  |  Ireland | 089.83
4  |  |  France | 087.82
5  |  |  England | 087.64
6  |  |  Australia | 082.08
7  |  |  Argentina | 082.05
8  |  |  Scotland | 081.57
9  |  |  Fiji | 080.50
10  |  |  Italy | 077.77
11  |  |  Georgia | 074.69
12  |  |  Wales | 074.05
13  |  |  Samoa | 072.48
14  |  |  Japan | 072.29
15  |  |  Spain | 069.12
16  |  |  United States | 068.45
17  |  |  Uruguay | 067.52
18  |  |  Portugal | 066.44
19  |  |  Tonga | 065.46
20  |  |  Chile | 063.83
21  |  |  Romania | 062.67
22  |  |  Belgium | 061.20
23  |  |  Hong Kong | 059.98
24  |  |  Zimbabwe | 058.80
25  |  |  Canada | 057.75
26  |  |  Netherlands | 057.01
27  |  |  Namibia | 056.97
28  |  |  Brazil | 055.90
29  |  |  Switzerland | 055.26
30  |  |  Poland | 054.06

1. ^ Change from the previous week

Spain's historical rankings

This graph was using the legacy Graph extension, which is no longer supported. It needs to be converted to the new Chart extension.

|

See or edit source data.

Source: World Rugby[11]
Graph updated to 4 August 2025

Below is a table of the representative rugby matches played by a Spain national XV at test level up until 19 July 2025, updated after match with  Canada.[12]

Opponent  | Played  | Won  | Lost  | Drawn  | Win %  | For  | Aga  | Diff

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Andorra | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 129 | 3 | +126
Argentina | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0.00% | 78 | 211 | –133
Argentina XV | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 13 | 81 | –68
Argentina Jaguars | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 7 | 41 | –34
Australia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 10 | 92 | –82
Australia A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 36 | –33
Barbarians | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 26 | 52 | –26
Belgium | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 82.35% | 484 | 123 | +361
Canada | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60% | 172 | 174 | –2
Chile | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60% | 151 | 86 | +65
Croatia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% | 84 | 35 | +49
Czech Republic | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75% | 340 | 116 | +224
Czechoslovakia | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 40% | 69 | 63 | +6
Denmark | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 53 | 13 | +40
England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 17 | 86 | –69
England U23 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 19 | 31 | –12
Fiji | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00% | 52 | 115 | –63
France XV | 24 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 4.17% | 283 | 1,075 | –792
French Military | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25% | 34 | 52 | –18
Georgia | 27 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 11.11% | 400 | 898 | –498
Germany | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 73.33% | 418 | 198 | +220
Hong Kong | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 29 | 7 | +22
Hungary | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 63 | 9 | +54
Italy | 27 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 11.11% | 187 | 581 | –394
Emerging Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 37 | –37
Italy A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 11 | 13 | –2
Japan | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00% | 43 | 114 | –71
Kenya | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 27 | 36 | –9
Moldova | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 40 | 7 | +33
Morocco | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 72.22% | 332 | 142 | +190
Namibia | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 71.43% | 174 | 134 | +40
Netherlands | 19 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 94.74% | 590 | 176 | +414
New Zealand Māori | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 15 | 88 | –73
New Zealand Classic | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 26 | 33 | –7
Poland | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 62.5% | 320 | 207 | +113
Portugal | 42 | 27 | 13 | 2 | 64.29% | 937 | 697 | +240
Romania | 40 | 5 | 35 | 0 | 12.5% | 482 | 1,148 | –666
Royal Air Force | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.00% | 26 | 59 | –33
Russia | 24 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 33.33% | 592 | 674 | –82
Samoa | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% | 40 | 62 | –22
Scotland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 48 | –48
Scotland XV | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.00% | 34 | 211 | –177
Scotland A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 7 | 39 | –32
Slovenia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 76 | 6 | +70
South Africa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 47 | –44
Soviet Union | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.00% | 60 | 152 | –92
Sweden | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 58 | 30 | +28
Switzerland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 83 | 13 | +70
Tonga | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33% | 48 | 88 | –40
Tunisia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80% | 141 | 51 | +90
Ukraine | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 76 | 19 | +57
United States | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 20% | 72 | 231 | –159
Uruguay | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 53.33% | 272 | 295 | –23
Wales | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 54 | –54
Wales XV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 16 | 65 | –49
West Germany | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 40% | 137 | 96 | +41
Yugoslavia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 86 | 17 | +69
Zimbabwe | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 71.43% | 153 | 108 | +45
Total | 416 | 174 | 229 | 13 | 41.83% | 8,098 | 9,375 | –1,277

## Players

[edit]

### Current squad

[edit]

On 1 July, Spain named a 30-player squad for their 2025 July Internationals against the United States and Canada.[13]

Head Coach: Pablo Bouza

* Caps Updated: 19 July 2025 (after Canada v Spain)

Player  | Position | Date of birth (age)  | Caps  | Club/province

|
|
|
|

Vicente Del Hoyo | Hooker |  (1996-02-15) 15 February 1996 (age 29) | 32  |  Real Ciencias
Álvaro García | Hooker |  (2003-08-23) 23 August 2003 (age 21) | 14  |  Stade Français
Pablo Miejimolle | Hooker |  (1995-01-17) 17 January 1995 (age 30) | 13  |  Valladolid
Joaquín Domínguez | Prop |  (1996-02-13) 13 February 1996 (age 29) | 15  |  Belenenses
Thierry Futeu | Prop |  (1995-06-23) 23 June 1995 (age 30) | 43  |  Niort
Lucas Santamaría | Prop |  (2000-01-17) 17 January 2000 (age 25) | 19  |  Tarbes
Bernardo Vázquez | Prop |  (1989-06-09) 9 June 1989 (age 36) | 7  |  Aparejadores
Jon Zabala | Prop |  (1996-11-27) 27 November 1996 (age 28) | 32  |  Pau
Ignacio Piñeiro | Lock |  (2003-01-04) 4 January 2003 (age 22) | 15  |  Oyonnax
Marc Sánchez | Lock |  (1999-08-21) 21 August 1999 (age 25) | 5  |  Valladolid
Imanol Urraza | Lock |  (2002-04-05) 5 April 2002 (age 23) | 10  |  Lazio
Asier Usárraga | Lock |  (1994-12-31) 31 December 1994 (age 30) | 13  |  Brive
Vicente Boronat | Back row |  (1997-08-15) 15 August 1997 (age 27) | 8  |  Aparejadores
Pepe Borraz | Back row |  (2002-06-19) 19 June 2002 (age 23) | 2  |  Cisneros
Matthew Foulds | Back row |  (1991-04-27) 27 April 1991 (age 34) | 38  |  Santboiana
Ekain Imaz | Back row |  (2002-07-12) 12 July 2002 (age 23) | 17  |  Biarritz
Raphaël Nieto | Back row |  (2000-08-27) 27 August 2000 (age 24) | 14  |  Niort
Matheo Triki | Back row |  (2001-02-02) 2 February 2001 (age 24) | 10  |  Chambéry
Kerman Aurrekoetxea | Scrum-half |  (2000-05-02) 2 May 2000 (age 25) | 18  |  Biarritz
Estanislao Bay | Scrum-half |  (1992-11-18) 18 November 1992 (age 32) | 25  |  Aparejadores
Gonzalo López-Bontempo | Fly-half |  (2000-02-10) 10 February 2000 (age 25) | 17  |  Massy
Gonzalo Vinuesa | Fly-half |  (2001-05-15) 15 May 2001 (age 24) | 25  |  Cisneros
Yago Fernández | Centre |  (2004-01-08) 8 January 2004 (age 21) | 0  |  Alcobendas
Álvar Gimeno | Centre |  (1997-12-15) 15 December 1997 (age 27) | 47  |  Real Ciencias
Iñaki Mateu | Centre |  (1997-03-13) 13 March 1997 (age 28) | 29  |  Alcobendas
Pau Aira | Wing |  (2001-07-03) 3 July 2001 (age 24) | 9  |  Barcelona
Martiniano Cian | Wing |  (2001-08-15) 15 August 2001 (age 23) | 18  |  Valladolid
Egoitz García | Wing |  | 0  |  Ordizia
Gauthier Minguillon | Wing |  (1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 31) | 27  |  Valence Romans
J. W. Bell | Fullback |  (1990-01-18) 18 January 1990 (age 35) | 27  |  El Salvador

### Notable former players

[edit]

* Pablo Feijoo (2002–2015) – 67 caps, 20 tries
* Cédric Garcia (2004) – 3 caps, played 12 seasons in the French Top 14
* Alberto Malo (1986–1999) – 89 caps
* Jaime Nava (2002–2018) – 79 caps
* Francisco Puertas Soto (1994–2001) – 93 caps
* Oriol Ripol (1998–2002) – 17 caps, played 8 seasons in English Premiership
* Esteban Roqué Segovia (2004–2007) – 22 caps, 285 points
* César Sempere (2004–2014) – 56 caps, 31 tries, 177 points
* Diego Zarzosa (1998–2009) – 46 caps

## Coaches

[edit]

### Current coaching staff

[edit]

The current coaching staff of the Spanish national team:[14]

Name  | Role

|

Pablo Manuel Pérez | Manager
Pablo Bouza | Head coach
Miguel Velasco | Assistant coach
Valentín Telleriarte | Video-analyst
Mar Álvarez | Strength & Conditioning coach
Dr. Carmen Leon Paris | Team doctor
Martin Diego Nunez | Physiotherapist
Hugo Garcia Fernandez | Physiotherapist

### Former coaches

[edit]

Coach  | Years

|

Enrique Gutiérrez |

1927–1928

Manuel Ordóñez |

1931–1932

José Hermosa |

1935–1936

César Palomino |

1936

Jesús Luque |

1952–1953

Juan Vázquez |

1953–1960

Arnaldo Griñó |

1960–1966

Ramón Rabassa |

1965 (caretaker)

Alberto Serena |

1967–1968

Alfredo Calzada |

1968–1970

Gérard Murillo |

1970–1978

Morgan Thomas |

1978–1979

Luis Mocoroa |

1979 (caretaker)

Francisco Sacristán |

1979–1982

Jesús Linares |

1982–1984

Ángel Luis Jiménez |

1984–1986

José Maria Epalza |

1986–1989

Gérard Murillo |

1989–1993

Alfonso Feijoo |

1992 (caretaker)

Bryce Bevin |

1993–1997

Alfonso Feijoo |

1997–1999

Tomás García |

1999–2002

Pierre Pérez |

2002–2003

Gerard Glynn |

2003–2010

Régis Sonnes |

2010–2012

Francisco Puertas |

2012–2021

Santiago Santos |

2021–2023

## See also

[edit]

* Spain national rugby sevens team
* Spain national under-20 rugby union team
* Spain women's national rugby union team
* Spain women's national rugby sevens team
* Rugby union in Spain

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Though Spain had qualified for the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, they were expelled after their qualification.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spain national rugby union team.

* Federación Española de Rugby (in Spanish)
* Spain at RugbyData.com

## References

[edit]

1. ^ (Spanish:  Selección de rugby de España)
2. ^ "Historia del Rugby: España". Rugby de Calle. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
3. ^ a b Richards, Huw A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union (Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84596-255-5); Chapter 6, Gathering Storms, p129
4. ^ "80 años de historia". Arquitectura Rugby. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
5. ^ IRB.com, 2013 in review: Highs and lows in rankings, Jan. 7, 2013, http://www.irb.com/rankings/news/newsid=2064835.html
6. ^ "Blog De la Calle: Rugby español, ni español ni... (in Spanish)". Eurosport. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
7. ^ worldrugby.org. "Georgia and Spain secure Men's Rugby World Cup 2027 qualification | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
8. ^ Spain Rugby Shirts, oldrugbyshirts.com, retrieved 17 March 2016
9. ^ New Spain Rugby Shirt 2014/2015- Spanish Home Rugby Kit 14/15, New Rugby Kits, 20 November 2013, retrieved 17 March 2016
10. ^ Browne, PJ (4 February 2015), Check Out The Spanish Rugby Team's Jersey Made By O'Neills, Balls.ie, retrieved 17 March 2016
11. ^ a b "Men's World Rankings". world.rugby. World Rugby. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
12. ^ Spain rugby statistics
13. ^ Los 30 Leones de Bouza para la gira norteamericana
14. ^ "Spain Rugby's Coaching Staff". ferugby.es. Spain. 7 March 2022.

* v
* t
* e

Rugby union in Spain

Governing body|

* Federación Española de Rugby

National teams|

| Men|

* Spain
* U-20
* 7's

|

Women|

* Women's
* 7's

Other notable teams|

* Olympus Madrid
* Castilla y León Iberians

Competitions|

* División de Honor
* Copa del Rey
* División de Honor B
* Spanish Regions Championship
* División de Honor Femenina (women's)
* Supercopa
* Copa Ibérica

Related articles|

* Women's Six Nations

* 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
* t
* e

National sports teams of Spain

* American football
* Badminton
* Baseball
* U18
* Baseball5
* Basketball
* M
* M-U20
* M-U19
* M-U18
* M-U17
* M-U16
* W
* W-U20
* W-U18/19
* W-U16/17
* 3x3 Basketball
* M
* W
* Beach handball
* M
* W
* Beach soccer
* M
* W
* Cricket
* M
* W
* Field hockey
* M
* M-U21
* W
* W-U21
* Floorball
* Football
* M
* M-U23
* M-U21
* M-U20
* M-U19
* M-U18
* M-U17
* M-U16
* M-U15
* W
* W-U23
* W-U20
* W-U19
* W-U17
* CP
* Futsal
* M
* W
* Goalball
* Gymnastics
* W
* Handball
* M
* M-U17
* M-U19
* W
* W-U19
* W-U17
* Ice hockey
* M
* M-U20
* M-U18
* W
* W-U18
* Lacrosse
* M
* W
* Quidditch
* Roller derby
* Roller hockey
* M
* W
* Rugby league
* Rugby union
* M
* M-U20
* M7
* W
* W7
* Softball
* Squash
* M
* W
* Tennis
* M
* W
* X
* Volleyball
* M
* M-U19
* W
* W-U20
* W-U18
* Water polo
* M
* W
* Wheelchair basketball
* Wheelchair handball

* Olympics
* Paralympics
* Deaflympics
* European Games
* Mediterranean Games

*[Pld]: Games played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[PF]: Points for
*[PA]: Points against
*[Pos]: Position
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template