Belgium national rugby union team

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Belgium

Union

Belgian Rugby Federation

Nickname(s)

Black Devils

Coach

Richarcd McClintock and Denis Duchau

Captain

Pierre Plasman





Team colours

First international

Netherlands 0 - 6 Belgium
(1 July 1930)

Largest win

Belgium 108 - 0 Switzerland
(12 November 2005)

Worst defeat

Spain 77 - 0 Belgium
(8 December 1996)

The Belgium national rugy union team is the third tier rugby playing nation of Belgium. They first played in 1927 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Belgium is administered by the Belgian Rugby Federation. Jacques Rogge, the current International Olympic Committee president, was a member of the Belgium national team.

1 History
2 World Cup record
3 See also
4 External link

[edit] History

The Belgium rugby team played their first match on July 1 in 1930 against the Netherlands. Belgium won their first game, defeating the Dutch six points to nil. Although they did not play any games in 1931, Belgium 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. Belgium played little rugby during the early 1940s, but returned to regular play in the latter part of the decade.

During the 1950s, Belgium continued playing the Netherlands, as well as teams like Spain, finding mixed results. Belgium managed only a draw in the 1960s, against Portugal, losing the rest of their games. They found better success in the 1970s, winning the majority of their games, as well as playing a broader range of European nations. This trend continued throughout the 1980s, Belgium winning about half of their fixtures. The 1980s saw a massive rise in the number of games being played as well. Belgium went on a six-game winning streak in the late 1980s as well. Belgium began playing more and more games as they entered the 1990s, playing their regular European rivals.