The following is a list of international rugby union teams:
National teams – band classification 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.
Rugby union national teams
High Performance
Tier 1
Tier 2
Developmental
Development One
Developmental — by region
European countries
North & South American countries
Rugby Americas North Member
Sudamérica Rugby Member
African countries
Asian countries
Oceanian countries
Note: World Rugby associates in italics.
Other teams
Not affiliated to World Rugby
Rugby Africa teams
Asia Rugby teams
Rugby Europe teams
Rugby Americas North teams
Oceania Rugby teams
‡ Associate member of Oceania Rugby
Sudamerica Rugby teams
Teams with affiliation suspended or without affiliation
Multinational teams
The British and Irish Lions:
East Africa (est. 1950) — conducted seven tours between 1954 and 1982; played against incoming international, representative, and club touring sides, including twice against the British Lions, and also against the Barbarians. Perhaps the only example of representative (as opposed to invitational) multinational teams playing against each other:
(formerly Tanganyika)
Pacific Islanders (est. 2004):
The South American Jaguars — a combination team who played South Africa during the early 1980s:
The African Leopards — a development side drawn from across Africa; have played representative rugby union against South African students.
The Arabian Gulf rugby union team — combined teams from Arab countries in the Persian Gulf and competed in World Cup qualification. The Arabian Gulf Rugby Union has since been dismantled and responsibility devolved to member nations, though the team may be revived in the future:
The West Indies side — the Caribbean Rugby Union first toured England in 1976 (managed by Gavin Clark); their last tour was also to England in October–November 2000.
The Commonwealth of Independent States — played during the early 1990s:
The Black Sea Thunder — a newly established combined team of countries with Black Sea coastlines:
Defunct national sides
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. Catalonia's side ended due to the Spanish Civil War and Franco's crackdown. East and West Germany's sides merged into a single German side upon reunification.
Team Notes Arabian Gulf* Dissolved by end of 2010; replaced by separate unions and national teams CIS* * Combination of Kenya, Tanzania/Tanganyika, and Uganda. Has not played since 1982; the Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA) still exists and there have been recent talks to resurrect the team. * For more information on these teams see above.
Women's rugby
Defunct women's national sides
Notes and references