The Belgium national rugby union team represents the third tier rugby

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 playing nation of Belgium. They first played in 1930 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....

. Rugby union in Belgium is administered by the Belgian Rugby Federation

Belgian Rugby Federation

The Belgian Rugby Federation is the governing body for rugby union in Belgium. It was founded in 1931 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1988....

. Jacques Rogge

Jacques Rogge

Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...

, the current International Olympic Committee

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

 president, was a member of the Belgium national team.

History

The Belgium rugby team played their first match on 1 July 1930 against the Netherlands

Netherlands national rugby union team

The Netherlands national rugby union team are a national sporting side of the Netherlands, representing them at rugby union. The side first played in 1930.-History:...

, winning six points to nil. They did not play any games in 1931, but 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

Italy national rugby union team

The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...

 and Germany

Germany national rugby union team

Germany is a third-tier Rugby Union playing nation. Germany currently plays at the second level of European rugby but has never managed to qualify for the Rugby World Cup...

 in 1937, losing both games.

During the 1950s, Belgium continued playing the Netherlands, as well as teams like Spain

Spain national rugby union team

The Spain national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Spain, representing them at rugby union. Spain have been playing rugby since the late 1920s, playing their first international against Italy in 1929. They have qualified for one Rugby World Cup, in 1999 where they were pooled with...

. They managed a draw in the 1960s against Portugal

Portugal national rugby union team

The Portugal national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union side representing Portugal. They first played in 1935 and now compete in the European Nations Cup. Rugby union in Portugal is administered by the Federação Portuguesa de Rugby. Portugal qualified for their first Rugby World Cup in...

. In the 1970s they won the majority of their games, as well as playing a broader range of European nations. This trend continued throughout the 1980s. Belgium had a six-game winning streak in the late 1980s. They began playing more games against their regular European opponents as they entered the 1990s. A Belgium side played the Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 national team, Los Pumas

Argentina national rugby union team

The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...

, prior to the 2007 Rugby World Cup

2007 Rugby World Cup

The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...

. A Belgium XV played the Barbarians

Barbarian F.C.

The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...

 on 24 May 2008.

World Cup record

• 1987 - Not invited
• 1991 - Did not qualify
• 1995 - Did not qualify
• 1999 - Did not qualify
• 2003 - Did not qualify
• 2007 - Did not qualify
• 2011 - Did not qualify

Squad

The following squad was selected for a match against Moldova

Moldova national rugby union team

The Moldova national rugby union team represent Moldova at rugby union. They are governed by the Moldovan Rugby Federation , and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.-History:...

 in November 2008:

Name	Club
Julien Berger	France Stade Rochelais Atlantique Stade Rochelais Stade Rochelais is a French rugby union club who compete in the Pro D2. They are often known simply as La Rochelle.They were founded in 1898 and play at Stade Marcel-Deflandre . They wear yellow and black...
Bertrand Billi	Belgium Soignies Soignies Soignies is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut.The municipality is composed of the Town of Soignies together with the villages of Casteau, Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Horrues, Neufvilles, Naast and Thieusies...
Dries Bovijn	Belgium Boitsfort
Jérôme Cauwe	Belgium Asub
Aurélien Decerf	France Arras Arras Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
Thomas Dienst	France Lyon Ou Lyon OU Lyon Olympique Universitaire or LOU is a French rugby union team that competes in the Top 14, the first level of the country's professional league system. They earned their spot in the Top 14 by winning the 2010–11 title of the second-tier Pro D2....
Denis Eppe	Belgium Ottignies
Charlie Fourneau	France Lille Lille Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
Damien Godefroy	France Lille Lille Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
Mathew Hocken	Belgium Brussels Barbarians Brussels Barbarians The Brussels Barbarians Rugby Football Club are a Rugby Union club in Belgium. The club consists of two men's teams and one women's team....
Simon Marote	France Arras Arras Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
Julien Massimi	France Arras Arras Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
Alain Miriallakis	France Orléans Orléans -Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
Jimmy Mulumba	France Domont Domont Domont is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department and Île-de-France region of France.-Notable people from Domont:*Bedi Buval footballer*Jean-Pierre Changeux neuroscientist*Yoann Djidonou footballer*Rémi Maréval footballer*Bertrand Ndzomo footballer...
David Nemsadze	France Domont Domont Domont is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department and Île-de-France region of France.-Notable people from Domont:*Bedi Buval footballer*Jean-Pierre Changeux neuroscientist*Yoann Djidonou footballer*Rémi Maréval footballer*Bertrand Ndzomo footballer...
Frédéric Rongé	England Haywards Heath Haywards Heath -Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
Mathieu Verschelden	Belgium Asub
Allan Williams	France Castres Castres Olympique Castres Olympique is a French rugby union club located in the Midi-Pyrénées city of Castres and currently competing in the top level of the French league system.Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906...
Kevin Williams	France Arras Arras Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
Julien De Somer	Belgium Asub
Victor Wartique	Belgium Frameries Frameries Frameries is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On June 21st 2011 Frameries had a total population of about 20,652...
Alexander Ter Hark	Belgium Asub

External links

• Belgian Rugby Federation - official site