Poland national rugby union team
Encyclopedia
The Poland national rugby union team represent Poland at the international level of rugby union
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...

. They are governed by Polski Związek Rugby (PZR) and have been participating in international rugby since 1958. Poland have yet to play in a 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....

. They play in red and white.

History

Poland made their international debut against in 1958 in Łódź, which they won by just one point, 9-8. Later that year they played in Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia, with the population of 973,891. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of...

, who defeated them 11-3. The following year they played two matches at Dinamo Stadion in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....

, defeating Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national rugby union team
The Czechoslovakia national rugby union team was the national rugby team of Czechoslovakia, before the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia...

 and then losing to Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...

. Poland continued to contest internationals with these nations over the coming years.

They defeated East Germany in Grimma
Grimma
Grimma is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany on the left bank of the Mulde, southeast of Leipzig. Founded in c. 1170, it is part of the Leipzig district.- Location :...

 the 1971, this was followed by strong form from the Polish, winning matches 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:...

, Morocco
Morocco national rugby union team
The Morocco national rugby union team are a national sporting side, representing Morocco in rugby union. The team is also known as the Atlas Lions. Morocco is governed by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Rugby. Morocco competes in the Africa Cup annually. The team has won the competition in 2003...

, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national rugby union team
The Czechoslovakia national rugby union team was the national rugby team of Czechoslovakia, before the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia...

 and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union national rugby union team
The USSR national rugby union team was a sporting side that represented the Soviet Union in rugby union until the early 1990s.-History:Although such tournaments as the Soviet Cup and the Soviet Championship existed, rugby never became a major sport in the USSR...

. In 1975 Poland 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,...

 in Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...

, and lost 13-28. In 1977 Poland played a France XV
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...

 again, and lost 9-26; also that year they played Italy, and lost by only six points, with the final score being 6-12. They played a France XV again in 1978, losing 24-35. They also defeated 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...

 that year.

Poland played Italy in 1979, losing 3-13, and then played a France XV the following year, though they did not perform as well as previous meetings, losing 42-0. A subsequent match against a France XV in 1981 saw the France XV defeat Poland 49-6. A match between the two sides in 1984 produced a good result for the Polish, losing 19-3. A match against the Italian Barbarians the following year produced the same scoreline.

In 1987 Poland played two Italian teams, the Italian Barbarians and Italy under-21, although they lost to the Barbarians, they won against the under-21 team. Poland did not play at the 1987 World Cup. In 1990 they played the full Italy team in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

, losing 34-3. Poland did not play in the 1991 World Cup in England. From 1992 to 1993 Poland won six matches in a row. Russia
Russia national rugby union team
The Russian National Rugby Union Team, is the national team representing Russia at the sport of rugby union.Rugby union in Russia is administered by the Rugby Union of Russia . The RUR is the official successor union of the Soviet Union and the combined CIS team which played in the early 1990s...

 won five to 41 in a following match.

Poland played Italy A, but lost 19-107. Poland also played Romania in 1998, losing 74-13. Poland were grouped in Pool D of round two of the 2007 Rugby World Cup European qualify tournament
2007 Rugby World Cup - European qualification
2007 Rugby World Cup - European qualification was based around the European Nations Cup, and decided which European teams participated in the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. The group stages counted towards both qualification and the European Nations Cup...

. Poland performed very well in the pool, winning all four of their games, and finishing at the top of the pool. This saw them through to Pool A of Round three, but they were knocked out here, finishing fourth in the pool.

Current squad

  • Stanislas Krzesinski (Sporting club mazamétain)
  • Kacper Ławski (Budowlani Łódź
    Budowlani Łódź
    Budowlani Łódź is a sports club based in Łódź, Poland. The club was founded in 1948. The club participates in many mens and women's sports competitions. They are primarily known as a rugby club but also compete in volleyball, hockey and wrestling. They are the current national mens rugby champions...

    )
  • Marek Płonka (Lechia Gdańsk)
  • Grzegorz Falk (Juvenia Kraków
    Juvenia Kraków
    Juvenia Kraków is a Polish rugby union club based in Kraków, Poland. It was founded in 1906 as a football club. Since 1973 it has been playing rugby union. Now Juvenia Kraków is playing in Rugby Ekstraliga....

    )
  • Marcin Wilczuk(Ogniwo Sopot)
  • Grzegorz Janiec (Lechia Gdańsk)
  • Maciej Brażuk (Orkan Sochaczew)
  • Yann Lewandowski (Cahors Rugby
    Cahors Rugby
    Cahors Rugby are a French rugby union club. They currently compete in the Fédérale 1 competition, the third division of rugby in France. The club was established in 1908. They play at Stade Lucien Desprats, in Cahors...

    )
  • Bastien Sipielski (Union rugby Marmande Casteljaloux)
  • Olivier Barbier (MLSGP rugby Yvelines)
  • Eric Piorkowski (Castres Olympique
    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...

    )
  • Kamil Bobryk (Épernay Champagne)
  • Michał Krużycki (Lyon Olympique Universitaire)
  • Mateusz Bartoszek (Sporting Club Albigeois
    SC Albi
    Sporting Club Albigeois is a professional French rugby union club playing the second-level Rugby Pro D2. During the past years it went back and forth between Top 14, the highest level of the French league system and the second-level Rugby Pro D2. Their last time in the Top 14 was for 2009–10 after...

    )
  • Piotr Psuj (Bemowo - AZS AWF Warszawa)
  • Piotr Jurkowski (Lechia Gdańsk)
  • Tomasz Rokicki  (Lechia Gdańsk)
  • Łukasz Żórawski (Budowlani Łódź
    Budowlani Łódź
    Budowlani Łódź is a sports club based in Łódź, Poland. The club was founded in 1948. The club participates in many mens and women's sports competitions. They are primarily known as a rugby club but also compete in volleyball, hockey and wrestling. They are the current national mens rugby champions...

    )
  • Jurij Buhało (Lechia Gdańsk)
  • Romuald Berthe (AC Bobigny 93 Rugby
    AC Bobigny 93 Rugby
    AC Bobigny 93 Rugby is a rugby union team from Île-de-France which plays in Fédérale 1 . The club is based in Bobigny, Seine-Saint-Denis....

    )
  • David Chartier (Aviron Bayonnais
    Aviron Bayonnais
    Aviron Bayonnais is a French rugby union club from Bayonne in Pyrénées-Atlantiques that currently competes in the top level of the French league system, in the Top 14 competition...

    )
  • Dawid Popławski (Sporting Club Albigeois)
  • Cedric Vaissière (Sporting Club Albigeois)
  • Dawid Banaszek (Association sportive de Villeurbanne et de l’Éveil lyonnais rugby)
  • Krzysztof Hotowski (USON Nevers Rugby)
  • Thomas Jankowski
    Thomas Jankowski
    Thomas Jankowski is a Polish international rugby union player, playing for Ampthill and District RUFC in the National League 3 and the Poland national rugby union team....

     (Ampthill RUFC)

External links

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