Poland_national_rugby_union_team

Poland national rugby union team

Poland national rugby union team

National rugby union team

The Poland national rugby union team (Polish: Reprezentacja Polski w rugby) represents Poland in men's international rugby union competitions. Nicknamed The White and Reds (Biało-czerwoni), is considered one of the stronger tier 3 teams in European rugby and currently compete in the second division of the Rugby Europe International Championships in the Rugby Europe Trophy, a competition which is just below the Rugby Europe Championship where the top 6 countries in Europe (apart from the teams in the 6 nations) compete. They are yet to participate in any Rugby World Cup and often play in white with red shorts as well as in red with white shorts.

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History

Main article: Rugby union in Poland

Poland made their international debut against East Germany in 1958 in Łódź, which they won by just one point, 9–8. Later that year they played West Germany in Krasnoyarsk, who defeated them 11–3. The following year they played two matches at Dinamo Stadion in Bucharest, defeating Czechoslovakia and then losing to Romania. Poland continued to contest internationals with these nations over the coming years.

They defeated East Germany in Grimma the 1971, this was followed by strong form from the Polish, winning matches against the Netherlands, Morocco, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. In 1975 Poland played Italy in Treviso, and lost 13–28. In 1977 Poland played a France XV 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 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, 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 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. 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.

In the 2021/2022 season, the Polish team secured 2nd place in the Trophy(2nd Division), trailing behind Belgium. This achievement earned Poland a spot in the Championship (1st Division, for the 2023 and 2024 editions.

During the first edition, unfortunately, Poland suffered its largest defeat in history, losing 65-3 against Portugal. In a subsequent game, Poland secured its first historic victory in the Championship by defeating Belgium in Gdansk, Poland. Despite this milestone, Poland finished 8th, placing last in this edition of the Championship.

Between the two editions, a commemorative friendly match was organized in honor of the Armistice and the Polish National Independence Day, featuring the Polish rugby team and the British Armed Forces team. Held at the National Stadium in Gdansk, the match concluded with a narrow victory for Poland, 17-14, marking a moment of pride and shared remembrance between the two nations.

In the 2024 edition, they lost all their games and finished 8th once again, which resulted in their relegation to the Trophy (2nd division). This marked the last match for the iconic player of the team, Grzegorz Buczek (as a captain), which took place at the Jean Bouin Stadium of the Stade Français club in Paris, in a ranking match against Belgium.

Record

World Cup

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European Competitions Since 2000

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Overall

Updated on 2 March 2024, after match with  Netherlands.

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Recent Matches

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Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2021–22 Rugby Europe Trophy match against Switzerland Switzerland on 20th November 2021.[2]

Head Coach: Wales Christian Hitt

Caps updated: 22nd November 2021, after match with Switzerland Switzerland.

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

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Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the last 12 months.

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Current coaching staff

The current coaching staff of the Polish national team:[3]

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Former coaches

  • Marian Bondarowicz (1958–1969)
  • Eugeniusz Rogatka (1959–1960)
  • Marian Bondarowicz (1960–1961)
  • Jan Frankowski (1961)
  • Marian Bondarowicz (1962)
  • Józef Koter (1963)
  • Józef Grochowski (1964)
  • Franciszek Nowak (1965)
  • Józef Sokołowski (1965–1968)
  • Zbigniew Janus (1969–1970)
  • Józef Sokołowski (1970)
  • Józef Grochowski (1971–1975)
  • Józef Sokołowski (1975)
  • Ryszard Wiejski (1976–1989)
  • Andrzej Kopyt (1990)
  • Zdzisław Szczybelski (1990–1991)
  • Andrzej Kopyt (1991–1994)
  • Ryszard Wiejski & Maciej Powała-Niedźwiecki (1994–1995)
  • Maciej Powała-Niedźwiecki (1995–2000)
  • Jerzy Jumas (2000–2006)
  • Tomasz Putra (2006–2013)
  • Marek Płonka (2013–2016)
  • Blikkies Groenewald (2016–2017)
  • Stanislaw Więciorek (2017–2018)
  • Ireland Duaine Lindsay (2018–2020)
  • Wales Christian Hitt (2021–)

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Men's World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  2. [2]
    "Poland vs Switzerland Match Sheet" (PDF). Rugby Europe. 20 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  3. [3]
    "Poland vs Switzerland Game Sheet" (PDF). Rugby Europe. 20 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
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