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Poland national rugby union team

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Poland
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknamesBiało-czerwoni (The White and Reds)
EmblemEagle
UnionPolish Rugby Union
Head coachPoland Kamil Bobryk
CaptainGrzegorz Buczek
Most capsStanislaw Więciorek (65)
Top scorerJanusz Urbanowicz (205)
Home stadiumNarodowy Stadion Rugby
Stadion ŁKS
Stadion Widzewa
First colours
Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current34 (as of 20 March 2023)
Highest25 (2012, 2013)
Lowest42 (2010)
First international
Poland 9–8 East Germany
(Łódź, Poland 24 August 1958)
Biggest win
Poland 74–0 Norway
(Riga, Latvia 24 September 1994)
Biggest defeat
Portugal 65–3 Poland
(Gdansk, Poland 11 February 2023)
Websitewww.pzrugby.pl
Men's World Rugby Rankings
Top 30 as of 11 November 2024[1]
Rank Change[i] Team Points
1 Increase1  South Africa 092.46
2 Increase1  New Zealand 091.21
3 Decrease2  Ireland 090.58
4 Steady  France 086.96
5 Increase1  Argentina 085.60
6 Increase1  Scotland 082.70
7 Decrease2  England 082.62
8 Increase1  Australia 081.14
9 Increase1  Fiji 080.07
10 Decrease2  Italy 078.67
11 Steady  Wales 075.04
12 Steady  Georgia 074.10
13 Steady  Samoa 072.68
14 Steady  Japan 072.31
15 Steady  Portugal 068.82
16 Increase3  United States 067.49
17 Increase1  Spain 067.10
18 Decrease2  Tonga 066.87
19 Decrease2  Uruguay 066.58
20 Steady  Romania 062.62
21 Steady  Chile 061.60
22 Steady  Canada 060.81
23 Steady  Hong Kong 060.40
24 Steady  Russia 058.06
25 Steady  Namibia 057.87
26 Increase4  Brazil 057.40
27 Decrease1  Netherlands 057.28
28 Decrease1  Belgium 056.51
29 Steady  Zimbabwe 056.33
30 Decrease2   Switzerland 056.04
  1. ^ Change from the previous week
Poland's historical rankings
See or edit source data.
Source: World Rugby[1]
Graph updated to 11 November 2024

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.

History

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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

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World Cup

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World Cup record World Cup Qualification record
Year Round P W D L F A P W D L F A
AustraliaNew Zealand 1987 Not Invited Not Invited
United KingdomIrelandFrance 1991 did not qualify 3 1 0 2 61 79
South Africa 1995 2 1 0 1 28 47
Wales 1999 4 1 0 3 58 152
Australia 2003 6 5 0 1 177 109
France 2007 8 5 0 3 188 180
New Zealand 2011 7 3 0 4 94 118
England 2015 10 5 0 5 208 183
Japan 2019 5 3 0 2 73 73
France 2023 Automatically eliminated
Total 0/9 0 0 0 0 0 0 45 24 0 21 941 862

European Competitions Since 2000

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Season Division G W D L PF PA +/− Pts Pos
2000 European Nations Cup Third Division 4 3 0 1 112 69 +43 10 2nd
2000-01 European Nations Cup Second Division 5 4 0 1 105 53 +52 13 1st
2002-04 European Nations Cup Second Division Pool A 8 2 1 5 130 164 -34 13 4th
2006-08 European Nations Cup Second Division 2B 8 7 0 1 266 67 +199 22 1st
2008-10 European Nations Cup Second Division 2A 7 3 0 4 94 118 -24 13 4th
2010-12 European Nations Cup First Division 1B 10 6 1 3 238 189 +49 31 2nd
2012-14 European Nations Cup First Division 1B 10 5 0 5 208 183 +25 22 4th
2014-16 European Nations Cup First Division 1B 10 4 0 6 191 262 -71 18 5th
2016-17 Rugby Europe Trophy 5 3 0 2 73 73 0 12 4th
2017-18 Rugby Europe Trophy 5 1 0 4 106 147 -41 7 5th
2018-19 Rugby Europe Trophy 5 2 0 3 104 164 -60 10 4th
2019-20 Rugby Europe Trophy 5 1 0 4 44 112 -68 5 6th
2021-22* Rugby Europe Trophy 3 3 0 0 85 65 +20 12 1st

Overall

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Updated on 16 November 2024, after match with  Lithuania.

Opponent Played Won Lost Drawn % Won
 Andorra 5 5 0 0 100%
 Belgium 18 9 8 1 50%
 Bulgaria 1 1 0 0 100%
 Croatia 3 2 1 0 66.67%
Czech Republic Czechoslovakia 22 11 10 1 50%
 Czech Republic 14 7 6 1 50%
 Denmark 3 3 0 0 100%
East Germany East Germany 2 1 1 0 50%
France France 1 0 1 0 0%
France France A1 2 0 2 0 0%
France France XV 6 0 6 0 0%
 Georgia 2 2 0 0 100%
 Germany 13 6 7 0 46.15%
 Italy 9 1 7 1 11.11%
Italy Italy A 1 0 1 0 0%
 Latvia 4 4 0 0 100%
 Lithuania 3 3 0 0 100%
 Madagascar 1 0 1 0 0%
 Malta 3 3 0 0 100%
 Moldova 10 4 5 1 40%
 Morocco 13 11 2 0 84.62%
 Netherlands 22 12 9 1 54.55%
 Norway 1 1 0 0 100%
 Portugal 13 3 10 0 23.08%
 Romania 18 0 18 0 0%
Romania Romania A 1 0 1 0 0%
 Russia 4 0 4 0 0%
 Serbia and Montenegro 1 1 0 0 100%
 Spain 16 6 10 0 37.5%
 Sri Lanka 1 0 1 0 0%
 Sweden 15 13 1 1 86.67%
  Switzerland 7 4 3 0 57.14%
 Tunisia 6 4 2 0 66.67%
 Ukraine 14 3 11 0 21.43%
 Soviet Union 21 1 20 0 4.76%
Germany West Germany 7 4 3 0 57.14%
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 2 0 2 0 0%
Total 284 125 152 7 44.01%

Recent Matches

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Current squad

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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.

Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Kamil Bobryk Hooker (1984-02-09) 9 February 1984 (age 40) 48 France CS Vienne
Grzegorz Buczek Hooker (1986-05-17) 17 May 1986 (age 38) 22 Poland RC Lechia Gdańsk
Thomas Fidler Prop (1986-10-22) 22 October 1986 (age 38) 7 Poland Ogniwo Sopot
Radosław Bysewski Prop (1993-12-03) 3 December 1993 (age 30) 25 Poland Ogniwo Sopot
Quentin Cieslinski Prop (1997-06-28) 28 June 1997 (age 27) 2 France ASV Lavaur
Sylwester Gąska Prop (2002-02-22) 22 February 2002 (age 22) 4 Poland Ogniwo Sopot
Edward Krawiecki Lock (1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 29) 7 England Bromsgrove RFC
Mateusz Bartoszek Lock (1990-01-20) 20 January 1990 (age 34) 38 France RC Bassin d'Arcachon
Krystian Olejek Lock (1995-11-28) 28 November 1995 (age 28) 3 Poland Pogoń Siedlce
Michał Krużycki Lock (2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 (age 23) 33 Poland RC Lechia Gdańsk
Jan Cal Back row (1995-11-08) 8 November 1995 (age 29) 6 Poland Skra Warsaw
Dawid Rubaśniak Back row (2000-09-03) 3 September 2000 (age 24) 5 Wales Ebbw Vale
Piotr Zeszutek (c) Back row (1991-01-31) 31 January 1991 (age 33) 27 Poland Ogniwo Sopot
Dawid Plichta Scrum-half (1992-01-26) 26 January 1992 (age 32) 20 Poland Orkan Sochaczew
Mateusz Plichta Scrum-half (1997-09-04) 4 September 1997 (age 27) 16 Poland Ogniwo Sopot
Wojciech Piotrowicz Fly-half (1990-03-23) 23 March 1990 (age 34) 18 Poland Ogniwo Sopot
Daniel Gdula Centre (2001-01-08) 8 January 2001 (age 23) 18 Poland RC Posnania
Michal Haznar Centre (1994-01-17) 17 January 1994 (age 30) 2 South Africa Griquas
Siokivaha Taufui Halaifuana Centre (2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 (age 23) 3 Poland Skra Warsaw
Ross Cooke Wing (2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 24) 7 England Tynedale RFC
Stasio Maltby Wing (1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 25) 4 England Brighton Blues
Krystian Pogorzelski Fullback (1996-10-03) 3 October 1996 (age 28) 10 Poland Master Pharm Rugby Łódź
Patryk Reksulak Fullback (1998-02-25) 25 February 1998 (age 26) 15 Poland Master Pharm Rugby Łódź

Recent call-ups

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

Player Pos Date of birth (age) Caps Club Latest call-up
Michał Gadomski Prop (1995-11-28) 28 November 1995 (age 28) 2 Poland Orkan Sochaczew v. Germany Germany, 13 November 2021
Marcin Siemaszko Prop (1997-11-28) 28 November 1997 (age 26) 2 Poland Juvenia Kraków v. Germany Germany, 13 November 2021
Adam Piotrowski Lock (1997-04-22) 22 April 1997 (age 27) Poland Ogniwo Sopot v. Ukraine Ukraine, 9 October 2021
Jakub Małecki Lock (1995-10-29) 29 October 1995 (age 29) 1 Wales Burry Port RFC v. Germany Germany, 13 November 2021
Jędrek Nowicki Fly half (1999-06-04) 4 June 1999 (age 25) France CA Pontarlier v. Ukraine Ukraine, 9 October 2021
Szymon Sirocki Wing (2000-04-04) 4 April 2000 (age 24) 16 Poland RC Arka Gdynia v. Germany Germany, 13 November 2021
Artur Fursenko (2001-01-08) 8 January 2001 (age 23) Poland Orkan Sochaczew v. Ukraine Ukraine, 9 October 2021

Current coaching staff

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

Name Nationality Role
Maja Lindner  POL Manager
Kamil Bobryk  POL Head coach
Tomasz Stępień  POL Assistant coach
Dr Bartosz Chudzik  POL Team doctor
Karol Turlo  POL Physiotherapist

Former coaches

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  • 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 (2021–2024)
  • Kamil Bobryk (2021–)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Men's World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Poland vs Switzerland Match Sheet" (PDF). Rugby Europe. 20 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Nowy trener reprezentacji Polski Rugby XV". PZR. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
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