Belgium national rugby league team

Belgium
Nickname Golden Lions
Governing body Rugby League Belgium
Region Europe
Head coach Tony Benson
Captain Damien Parée
Home stadium Centre Sportif de Neder Over Hembeek
RLIF ranking 17th
Colours
First game
 Belgium 28–22 Catalonia 
(Wavre, Belgium; 25 July 2009)
Biggest win
 Belgium 60–12 Netherlands 
(Rotterdam, Netherlands; 2 May 2015)
Biggest defeat
 Spain 54–10 Belgium 
(Moncada, Spain; 8 June 2014)

The Belgium national rugby league team represents Belgium in the sport of rugby league football.

For more Belgian stats, news, team results and more visit Belgium's RLEF Page.

History

The success of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup resulted in a popularity surge for the sport around the world. As a result, a number of new nations took up the sport. Belgium followed this trend in 2009.[1] Rugby League Belgium was started with a single franchise, Brabant Wallon Wavre Rugby XIII, and the creation of a national side to participate in the RLEF Euro Med Challenge and other international matches.[2]

Under new President Yves-Michael Kazadi, Belgium were granted observer membership of the Rugby League European Federation in June 2013.[3]

International Results

Their first international competition was in the 2009 RLEF Euro Med Challenge against Catalonia and Morocco.[4] In their very first international, Belgium defeated Catalonia in front of a home crowd in Wavre. Belgium came in second in the Euro Med Challenge 2009, losing to Morocco 46-12. Following this tournament, the national team took a 4-year hiatus before being granted affiliate RLEF membership and returning to international competition in 2013.

National Team Results

Year Date Result Venue City Attendance Competition
200925 July Belgium def. Catalonia 28-22 Wavre, BelgiumEuro-Med Challenge
200915 August Morocco def. Belgium 46-16 Beziers, FranceEuro-Med Challenge
201329 June Belgium def. Netherlands 22-6 match reportDelft, NetherlandsInternational friendly
201424 May Spain def. Belgium 12-10 match reportCentre SportifNeder-Over-Heembeek, BelgiumInternational friendly
20148 June Spain def. Belgium 54-10 match reportCampo de Rugby la PelosaMoncada, SpainInternational friendly
201428 June Belgium def. Netherlands 32-16 match report Centre SportifNeder-Over-Heembeek, BelgiumTri-Nation Challenge Cup
201518 AprilBelgium def. Czech Republic 50-12 match reportDomaine van PuyenbroekBrussels, BelgiumInternational Friendly
20152 MayBelgium def. Netherlands 60-12 match reportRotterdam, NetherlandsInternational Friendly
201521 JuneMalta def. Belgium 35-34 match reportHeadingley Carnegie StadiumLeeds, EnglandInternational Friendly
201512 JulyIreland def. Belgium 38-0 match reportCarlisle GroundsBray, IrelandInternational Friendly
20153 OctoberCzech Republic def. Belgium 14-4 match report Tis, Czech RepublicInternational Friendly

All-Time Results Record

Team First Played Played Win Draw Loss Points For Points Against
CataloniaCatalonia 2009 1 1 0 0 28 22
MoroccoMorocco 2009 1 0 0 1 12 46
NetherlandsNetherlands 2013 3 3 0 0 114 36
SpainSpain 2014 2 0 0 2 20 66
Czech RepublicCzech Republic 2015 2 1 0 1 54 26
MaltaMalta 2015 1 0 0 1 34 35
 Ireland 2015 1 0 0 1 0 38
Official Rankings as of November 2016[5]
RankChangeTeamPoints
1 Increase  Australia
2 Decrease  New Zealand
3 Steady  England
4 Increase  Scotland
5 Decrease  Samoa
6  France
7  Fiji
8  Ireland
9  Wales
10 Steady  United States
11  Serbia
12 Increase  Canada
13  Italy
14 Decrease  Tonga
15  Papua New Guinea
16 Increase  Russia
17 Decrease  Jamaica
18  Belgium
19 Steady  Spain
20  Malta
21  Lebanon
22 Increase  Ukraine
23  Germany
24  Czech Republic
25 Decrease  Cook Islands
26 Steady  Norway
27  Denmark
28  Greece
29  Sweden
30  Netherlands
31  South Africa
32 Increase  Niue
33 Decrease  Philippines
34 Steady  Chile
35  Vanuatu
36  Latvia
37  Solomon Islands
38  Hungary
39  El Salvador
40  Morocco

Current Squad

2015[6] The Belgium squad that took on the Czech Republic on the 3rd of October.

References

  1. ↑ "BELGIUM RUGBY LEAGUE NATION OVERVIEW". Rugby League Planet. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  2. ↑ "Rugby 13". Rugby League Belgium XIII. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  3. ↑ RLEF
  4. ↑ "Catalonia Won 52 to 10 in the Czech Republic". Associació Catalana de Rugby Lliga. 2009-06-22. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ RLEF

External links

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