Belgium
Badge of Belgium team
Team information
NicknameGolden Lions
Governing bodyRugby League Belgium
RegionEurope
Head coachValu Bentley
CaptainDamien Parée
Home stadiumCentre Sportif de Neder Over Hembeek
IRL ranking49th
Uniforms
First colours
Team results
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
2009 25 July Belgium def. Catalonia 28-22 Wavre, Belgium Euro-Med Challenge
2009 15 August Morocco def. Belgium 46-16 Beziers, France Euro-Med Challenge
2013 29 June Belgium def. Netherlands 22-6 match report Delft, Netherlands International friendly
2014 24 May Spain def. Belgium 12-10 match report Centre Sportif Neder-Over-Heembeek, Belgium International friendly
2014 8 June Spain def. Belgium 54-10 match report Campo de Rugby la Pelosa Moncada, Spain International friendly
2014 28 June Belgium def. Netherlands 32-16 match report Centre Sportif Neder-Over-Heembeek, Belgium Tri-Nation Challenge Cup
2015 18 April Belgium def. Czech Republic 50-12 match report Domaine van Puyenbroek Brussels, Belgium International Friendly
2015 2 May Belgium def. Netherlands 60-12 match report Rotterdam, Netherlands International Friendly
2015 21 June Malta def. Belgium 35-34 match report Headingley Carnegie Stadium Leeds, England International Friendly
2015 12 July Ireland def. Belgium 38-0 match report Carlisle Grounds Bray, Ireland International Friendly
2015 3 October Czech Republic def. Belgium 14-4 match report Tis, Czech Republic International Friendly

All-Time Results Record

Team First Played Played Win Draw Loss Points For Points Against last played
CataloniaCatalonia 2009 1 1 0 0 28 22 2009
Czech RepublicCzech Republic 2015 2 1 0 1 54 26 2015
GermanyGermany 2016 1 1 0 0 26 12 2016
 Ireland 2015 1 0 0 1 0 34 2015
MaltaMalta 2015 1 0 0 1 34 35 2015
MoroccoMorocco 2009 1 0 0 1 12 46 2009
NetherlandsNetherlands 2013 4 4 0 0 150 48 2016
SpainSpain 2014 2 0 0 2 20 66 2014
Total   13 7 0 6 324 289  
IRL Men's World Rankings
Official rankings as of 21 December 2023
Rank Change Team Pts %
1 Steady  Australia 100.00
2 Steady  New Zealand 91.00
3 Increase 1  England 74.00
4 Decrease 1  Samoa 70.00
5 Steady  Tonga 54.00
6 Steady  Papua New Guinea 50.00
7 Steady  Fiji 49.00
8 Increase 1  France 24.00
9 Decrease 1  Lebanon 24.00
10 Increase 3  Cook Islands 22.00
11 Decrease 1  Serbia 19.00
12 Increase 6  Netherlands 17.00
13 Increase 1  Italy 15.00
14 Increase 5  Malta 15.00
15 Increase 1  Greece 14.00
16 Decrease 4  Ireland 14.00
17 Decrease 6  Wales 13.00
18 Decrease 3  Jamaica 10.00
19 Decrease 2  Scotland 9.00
20 Increase 8  Ukraine 7.00
21 Increase 6  Czech Republic 7.00
22 Decrease 1  Germany 6.00
23 Increase 10  Philippines 6.00
24 Increase 5  Poland 6.00
25 Increase 1  South Africa 5.00
26 Decrease 4  Chile 5.00
27 Increase 4  Kenya 0.00
28 Increase 6  Norway 4.00
29 Decrease 6  Nigeria 4.00
30 Decrease 6  Ghana 4.00
31 Decrease 6  Brazil 4.00
32 Decrease 12  Turkey 3.00
33 Increase 4  United States 3.00
34 Increase 1  Bulgaria 3.00
35 Decrease 5  Cameroon 2.00
36 Increase 2  Montenegro 2.00
37 Decrease 5  Spain 2.00
38 Increase 6  Japan 1.00
39 New entry  Albania 1.00
40 Decrease 4  Colombia 1.00
41 Increase 6  El Salvador 1.00
42 New entry  North Macedonia 1.00
43 Decrease 1  Morocco 1.00
44 Decrease 3  Sweden 0.00
45 Steady  Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.00
46 Decrease 3  Canada 0.00
47 New entry  Niue 0.00
48 Decrease 9  Solomon Islands 0.00
49 Decrease 1  Belgium 0.00
50 Decrease 10  Hungary 0.00
51 Decrease 5  Vanuatu 0.00
52 Decrease 3  Argentina 0.00
53 Decrease 3  Denmark 0.00
54 Decrease 3  Latvia 0.00
55 New entry  Estonia 0.00
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT

Current squad

The current Squad is managed by well experienced coach Valu Bentley a former player himself he served as an assistant to the former national coach Tony Benson and was awarded the full time role upon his predecessors departure.


2018[5] The Belgium squad that took on the Czech Republic on 3 October.

References

  1. ^ "BELGIUM RUGBY LEAGUE NATION OVERVIEW". Rugby League Planet. Archived from the original on 13 June 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  2. ^ "Rugby 13". Rugby League Belgium XIII. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  3. ^ "RLEF". Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Catalonia Won 52 to 10 in the Czech Republic". Associació Catalana de Rugby Lliga. 22 June 2009. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  5. ^ "RLEF". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2015.

External links

Rugby League European Federation
International Rugby League
National sports teams of Belgium
Categories