Belgium national rugby league team

Belgium
Team information
NicknameGolden Lions
Governing bodyRugby League Belgium
RegionEurope
Head coachValu Bentley
CaptainDamien Parée
Home stadiumCentre Sportif de Neder Over Hembeek
IRL ranking54th
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.

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]

Their first international competition was in the 2009 RLEF Euro Med Challenge against Catalonia and Morocco.[4] In their 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.

Competitive record

Overall

Team First Played Played Win Draw Loss Points For Points Against Last played
Catalonia 2009 1 1 0 0 28 22 2009
Czech Republic 2015 2 1 0 1 54 26 2015
Germany 2016 1 1 0 0 26 12 2016
 Ireland 2015 1 0 0 1 0 34 2015
Malta 2015 1 0 0 1 34 35 2015
Morocco 2009 1 0 0 1 12 46 2009
Netherlands 2013 4 4 0 0 150 48 2016
Spain 2014 2 0 0 2 20 66 2014
Total   13 7 0 6 324 289  

Results

Year Date Result Venue City Attendance Competition Report
2009 25 July Belgium def. Catalonia 28-22 Wavre, Belgium 400 Euro-Med Challenge match report
2009 15 August Morocco def. Belgium 46-16 Stade de la Meditérrannée Beziers, France Euro-Med Challenge match report
2013 29 June Belgium def. Netherlands 22-6 Delft, Netherlands International friendly match report
2014 24 May Spain def. Belgium 12-10 Centre Sportif Neder-Over-Heembeek, Belgium International friendly match report
2014 8 June Spain def. Belgium 54-10 Campo de Rugby la Pelosa Moncada, Spain International friendly match report
2014 28 June Belgium def. Netherlands 32-16 Centre Sportif Neder-Over-Heembeek, Belgium Tri-Nation Challenge Cup match report
2015 18 April Belgium def. Czech Republic 50-12 Domaine van Puyenbroek Brussels, Belgium International Friendly match report
2015 2 May Belgium def. Netherlands 60-12 Rotterdam, Netherlands International Friendly match report
2015 21 June Malta def. Belgium 35-34 Headingley Carnegie Stadium Leeds, England International Friendly match report
2015 12 July Ireland def. Belgium 38-0 Carlisle Grounds Bray, Ireland International Friendly match report
2015 3 October Czech Republic def. Belgium 14-4 Tis, Czech Republic International Friendly match report

IRL Rankings

IRL Men's World Rankings
Official rankings as of November 2025
Rank Change Team Pts %
1  Australia 100
2  New Zealand 79
3  England 72
4 1  Samoa 56
5 1  Tonga 52
6  Papua New Guinea 45
7  Fiji 33
8  France 23
9 1  Cook Islands 23
10 1  Serbia 23
11 2  Netherlands 22
12 3  Ukraine 20
13 1  Wales 18
14 4  Ireland 16
15 1  Greece 15
16 3  Malta 14
17  Italy 11
18 2  Jamaica 8
19  United States 7
20 5  Poland 7
21 5  Lebanon 7
22 5  Norway 6
23 3  Germany 6
24 3  Czech Republic 6
25 2  Chile 6
26 2  South Africa 5
27 3  Philippines 5
28 6  Scotland 5
29  Brazil 4
30 1  Canada 4
31 1  Kenya 3
32 2  Morocco 3
33  North Macedonia 3
34 1  Argentina 2
35 3  Montenegro 2
36  Albania 1
37 3  Turkey 1
38 1  Bulgaria 1
39 1  Ghana 1
40 1  Nigeria 1
41 3  Colombia 0
42 1  Cameroon 0
43 1  Japan 0
44 1  Spain 0
45 1  Russia 0
46 1  El Salvador 0
47  Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
48  Hong Kong 0
49  Solomon Islands 0
50  Vanuatu 0
51  Hungary 0
52  Latvia 0
53  Denmark 0
54  Belgium 0
55  Estonia 0
56  Sweden 0
57  Niue 0
Complete rankings at
www.internationalrugbyleague.com

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. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. 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.
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