Israel national rugby union team
 |
|
| Union | Israel Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Coach(es) | Penn Raanan |
| Captain(s) | Nimrod Kaplan |
| First international | |
 Switzerland 9 – 9 Israel  (25 May 1981) |
|
| Largest win | |
 Finland 8 – 70 Israel (2 May 2009) |
|
| Largest defeat | |
 Netherlands 56 – 0 Israel (3 November 1993) |
|
The Israel national rugby union team (Hebrew: נבחרת ישראל בראגבי) represents Israel at a national level in international rugby union competitions. The team is governed by the Israel Rugby Union, which oversees all rugby union in Israel. As of 1st February 2015, Israel is ranked 57th in the IRB World Rankings.
Their home ground is at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, Central District, known for its large number of immigrants from English-speaking countries.
The sport was brought to the country by British soldiers during the Mandate era, but petered out after the British left. A wave of immigration from English speaking countries since 1967 has seen renewed interest in the sport, particularly in areas with large English-speaking populations such as Ra'anana and Jerusalem.
A national league was set up in 1972, and the Israel Rugby Union formed in 1975. Israel's first international match was away to Switzerland on 25 May 1981, and ended 9–9.
The Union joined the International Rugby Board in 1988, and participated in the European section of the qualifying rounds for the 1991 Rugby World Cup. In a group with Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, Israel lost all three matches, but were by no means humiliated.
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