# Czech Republic national rugby union team

The Czech Republic national rugby union team is the third tier rugby national team of the Czech Republic.
They first started playing as the Czech Republic in 1993 after the split of Czechoslovakia and now compete in the European Nations Cup. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup, but have entered the qualifiers since the 1995 edition. Rugby union in the Czech Republic is administered by the Czech Rugby Union. The sport is still amateur in the country, but there are several Czech players who are professionals in France, including Martin Jágr.
The best ranking in the world ranking was 24th place in 2005. The national side is ranked 36th in the world (as of 5 November 2019).

## History

In 2005, they took on Australian Super Rugby side the Waratahs in Prague, losing 3–94.
The nation played against Hong Kong at the Synot Tip Arena in Prague on 16 December 2009. They won 17–5. It was the final match for six players: Antonín Brabec, Jan Macháček, Jan Oswald, Pavel Syrový, Ladislav Vondrášek and Jan Žíla.
The Czech Republic were relegated from the European Nations Cup First Division to the Second Division in 2014, after finishing 6th in their group.
On 9 November 2016 The Czech Republic played in a historical match against the Barbarians to celebrate the Czech Rugby Union's 90th anniversary. The match was held at the Marketa Stadium in Prague. They lost the match to the Barbarians, 71–0.

## Record
### World Cup

| World Cup record | World Cup record | World Cup record | World Cup record | World Cup record | World Cup record | World Cup record | World Cup record | World Cup Qualification record | World Cup Qualification record | World Cup Qualification record | World Cup Qualification record | World Cup Qualification record | World Cup Qualification record |
| Year | Round | P | W | D | L | F | A | P | W | D | L | F | A |
| 1987 | Not Invited | Not Invited | Not Invited | Not Invited | Not Invited | Not Invited | Not Invited | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia |
| 1991 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | | | | | | | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia | Part of Czechoslovakia |
| 1995 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 85 | 188 |
| 1999 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 80 | 105 |
| 2003 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 189 | 71 |
| 2007 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 164 | 306 |
| 2011 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 135 | 142 |
| 2015 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 142 | 310 |
| 2019 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 265 | 104 |
| 2023 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | Automatically eliminated | Automatically eliminated | Automatically eliminated | Automatically eliminated | Automatically eliminated | Automatically eliminated |
| Total | 0/9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 22 | 1 | 27 | 1060 | 1226 |

### European Competitions Since 2000

| Season | Division | G | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts | Pos |
| 2000 | European Nations Cup Third Division | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 73 | +46 | 12 | 1st |
| 2000-01 | European Nations Cup Second Division | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 132 | 109 | +23 | 9 | 5th |
| 2003-04 | European Nations Cup First Division | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 139 | 263 | -124 | 15 | 5th |
| 2004-06 | European Nations Cup First Division | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 164 | 306 | -142 | 16 | 5th |
| 2006-08 | European Nations Cup First Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 59 | 506 | -447 | 10 | 6th |
| 2008-10 | European Nations Cup Second Division 2A | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 135 | 142 | -7 | 15 | 3rd |
| 2010-12 | European Nations Cup First Division 1B | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 160 | 217 | -57 | 20 | 5th |
| 2012-14 | European Nations Cup First Division 1B | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 142 | 310 | -168 | 11 | 6th |
| 2014-16 | European Nations Cup Second Division 2A | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 192 | 119 | +73 | 32 | 2nd |
| 2016-17 | Rugby Europe Conference 1 North | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 158 | 26 | +132 | 20 | 1st |
| 2017-18 | Rugby Europe Trophy | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 93 | 120 | -27 | 12 | 3rd |
| 2018-19 | Rugby Europe Trophy | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 59 | 205 | -146 | 1 | 6th |
| 2019-20 | Rugby Europe Conference 1 North | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 7 | +93 | 10 | 1st |
| 2021-22* | Rugby Europe Conference 1 North | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 25 | +45 | 10 | 1st |

### Overall

Below is a table of the representative rugby matches played by a Czech Republic national XV at test level up until 8 March 2025, updated after match with Luxembourg.
| Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | % Won |
| Andorra | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% |
| Austria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Barbarians | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Belgium | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 42.86% |
| Brown University | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Croatia | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.71% |
| Denmark | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Georgia | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0% |
| Germany | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 22.22% |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Hungary | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Israel | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75% |
| Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Latvia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Lithuania | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% |
| Luxembourg | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Malta | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Moldova | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 50% |
| Morocco | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Netherlands | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 44.44% |
| Poland | 15 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 40% |
| Portugal | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0% |
| Romania | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Russia | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 25% |
| Spain | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 25% |
| Sweden | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 37.5% |
| Switzerland | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 57.14% |
| Tunisia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Ukraine | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 60% |
| USA South | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Total | 156 | 70 | 82 | 4 | 44.87% |

## Recent Matches

Matches played in the last 12 months
Matches :
6 November 2021 13:00 CET (UTC+01)(1 TBP) Czech Republic 31–13 HungaryReportStadion ragby Císařka, Prague Attendance: 550 Referee: Eugeniu Procopi (Moldova) :
27 November 2021 18:00 CET (UTC+01)Luxembourg 12–39 Czech Republic (1TBP)Stade de Luxembourg, Gasperich Referee: Vaidotas Girdvainis (Lithuania) :

## Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2021-2022 Rugby Europe Conference 1 North match against Luxembourg on 27th November 2021.
Head Coach: Miroslav Němeček
Caps Updated:
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Club/province |
| Tomáš Adámek | Prop | (1999-07-30) 30 July 1999 (age 25) | Mountfield Říčany |
| Hubert Dřímal | Hooker | (1996-05-03) 3 May 1996 (age 28) | Sparta Prague |
| Radek Novotný | Prop | (1999-08-08) 8 August 1999 (age 25) | Praga Prague |
| Robert Trefný | Lock | (1992-09-28) 28 September 1992 (age 32) | Mountfield Říčany |
| Jakub Homer | Lock | (1992-08-06) 6 August 1992 (age 32) | Valence Romans Drôme Rugby |
| James Faktor | Back row | (1998-01-08) 8 January 1998 (age 27) | Honourable Artillery Company |
| Vojtěch Vomáčka | Back row | (1994-10-16) 16 October 1994 (age 30) | Saint Marcellin Sports |
| Dan Hošek (c) | Number 8 | (1995-12-08) 8 December 1995 (age 29) | Praga Prague |
| Marek Šimák | Scrum-half | (1992-01-13) 13 January 1992 (age 33) | Tatra Smíchov |
| Matyáš Hopp | Fly-half | (1991-10-03) 3 October 1991 (age 33) | Praga Prague |
| Sheldon Fortuin | Wing | (2002-11-28) 28 November 2002 (age 22) | Sparta Prague |
| Richard Hřebačka | Centre | (1997-03-22) 22 March 1997 (age 27) | Sparta Prague |
| Albert Froněk | Centre | (2001-11-28) 28 November 2001 (age 23) | Praga Prague |
| Jakub Čížek | Wing | (1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 28) | Přelouč |
| Martin Cimprich | Fullback | (1999-03-05) 5 March 1999 (age 26) | Honourable Artillery Company |
| Ondřej Kučera | Prop | (2000-11-30) 30 November 2000 (age 24) | Dragon Brno |
| Tomáš Stránský | Hooker | (1998-05-15) 15 May 1998 (age 26) | Mountfield Říčany |
| Václav Calta | Prop | (1999-12-11) 11 December 1999 (age 25) | Mountfield Říčany |
| Vlastimil Diviš | Lock | (2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 (age 24) | Praga Prague |
| Jan Tieber | Centre | (2001-11-18) 18 November 2001 (age 23) | Dragon Brno |
| Jan Kohout | Wing | (2000-10-18) 18 October 2000 (age 24) | Přelouč |
| Pavel Šíma | ?? | (2000-10-19) 19 October 2000 (age 24) | Slavia Prague |

## Coaches

Czech (Czechoslovakia) coaches :
| Name | Nationality | Years | Assistants | Tests | Won | Drew | Lost | Win % |
| Voska | Czechoslovakia | 1931 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Rudolf Otto Bauše | Czechoslovakia | 1933 | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Kratochvíl | Czechoslovakia | 1934 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Gustav Vlk | Czechoslovakia | 1946–49 | - | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25 |
| Jiří Žižka | Czechoslovakia | 1954 | Vladimír Škvor | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Vladimír Škvor | Czechoslovakia | 1955 | - | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Alfa Zeda | Czechoslovakia | 1956 | Vladimír Škvor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100 |
| Miloš Dobrý | Czechoslovakia | 1956–57 | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| Alfa Zeda | Czechoslovakia | 1958–59 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oldřich Pazdera | Czechoslovakia | 1959–65 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milan Pětroš | Czechoslovakia | 1966–67 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vladimír Vondráček | Czechoslovakia | 1969–1972 | Viktor Šťastný | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vladimír Škvor | Czechoslovakia | 1972–76 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eduard Krützner | Czechoslovakia | 1976–78 | - | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Milan Malovaný | Czechoslovakia | 1979–81 | Bohumil Sláma | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milan Malovaný | Czechoslovakia | 1982–83 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milan Malovaný | Czechoslovakia | 1984–88 | Jiří Kotlový | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milan Malovaný | Czechoslovakia | 1988–1989 | Vilibald Hervert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eduard Krützner | Czechoslovakia | 1989–90 | Vilibald Hervert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eduard Krützner | Czechoslovakia | 1990–91 | Bruno Kudrna, Milan Buriánek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruno Kudrna | Czechoslovakia | 1991–93 | Milan Buryánek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruno Kudrna | Czech Republic | 1993–95 | Milan Buryánek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Karel Berka | Czech Republic | 1995–97 | Jaromír Kourek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruno Kudrna | Czech Republic | 1997–99 | Václav Horáček | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Václav Horáček | Czech Republic | 1999– | Pavel Jágr | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jiří Šťastný | Czech Republic | 2001–2003 | Václav Čermák | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Petr Michovský | Czech Republic | 2003 | Michel Bernardin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michel Bernardin | France | 2003–2004 | Jan Macháček | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Galonier | France | 2004–2005 | Jan Macháček | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josef Fatka | Czech Republic | 2005–2006 | Petr Michovský | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Levan Mgeladze | Georgia | 2007 | Martin Kafka, Jan Macháček | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Kafka | Czech Republic | 2007–2008 | Jan Macháček | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Gajan | France | 2008–2009 | Martin Kafka | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Kafka | Czech Republic | 2010–2013 | Jan Oswald (2010–13), Tomasz Putra (2013) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomasz Putra | Poland | 2014–2016 | Roman Šuster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomasz Putra | Poland | 2016–2017 | Pavel Pala, Filip Vacek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Phil Pretorius | South Africa | 2017–2018 | Hein Kriek , Daniel Beneš | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Beneš | Czech Republic | 2018–2019 | Miroslav Němeček, Roman Šuster | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Miroslav Němeček & Pavel Pala | Czech Republic | 2019–2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miroslav Němeček | Czech Republic | 2021– | Jan Rohlík, Jan Čížek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Notable former players

| Martin Jágr Jan Macháček Roman Šuster Martin Kafka Ladislav Vondrášek Antonín Brabec Jiří Skall Jan Žíla Miroslav Němeček Václav Jursík Pavel Vokrouhlík Jiří Buryánek | Milan Mrtýnek Petr Michovský Pavel Bureš Luděk Kudláček Jiří Koutný Miroslav Fuchs Petr Skopal | Jiří Skall st Jaromír Kourek Bruno Kudrna Karel Berka Vlastimil Jágr Václav Fanta Zdeněk Mrazčínský | Barchánek |