# Poland national rugby union team

Men's World Rugby Rankingsvte Top 30 as of 17 March 2025 :
| Rank | Change | Team | Points |
| 1 | | South Africa | 092.78 |
| 2 | | New Zealand | 090.36 |
| 3 | | Ireland | 089.83 |
| 4 | | France | 089.51 |
| 5 | | Argentina | 084.97 |
| 6 | | England | 084.73 |
| 7 | | Scotland | 082.36 |
| 8 | | Australia | 081.52 |
| 9 | | Fiji | 080.07 |
| 10 | | Italy | 077.77 |
| 11 | | Georgia | 074.69 |
| 12 | | Wales | 073.39 |
| 13 | | Japan | 072.95 |
| 14 | | Samoa | 072.68 |
| 15 | | United States | 070.02 |
| 16 | 1 | Spain | 067.34 |
| 17 | 1 | Uruguay | 067.06 |
| 18 | 2 | Portugal | 066.44 |
| 19 | | Tonga | 065.46 |
| 20 | | Romania | 064.61 |
| 21 | | Chile | 061.72 |
| 22 | 4 | Belgium | 059.98 |
| 23 | 1 | Hong Kong | 059.49 |
| 24 | 1 | Canada | 059.18 |
| 25 | | Namibia | 057.87 |
| 26 | 1 | Zimbabwe | 057.16 |
| 27 | 3 | Netherlands | 057.01 |
| 28 | | Brazil | 056.53 |
| 29 | | Switzerland | 055.26 |
| 30 | | Sweden | 054.10 |
Poland's historical rankings :
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
See or edit source data. :
The Poland national rugby union team (Polish: Reprezentacja Polski w rugby) represents Poland in men's international rugby union competitions. Nicknamed The White and Reds (Biało-czerwoni), is considered one of the stronger tier 3 teams in European rugby and currently compete in the second division of the Rugby Europe International Championships in the Rugby Europe Trophy, a competition which is just below the Rugby Europe Championship where the top 6 countries in Europe (apart from the teams in the 6 nations) compete. They are yet to participate in any Rugby World Cup and often play in white with red shorts as well as in red with white shorts.

## History

Poland made their international debut against East Germany in 1958 in Łódź, which they won by just one point, 9–8. Later that year they played West Germany in Krasnoyarsk, who defeated them 11–3. The following year they played two matches at Dinamo Stadion in Bucharest, defeating Czechoslovakia and then losing to Romania. Poland continued to contest internationals with these nations over the coming years.
They defeated East Germany in Grimma the 1971, this was followed by strong form from the Polish, winning matches against the Netherlands, Morocco, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. In 1975 Poland played Italy in Treviso, and lost 13–28. In 1977 Poland played a France XV again, and lost 9–26; also that year they played Italy, and lost by only six points, with the final score being 6–12. They played a France XV again in 1978, losing 24–35. They also defeated Spain that year.
Poland played Italy in 1979, losing 3–13, and then played a France XV the following year, though they did not perform as well as previous meetings, losing 42–0. A subsequent match against a France XV in 1981 saw the France XV defeat Poland 49–6. A match between the two sides in 1984 produced a good result for the Polish, losing 19–3. A match against the Italian Barbarians the following year produced the same scoreline.
In 1987 Poland played two Italian teams, the Italian Barbarians and Italy under-21, although they lost to the Barbarians, they won against the under-21 team. Poland did not play at the 1987 World Cup. In 1990 they played the full Italy team in Naples, losing 34–3. Poland did not play in the 1991 World Cup in England. From 1992 to 1993 Poland won six matches in a row. Russia won five to 41 in a following match.
Poland played Italy A, but lost 19–107. Poland also played Romania in 1998, losing 74–13. Poland were grouped in Pool D of round two of the 2007 Rugby World Cup European qualify tournament. Poland performed very well in the pool, winning all four of their games, and finishing at the top of the pool. This saw them through to Pool A of Round three, but they were knocked out here, finishing fourth in the pool.
In the 2021/2022 season, the Polish team secured 2nd place in the Trophy(2nd Division), trailing behind Belgium. This achievement earned Poland a spot in the Championship (1st Division, for the 2023 and 2024 editions.
During the first edition, unfortunately, Poland suffered its largest defeat in history, losing 65-3 against Portugal. In a subsequent game, Poland secured its first historic victory in the Championship by defeating Belgium in Gdańsk, Poland. Despite this milestone, Poland finished 8th, placing last in this edition of the Championship.
Between the two editions, a commemorative friendly match was organized in honor of the Armistice and the Polish National Independence Day, featuring the Polish rugby team and the British Armed Forces team. Held at the National Stadium in Gdańsk, the match concluded with a narrow victory for Poland, 17-14, marking a moment of pride and shared remembrance between the two nations.
In the 2024 edition, they lost all their games and finished 8th once again, which resulted in their relegation to the Trophy (2nd division). This marked the last match for the iconic player of the team, Grzegorz Buczek (as a captain), which took place at the Jean Bouin Stadium of the Stade Français club in Paris, in a ranking match against Belgium.

## 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 | Not Invited | Not Invited | Not Invited | Not Invited | Not Invited | Not Invited |
| 1991 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 79 |
| 1995 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 47 |
| 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 | 58 | 152 |
| 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 | 177 | 109 |
| 2007 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 188 | 180 |
| 2011 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 94 | 118 |
| 2015 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 208 | 183 |
| 2019 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 73 | 73 |
| 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 | 45 | 24 | 0 | 21 | 941 | 862 |

### European Competitions Since 2000

| Season | Division | G | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/− | Pts | Pos |
| 2000 | European Nations Cup Third Division | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 69 | +43 | 10 | 2nd |
| 2000-01 | European Nations Cup Second Division | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 105 | 53 | +52 | 13 | 1st |
| 2002-04 | European Nations Cup Second Division Pool A | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 130 | 164 | -34 | 13 | 4th |
| 2006-08 | European Nations Cup Second Division 2B | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 266 | 67 | +199 | 22 | 1st |
| 2008-10 | European Nations Cup Second Division 2A | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 94 | 118 | -24 | 13 | 4th |
| 2010-12 | European Nations Cup First Division 1B | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 238 | 189 | +49 | 31 | 2nd |
| 2012-14 | European Nations Cup First Division 1B | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 208 | 183 | +25 | 22 | 4th |
| 2014-16 | European Nations Cup First Division 1B | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 191 | 262 | -71 | 18 | 5th |
| 2016-17 | Rugby Europe Trophy | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 73 | 73 | 0 | 12 | 4th |
| 2017-18 | Rugby Europe Trophy | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 106 | 147 | -41 | 7 | 5th |
| 2018-19 | Rugby Europe Trophy | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 104 | 164 | -60 | 10 | 4th |
| 2019-20 | Rugby Europe Trophy | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 112 | -68 | 5 | 6th |
| 2021-22* | Rugby Europe Trophy | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 65 | +20 | 12 | 1st |

### Overall

Below is a table of the representative rugby matches played by a Poland national XV at test level up until 22 February 2025, updated after match with Croatia.
| Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | % Won |
| Andorra | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Belgium | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 50% |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Croatia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75% |
| Czechoslovakia | 22 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 50% |
| Czech Republic | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 53.33% |
| Denmark | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| East Germany | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% |
| France | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| France A1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| France XV | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Georgia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Georgia XV | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Germany | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 46.15% |
| Italy | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 11.11% |
| Italy A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Latvia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Lithuania | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Madagascar | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Malta | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Moldova | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 40% |
| Morocco | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 84.62% |
| Netherlands | 22 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 54.55% |
| Norway | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Portugal | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 23.08% |
| Romania | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0% |
| Romania A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Russia | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Serbia and Montenegro | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Spain | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 37.5% |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Sweden | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 86.67% |
| Switzerland | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 57.14% |
| Tunisia | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 66.67% |
| Ukraine | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 21.43% |
| Soviet Union | 21 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 4.76% |
| West Germany | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 57.14% |
| Yugoslavia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Total | 286 | 127 | 152 | 7 | 44.41% |

## Recent Matches

Matches :
9 October 2021 12:50 EEST (UTC +3)(1 LBP) Ukraine 24–27 PolandReportYunist Stadion, Lviv Attendance: 2,000 Referee: John Catteau (Belgium) :
13 November 2021 13:00 CET (UTC+01)Poland 21–16 Germany (1 LBP)ReportNarodowy Stadion Rugby, Gdynia Referee: Saba Abulashvili (Georgia) :
20 November 2021 14:30 CET (UTC+01)Poland 37–25  SwitzerlandTry: Cooke 7' Haznar 33' Zeszutek 75' Con: Piotrowicz 34', 75' Pen: Piotrowicz 4', 17', 30', 57', 62', 71'ReportTry: Rohrig 24' Vial 38' Roberson 80' Con: Porcher 24', 39' Pen: Porcher 53', 68'Stadion Miejski, Warsaw Referee: Eki Fanlo (Spain) :

## Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2021–22 Rugby Europe Trophy match against Switzerland on 20 November 2021.
Head Coach: Christian Hitt
Caps updated: 22 November 2021, after match with Switzerland.
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Kamil Bobryk | Hooker | (1984-02-09) 9 February 1984 (age 41) | 48 | CS Vienne |
| Grzegorz Buczek | Hooker | (1986-05-17) 17 May 1986 (age 38) | 22 | RC Lechia Gdańsk |
| Thomas Fidler | Prop | (1986-10-22) 22 October 1986 (age 38) | 7 | Ogniwo Sopot |
| Radosław Bysewski | Prop | (1993-12-03) 3 December 1993 (age 31) | 25 | Ogniwo Sopot |
| Quentin Cieslinski | Prop | (1997-06-28) 28 June 1997 (age 27) | 2 | ASV Lavaur |
| Sylwester Gąska | Prop | (2002-02-22) 22 February 2002 (age 23) | 4 | Ogniwo Sopot |
| Edward Krawiecki | Lock | (1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 30) | 7 | Bromsgrove RFC |
| Mateusz Bartoszek | Lock | (1990-01-20) 20 January 1990 (age 35) | 38 | RC Bassin d'Arcachon |
| Krystian Olejek | Lock | (1995-11-28) 28 November 1995 (age 29) | 3 | Pogoń Siedlce |
| Michał Krużycki | Lock | (2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 (age 24) | 33 | RC Lechia Gdańsk |
| Jan Cal | Back row | (1995-11-08) 8 November 1995 (age 29) | 6 | Skra Warsaw |
| Dawid Rubaśniak | Back row | (2000-09-03) 3 September 2000 (age 24) | 5 | Ebbw Vale |
| Piotr Zeszutek (c) | Back row | (1991-01-31) 31 January 1991 (age 34) | 27 | Ogniwo Sopot |
| Dawid Plichta | Scrum-half | (1992-01-26) 26 January 1992 (age 33) | 20 | Orkan Sochaczew |
| Mateusz Plichta | Scrum-half | (1997-09-04) 4 September 1997 (age 27) | 16 | Ogniwo Sopot |
| Wojciech Piotrowicz | Fly-half | (1990-03-23) 23 March 1990 (age 34) | 18 | Ogniwo Sopot |
| Daniel Gdula | Centre | (2001-01-08) 8 January 2001 (age 24) | 18 | RC Posnania |
| Michal Haznar | Centre | (1994-01-17) 17 January 1994 (age 31) | 2 | Griquas |
| Siokivaha Taufui Halaifuana | Centre | (2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 (age 24) | 3 | Skra Warsaw |
| Ross Cooke | Wing | (2000-01-01) 1 January 2000 (age 25) | 7 | Tynedale RFC |
| Stasio Maltby | Wing | (1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 26) | 4 | Brighton Blues |
| Krystian Pogorzelski | Fullback | (1996-10-03) 3 October 1996 (age 28) | 10 | Master Pharm Rugby Łódź |
| Patryk Reksulak | Fullback | (1998-02-25) 25 February 1998 (age 27) | 15 | Master Pharm Rugby Łódź |

### Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the last 12 months.
| Player | Pos | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club | Latest call-up |
| Michał Gadomski | Prop | (1995-11-28) 28 November 1995 (age 29) | 2 | Orkan Sochaczew | v. Germany, 13 November 2021 |
| Marcin Siemaszko | Prop | (1997-11-28) 28 November 1997 (age 27) | 2 | Juvenia Kraków | v. Germany, 13 November 2021 |
| Adam Piotrowski | Lock | (1997-04-22) 22 April 1997 (age 27) | | Ogniwo Sopot | v. Ukraine, 9 October 2021 |
| Jakub Małecki | Lock | (1995-10-29) 29 October 1995 (age 29) | 1 | Burry Port RFC | v. Germany, 13 November 2021 |
| Jędrek Nowicki | Fly half | (1999-06-04) 4 June 1999 (age 25) | | CA Pontarlier | v. Ukraine, 9 October 2021 |
| Szymon Sirocki | Wing | (2000-04-04) 4 April 2000 (age 24) | 16 | RC Arka Gdynia | v. Germany, 13 November 2021 |
| Artur Fursenko | | (2001-01-08) 8 January 2001 (age 24) | | Orkan Sochaczew | v. Ukraine, 9 October 2021 |

## Current coaching staff

The current coaching staff of the Polish national team:
| Name | Nationality | Role |
| Maja Lindner | POL | Manager |
| Kamil Bobryk | POL | Head coach |
| Tomasz Stępień | POL | Assistant coach |
| Dr Bartosz Chudzik | POL | Team doctor |
| Karol Turlo | POL | Physiotherapist |

## Former coaches

* Marian Bondarowicz (1958–1969)
* Eugeniusz Rogatka (1959–1960)
* Marian Bondarowicz (1960–1961)
* Jan Frankowski (1961)
* Marian Bondarowicz (1962)
* Józef Koter (1963)
* Józef Grochowski (1964)
* Franciszek Nowak (1965)
* Józef Sokołowski (1965–1968)
* Zbigniew Janus (1969–1970)
* Józef Sokołowski (1970)
* Józef Grochowski (1971–1975)
* Józef Sokołowski (1975)
* Ryszard Wiejski (1976–1989)
* Andrzej Kopyt (1990)
* Zdzisław Szczybelski (1990–1991)
* Andrzej Kopyt (1991–1994)
* Ryszard Wiejski & Maciej Powała-Niedźwiecki (1994–1995)
* Maciej Powała-Niedźwiecki (1995–2000)
* Jerzy Jumas (2000–2006)
* Tomasz Putra (2006–2013)
* Marek Płonka (2013–2016)
* Blikkies Groenewald (2016–2017)
* Stanislaw Więciorek (2017–2018)
* Duaine Lindsay (2018–2020)
* Christian Hitt (2021–2024)
* Kamil Bobryk (2021–)