The European Rugby Nations We Don’t Talk About Enough

All eyes are on France as the 2023 Rugby World Cup nears its conclusion. There are only a few matches left until the final, so we already know that one of England, New Zealand, Argentina, and South Africa will take the trophy home.

Aside from deciding which nation is the best at rugby, the World Cup has also shed some light on some of the best rugby nations in Europe that we don’t talk about enough.

Portugal

Portugal is not the first nation you think of when you hear rugby – especially because it has given the world quite a few soccer legends, like Ronaldo and Félix. Those into sports betting online rarely stumble upon matches played by Os Lobos.

Portugal didn’t do very well at this year’s Rugby World Cup, having finished behind Wales, Fiji, and Australia in Pool C.

Portugal has a very active rugby scene (although still far behind soccer), and its national team is 13th in the World Rugby rankings.

Scotland

At this year’s World Cup, Scotland ended up in a tough pool, together with defending champions South Africa and Ireland, third in the World Rugby rankings. Still, it did pretty good for itself, winning two of its four matches, and finishing third.

Rugby is very popular in Scotland, and it has a long history. Scotland has the oldest organized rugby league in the world.

Wales

Wales lost to Argentina in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals, after winning Pool C ahead of Fiji and Australia. It is among the top 10 rugby nations in the world according to World Rugby, ahead of Italy, Portugal, and Japan. Wales has more than 300 rugby clubs and a thriving rugby culture, often overshadowed by other nations.

Ireland

Ireland recently slipped to third place in the World Rugby rankings, after being knocked out of the Rugby World Cup by the All Blacks. This doesn’t make it any less of a rugby powerhouse, with over 150,000 registered players, and third in the World Rugby rankings.

France

France lost to the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal and slipped to fourth place in the World Rugby rankings. This doesn’t make it any less when rugby is concerned: with more than 360,000 registered players, and close to 1,800 clubs.

France is in the spotlight this year because it hosts the Rugby World Cup – but it should certainly be in more of a spotlight for its bustling rugby scene.

Who will win the Web Ellis Cup?

The Webb Ellis Cup is on the line again. Teams like South Africa’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All Blacks routinely steal the show on the global rugby scene. But there are many great European rugby nations that we don’t talk about enough, like Portugal, France, Ireland, and the rugby powerhouse France.