Rugby, like soccer, is especially popular in certain countries – think England, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Between the All Blacks and the Springboks, though, one tends to forget that there’s life beyond the big names. While association football is the dominant sport in most European countries, rugby union is present in most – and there are quite a few of them that have produced not only great players but pretty successful teams as well.
If you want to place a winning bet on Rugby, you might want to give these teams some attention. While some of them only step into the spotlight during European or World Championships, bookmakers like Betway love to cover them because of their prominent performance in these events.
The Oaks (Romania)
The Romania national rugby union team – also known as “The Oaks” – has a history spanning more than a century. Rugby was introduced to Romania in 1913 by students returning from Paris – in 1919, the country’s national team was playing its first international game against the US.
During the country’s Communist rule, the government poured huge piles of resources into the team, turning it into a force to be reckoned with. They even met the (Junior) All Blacks in Wellington in 1975, reaching a 10-10 draw.
After Romania’s revolution in 1989, rugby was kept alive in the country. In 2000, Romania won its first European Nations Cup. After a period of decline that was ended by French coach Bernard Charreyre – called Little Napoleon’ by the players – the team won the European Nations Cup 10 times, and the World Rugby Nations Cup four times.
Romania is currently 19th in the World Rugby Rankings.
Sakuras / Brave Blossoms (Japan)
When you hear Japan, rugby is probably not the first sport to come to your mind. Neither is baseball – but they are doing pretty well at that, too.
Rugby has a real tradition in Japan, with the first documented game taking place in 1866. The first official international played by the Japanese national team, though, only took place in 1932. The Japanese side won, beating the Canadian side 9-8, and also winning the return leg 11 days later.
The Sakuras won the Asia Rugby Championship 25 times between 1969 and 2017, won the Pacific Nations Cup three times, with their most recent win happening in 2019, and were knocked out by the Springboks from the 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals. Japan is currently 10th in the World Rugby Rankings.
Los Pumas (Argentina)
Argentina is best known for its association football players, especially football legend Diego Maradona who passed away last November – but when it comes to rugby union, they are also a force to be reckoned with.
Los Pumas, as the country’s national rugby union team is called, has played its first international game against the British Islands in 1910, and rose to fame in the 1960s while touring South Africa in a series of friendly matches.
Argentina has played in all Rugby World Cups since the tournament’s inception in 1987. Their best performance in the competition was their third place in 2007 and their fourth place in 2015. They are currently 8th in the World Rugby Rankings.
