 | |||||||||
| Nickname | Tuskers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Vanuatu Rugby Football Union | ||||||||
| Head coach | Ishmael Kalsakau | ||||||||
| World Rugby ranking | |||||||||
| Current | 112 (as of 4 November 2024) | ||||||||
| Highest | 108 (2022) | ||||||||
| Lowest | 112 (2024) | ||||||||
| First international | |||||||||
| New Hebrides 18–18 Wallis and Futuna (1966-12-01) | |||||||||
| Biggest win | |||||||||
| Vanuatu 6–0 Wallis and Futuna (1966-12-01) | |||||||||
| Biggest defeat | |||||||||
| Papua New Guinea 97–3 Vanuatu (2005-08-20) | |||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||
The Vanuatu national rugby union team represents Vanuatu in the sport of rugby union. The team is classified as a tier three nation by the International Rugby Board (IRB), and has yet to qualify for a Rugby World Cup. Its international debut was in 1966. It became affiliated with World Rugby in 1999. The team is nicknamed the Tuskers, after the pig tusks prized as currency in some parts of the country. The tusks also appear on the country's flag.
History
Vanuatu was involved in the Oceania qualifying tournaments for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. It was a part of the Round 1a group, with the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. It won its first match at home against the Solomon Islands, lost the second match away to Papua New Guinea 97 to 3, and did not proceed to the next round.
Record
World Cup
| World Cup record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Qualification status | ||||||
  1987 |
Not invited | ||||||
   1991 |
did not enter | ||||||
 1995 |
did not enter | ||||||
 1999 |
did not enter | ||||||
| 2003 |
did not qualify | ||||||
| 2007 |
did not qualify | ||||||
| 2011 |
did not qualify | ||||||
 2015 |
did not enter | ||||||
 2019 |
did not enter | ||||||
| 2023 |
did not enter | ||||||
Overall
| Against | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 New Caledonia |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0% |
 Niue |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
 Papua New Guinea |
5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0% |
 Solomon Islands |
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25% |
| Total | 14 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 7.14% |
In late 2012, due to management issues, the Vanuatu rugby team was suspended by the IRB for failure to report about the country's use of money and development of the sport within the country.
See also
- FORU Oceania Cup
- 2007 Rugby World Cup – Oceania qualification
- Vanuatu Rugby Football Union
- Rugby union in Vanuatu
- Vanuatu national under-20 rugby union team
References
- "Vanuatu Rugby Union | Oceania Rugby". oceania.rugby. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
External links
- Vanuatu on rugbydata.com
 National sports teams of Vanuatu | |
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