Netherlands women's national rugby union team
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The Netherlands women's national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Netherlands, representing them at rugby union. The side played the women's first international test match against France in 1982.
 | ||
| Union | Dutch Rugby Union | |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Gareth Gilbert[1] | |
| Captain | Linde van der Velden | |
| ||
| World Rugby ranking | ||
| Current | 17 (as of 22 September 2025) | |
| First international | ||
 Netherlands 0–4 France  (Utrecht, Netherlands; 13 June 1982) | ||
| Biggest win | ||
 Denmark 3–141 Netherlands (Grenade, France; 2 May 2004) | ||
| Biggest defeat | ||
 England 91–3 Netherlands (Belluno, Italy; 19 April 1999) | ||
| World Cup | ||
| Appearances | 3 (First in 1991) | |
| Rank | Change* | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | England | 98.09 |
| 2 | |  Canada | 91.53 |
| 3 | |  New Zealand | 89.85 |
| 4 | | France | 83.60 |
| 5 | |  Ireland | 78.20 |
| 6 | |  Scotland | 77.39 |
| 7 | |  Australia | 75.46 |
| 8 | |  United States | 72.90 |
| 9 | |  Italy | 72.37 |
| 10 | |  South Africa | 71.62 |
| 11 | |  Japan | 69.72 |
| 12 | |  Wales | 66.13 |
| 13 | |  Fiji | 63.98 |
| 14 | |  Spain | 62.42 |
| 15 | |  Samoa | 59.72 |
| 16 | |  Hong Kong | 57.56 |
| 17 | | Netherlands | 57.42 |
| 18 | |  Russia | 55.10 |
| 19 | |  Kazakhstan | 53.88 |
| 20 |  1 |  Germany | 51.10 |
| *Change from the previous week | |||
History
The Netherlands' women's national rugby union team hosted the first ever women's international women's rugby union match. This match took place in Utrecht on June 13, 1982. France won against the Netherlands with 4–0.[3][4]
The Netherlands made their debut at the 1991 World Cup. They finished in 7th place out of 12 teams. They hosted the 1998 World Cup and qualified for the 2002 World Cup, where they finished 13th and 15th.
Women's rugby has increased in popularity in the Netherlands in the past decades. The airing of the 2015 World Cup on national television has further attributed to the increase in popularity.
On 16 March 2024, the Netherlands won the play-off, for the 2024 WXV 3 competition, against Colombia, who finished at the bottom of the inaugural WXV 3 standings in 2023.[5][6] By virtue of being the highest nation in World Rugby's Women's Rankings who did not take part in the inaugural edition, the Netherlands were given the opportunity to play for a spot in this year's tournament.[5]
Records
Overall
(Full internationals only, updated to 14 May 2024)
| Opponent | First game | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium |
2000 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
 Brazil |
2008 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 66.66% |
| Canada |
1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% |
 Colombia |
2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Denmark |
2003 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| England |
1997 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00% |
 Finland |
2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| France |
1982 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 8.33% |
| Germany |
1992 | 17 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 94.12% |
 Great Britain |
1987 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| Hong Kong |
2019 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33.33% |
| Ireland |
1998 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00% |
| Italy |
1988 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 25.00% |
| Japan |
2002 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.00% |
| Kazakhstan |
1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| New Zealand |
1990 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% |
 Norway |
2004 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
 Portugal |
2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Russia |
1998 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75.00% |
| Samoa |
2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| Scotland |
1995 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 16.67% |
| South Africa |
2006 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00% |
| Spain |
1995 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.00% |
 Sweden |
1984 | 19 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 84.21% |
 Switzerland |
2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
 Soviet Union |
1990 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| United States |
1990 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00% |
| Wales |
2001 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 60.00% |
| Summary | 1982 | 136 | 69 | 0 | 67 | 50.74% |
Rugby World Cup
| Rugby World Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | PF | PA |
| 1991 |
Plate semi-finals | N/A | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 18 |
| 1994 |
Did not participate | |||||||
| 1998 |
Shield final | 13th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 197 | 40 |
| 2002 |
15th place playoff | 15th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 180 |
| 2006 |
Did not participate | |||||||
| 2010 |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
| 2014 | ||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||
| 2021 | ||||||||
| 2025 | ||||||||
| 2029 |
TBD | |||||||
| 2033 | ||||||||
| Total | 3/9 | 13th† | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 264 | 238 |
| ||||||||
Players
Recent squad
Netherlands 30-player squad for the 2024 WXV 3 competition in Dubai.[7]
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anniek Nauta | ?? | 10 March 2000 (aged 24) | ||
| Anouk Veerkamp | Hooker | 29 January 2002 (aged 22) | 7 | Hartpury University |
| Anoushka Beukers | Hooker | 15 September 1999 (aged 25) | 8 | Dames Bredase RC |
| Brechtje Karst | Prop | 10 March 2003 (aged 21) | 5 | |
| Elisabeth Boot | Loose forward | 16 September 1998 (aged 26) | 5 | |
| Gwen van der Schoot | ?? | RC Delft | ||
| Inger Jongerius | Lock | 12 December 1995 (aged 28) | 12 | |
| Isa Prins | Lock | 4 June 2003 (aged 21) | 7 | |
| Jara Bunnik | ?? | 2 May 2001 (aged 23) | 2 | |
| Julia Morauw | Prop | 22 June 2002 (aged 22) | 7 | |
| Linde van der Velden (c) | Loose forward | 20 February 1995 (aged 29) | 14 | Exeter Chiefs |
| Mariet Luijken | Loose forward | 29 November 2003 (aged 20) | 7 | |
| Mhina de Vos | Forward | 24 April 1998 (aged 26) | 8 | |
| Morgane ter Cock | ?? | 9 July 2003 (aged 21) | 1 | |
| Nicky Dix | Prop | 7 March 2000 (aged 24) | 14 | |
| Noah Demba | ?? | 6 October 1998 (aged 25) | ||
| Sydney de Weijer | Prop | 17 June 2003 (aged 21) | 7 | Amsterdamse Atletiek Club |
| Emma van Traa | ?? | 2 April 2006 (aged 18) | 1 | The Vets |
| Esmee Ligtvoet | Scrum-half | 23 June 2003 (aged 21) | 8 | |
| Gaya van Nifterik | Wing | 16 October 1998 (aged 25) | 5 | |
| Isa Spoler | Centre | 27 June 2004 (aged 20) | 4 | |
| Jet Metz | Fly-half | 19 September 2003 (aged 21) | 5 | |
| Kika Mulling | Wing | 6 April 1999 (aged 25) | 3 | |
| Lieve Stallmann | Fullback | 21 January 2000 (aged 24) | 10 | |
| Linneke Gevers | Centre | 9 March 1998 (aged 26) | 2 | |
| Lisa Egberts | Scrum-half | 3 December 2001 (aged 22) | 9 | |
| Marit Lemmens | Back | 20 April 1998 (aged 26) | 8 | |
| Pien Selbeck | Centre | 14 October 1984 (aged 39) | 13 | |
| Pleuni Kievit | Fullback | 10 March 1997 (aged 27) | 4 | |
| Senne Hoog | Wing | 7 June 2005 (aged 19) | 4 |
Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Gareth Gilbert |
| Assistant Coach | Sander van der Loos |
| Manager | Josina Verweij |
| Physio | Milla Lappalainen |
| Water Carrier 1 | Mathew Cripps |
| Water Carrier 2, S&C | Dino Bozic |
