Morocco national rugby union team
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2008-06-26T15:49:24Z
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{{Rugby team
| country =Morocco
| image = Morocco.gif
| imagesize = 90px
| union = Fédération Royale Marocaine de Rugby
| nickname = Atlas Lions
| captain = [[Djalil Narjissi]]
| coach = {{flagicon|France}} Francis Was
| from =
| caps =
| pattern_la1 = | pattern_b1 = | pattern_ra1 =
| leftarm1 = 008000 | body1 = FFFFFF | rightarm1 = 008000
| shorts1 = ff0000| socks1 = ffffff
| pattern_la2 = | pattern_b2 = _thinwhitesides | pattern_ra2 =
| leftarm2 = 008000 | body2 = 008000 | rightarm2 = 008000
| shorts2 = ffffff | socks2 = ff0000
| first = [[Spain national rugby union team|Spain]] 14 - 6 Morocco<BR/>([[25 December]], [[1931]])
| bigwin = [[Namibia national rugby union team|Namibia]] 0 - 49 Morocco<BR/>([[5 November]], [[2005]])
| bigloss = [[Romania national rugby union team|Romania]] 89 - 0 Morocco<BR/>([[17 November]], [[1976]])
| World cup apps =
| year = -
| best =
}}
The '''Morocco national rugby union team''' are a national sporting side, representing [[Morocco]] in [[rugby union]]. The team is also known as the Atlas Lions. Morocco is governed by the [[Fédération Royale Marocaine de Rugby]]. Morocco competes in the [[Africa Cup]] annually. The team has won the competition in 2003 and 2004. They usually play their internationals in [[Casablanca]].
Morocco has thus far not qualified for a [[Rugby World Cup]], but have participated in the qualifying tournaments since the early 1990s. For the [[2007 Rugby World Cup|2007 world cup]] tournament in [[France]], Morocco failed to qualify when they lost to [[Portugal national rugby union team|Portugal]], home and away meaning they would not make the Repechage 1 play-off against [[Uruguay national rugby union team|Uruguay]].
==History==
Morocco played their first international match on December 25, 1931 in [[Rabat]], which [[Spain national rugby union team|Spain]] won 6 to 14. Another match was held three days later, and Morocco managed to hold Spain to a 10-all draw. Morocco met Spain again in April of the next year, though this time in [[Madrid]], losing 8 to 14. The two teams met again that December, Spain winning 14 nil. After playing four internationals, no official matches would be played by Morocco until 1967.
Making their return to the international rugby stage, Morocco faced off against their old opponents of the 1930s - Spain, losing 3 nil. Morocco then won their first match, at home in [[Casablanca]], where the defeated Spain by one point. In late 1970 they were beaten by a non-cap French XV in Casablanca. The following year Morocco defeated [[Italy national rugby union team|Italy]] in [[Naples]], and lost 25 to nil to [[Romania national rugby union team|Romania]] at home, and in 1972, were defeated 73 to 6 by a non-cap French XV. In 1975 in [[Brussels]] they defeated [[Belgium national rugby union team|Belgium]]. Morocco they found wins against teams like Italy and [[West Germany national rugby union team|West Germany]], and lost games to touring French sides, as well as teams like Romania. Morocco played a French XV in 1983 in Casablanca, losing 9 to 16.
The 1990s began with a 12-all draw with [[Tunisia national rugby union team|Tunisia]]. Matches were played against a number of other African nations, including eventual [[1991 Rugby World Cup|1991 World Cup]] participants [[Zimbabwe national rugby union team|Zimbabwe]], which Morocco lost 16 to nil. Their qualifying competitions for the 1995 Rugby World Cup started in group 2 Africas, winning their first game over Tunisia 6 to 5 in October of 1993. They lost their second game to [[Côte d'Ivoire national rugby union team|Côte d'Ivoire]], but did go through to round 2, where they lost to Cote d'Ivoire again, as well as Zimbabwe, and drew with [[Namibia national rugby union team|Namibia]].
Morocco were a part of Round 4 for the [[1999 Rugby World Cup qualifying]] for Africas, again playing Namibia, Zimbabwe and Côte d'Ivoire. Morocco finished second in the round, behind Namibia, and went through to a repechage round. [[Uruguay national rugby union team|Uruguay]] won a home and away series. In 2000 they defeated Romania 18 to 10 in Casablanca, along with a number of other matches that season, Morocco also played an under-23 [[South Africa national rugby union team|Springboks]] side. In qualifying tournaments for the [[2003 Rugby World Cup|2003 world cup]], Morocco played in the six nation split third round, losing to Tunisia by one point and defeating Côte d'Ivoire. In February of 2003 Morocco defeated France Amateurs 32 to 22 in Rabat.
Morocco's bid to qualify for the [[2007 Rugby World Cup|2007 world cup]] in [[France]] kicked off in June 2006 in pool 2 of round 2 of the [[2007 Rugby World Cup - Africa qualification|Africas qualifying tournament]]. They defeated [[Uganda national rugby union team|Uganda]] 36 to 3 in their first match, and then drew Côte d'Ivoire 9-9. They then lost 25-7 in Windhoek and 8-27 in Casablanca to Namibia. Morocco advanced to the Repechage Round as Africa 2, to play Europe 4 - [[Portugal national rugby union team|Portugal]] who won the home and away series.
==Current squad==
*Samir Amechtane ([[Poitiers]], France)
*Nicolas Benoit ([[SC Albi]], France)
*Abdelatif Boutaty ([[Section Paloise|Pau]], France)
*Aziz Chahid cigogne([[ASM Clermont Auvergne|Clermont Auvergne]], France)
*Youness Derraz (Bera Bera, Espagne)
*Lemrhoti Alae Eddine (FUS de Rabat, Maroc)
*[[Mounir El Hadji]] ([[Stade Toulousain]], France)
*Mounir El Hamzaoui ([[Poitiers]], France)
*Kamal Essaoui ([[US Montauban]], France)
*Jaouad Eziyar ([[Aurillac]], France)
*Mohamed Gouasmia (Côteaux de l'Arrêt, France)
*Youness Ho (Châteaurenard, France)
*Mounir Jaoui (Châteaurenard, France)
*Mickaël Mokhtar ([[US Bergerac]], France)
*[[Djalil Narjissi]] (''Capt'') ([[SU Agen Lot et Garonne|Agen]], France)
*Sofiane Qelai ([[Racing Métro 92 Paris|Métro-Racing]], France)
*Moushine Tajer ([[Saint Jean de Luz Olympique Rugby|St-Jean-de-Luz]], France)
*Hamid Arif ([[FC Auch Gers|Auch]], France)
*Hicham Laouni
== See also ==
* [[Fédération Royale Marocaine de Rugby]]
* [[Rugby Union World Cup|World Cup]]
==External links==
* [http://www.irb.com/WR/ IRB Ranking]
{{National rugby teams}}
{{Africa Cup}}
[[Category:African national rugby union teams]]
[[Category:Rugby union in Morocco]]
[[fr:Équipe du Maroc de rugby à XV]]
[[ja:ラグビーモロッコ代表]]