Ivory Coast national rugby union team
The Ivory Coast national rugby union team, nicknamed Les Éléphants, participates in the annual Africa Cup and are considered a third tier rugby team.
| Nickname(s) | Les Éléphants (The Elephants) | |
|---|---|---|
| Emblem | Elephant | |
| Union | Ivorian Rugby Federation | |
| Head coach | Edgar Babou | |
| Captain | TBD | |
| Home stadium | Various | |
| ||
| World Rugby ranking | ||
| Current | 49 (as of 16 January 2023) | |
| Highest | 38 (2003, 2005, 2006, 2021) | |
| Lowest | 55 (2017) | |
| First international | ||
| Zimbabwe 22–9 Ivory Coast (Harare, Zimbabwe; 5 May 1990) | ||
| Biggest win | ||
| Ivory Coast 83–3 Mauritius (Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast; 26 June 2013) | ||
| Biggest defeat | ||
| Scotland 89–0 Ivory Coast (Rustenburg, South Africa; 26 May 1995) | ||
| World Cup | ||
| Appearances | 1 (First in 1995) | |
| Best result | Pool stage (1995) | |
Formed in 1990, the team's most significant achievement to date was their success in qualifying for the Rugby World Cup for their first and so far only time in 1995. They have not qualified since, though they did reach the semi-finals of the African qualifying competition for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, achieving a home draw against eventual qualifiers Namibia before being defeated in their away match.
Rugby union in Côte d'Ivoire is popular among school children, but the rugby union playing population in Côte d'Ivoire is still relatively small with only 14 clubs and 470 registered senior players.
The national side is ranked 43rd in the world (as of 29 July 2019).