The following is a list of international rugby union teams: Starting in 2008, in addition to the existing tier system, the IRB introduced a four-band system of classification in which unions are classified based on "their development status and record on the international stage".
The new structure is:[1] All countries previously in Tiers 1 and 2.
These are countries earmarked for increased developmental funding and include: The IRB did not release a list of unions in this category, but named several as World Cup hopefuls being in this band: World Rugby associates in italics Asia Rugby teams not affiliated to World Rugby
In the case of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, there is more than one successor team.
In the case of Catalonia, the Spanish Civil War and Franco's crackdown put an end to it, and in the case of East and West Germany, reunification led to their amalgamation into a single German side.