Many of the local rugby union teams date back to the late 1970s.
Rugby union was introduced into Saudi Arabia by the British in the mid-twentieth century.
Due to the influx of western workers, rugby has experienced a form of revival and for a while had a significant number of Saudi nationals playing.
Saudi Arabia participated in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
On 29 April 2016 Saudi Arabia played against Jordan in their first World Rugby recognized international game.