Norcafa national rugby union team

''This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Norcafa women's national rugby union team.''

The Norcafa national rugby union team, nicknamed the Shiver, represents Norcafa in men's international rugby union. Their first test match was played against Norway on 4 August 2000 in Maiclaus, where they won 19-0. The team is administered by the Norcafa Rugby Association.

The team was established in 1999 with its respective union becoming a member of World Rugby the following year. Rugby is among one of the most popular sports in the country.

History
Since the introduction of rugby in Norcafa in the early 1900s, the popularity of the sport in the country has significantly risen since, with the establishment of the Norcafa Rugby Union Championship in 1993 complementing the popularity. Concepts of a national team for Norcafa can be traced back to as early as the late 1980s.

The Norcafa Rugby Association was founded in 1996, with the first squad of the national team being decided in late 1998. Alfie Quinn, who coached for the Maiclaus Eagles R.F.C., was selected as the first head coach of the team.

In 2000, the Norcafa Rugby Association became a full member of World Rugby and FIRA-AER (now Rugby Europe) and played their first international against Norway later that year. Since then, the team has made significant development, with the team placing within the top 3 in the more recent editions of the Rugby Europe International Championships. However, the team has yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.

As of 3 October 2022, the team ranks 36th on the World Rugby men's rankings, being ahead of Sweden but behind Czechia. The highest ranking for the team was 30th, being achieved in 2018, while their lowest was 52nd, achieved in 2009.

Jersey
The team's jersey consists of gold, white and red, the colours that appear on Norcafa's flag. The first iteration of the jersey, manufactured by Adidas, was used from 2001 to 2010. The jersey included 3 vertical stripes that incorporated the flag's colours. It was last worn in a match against Slovenia.

The second and current jersey began use in late 2010, debuting in an international match between Norcafa and the Czech Republic. Though consisting of the same colours, the jersey has a horizontal stripe design with the order of the colours matching that on the country's flag. The second jersey was again manufactured by Adidas.

Nickname
The team's nickname 'Shiver' refers to the name given to a group of sharks. It also references Norcafa's location in the Mediterranean Sea, where many species of sharks can be found. A variety of nicknames were considered before adopting the team's current nickname.

Overall
The team has competed in 81 tests as of 9 August 2022, their most recent being against Latvia.

Current squad
Head coach: Connor Stanley

Individual records
Averardo Lori, who retired in 2016, is the most capped player of the team with 61 appearances between 1999 and 2015 with Robert Norton being the most capped back with 40 appearances as of July 2022. Zak Price has scored the most points and tries with 389 points and 40 tries.

Coaches
Connor Stanley has been the current head coach since 2019 after Edward Davis's retirement. He was appointed on 30 October 2018.

Home grounds
Though the team primarily plays at Maiclaus National Stadium in Maiclaus as their home venue, some games have been played at other venues around the country. These venues include Bridrow Stadium (Bridrow), Joseph Lynch Stadium (Glen) and Spencer Pickering Park (Port Wilnaror), despite them being designed for association football.