4. Zimbabwe (6 Matches)
The Southern African nation of Zimbabwe hold the honour of being the first team from the continent to take part in the Rugby World Cup. South Africa were banned from competition due to the country’s ongoing Apartheid, with the Sables invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, and then to the subsequent tournament in 1991.
However, on both occasions, Zimbabwe were unable to record a single victory at the competition. In 1987, the Sables were drawn into Pool 4, and took on eventual finalists France, as well as Scotland (a re-occurring opponent on this list) and Romania. Zimbabwe’s first match at the Rugby World Cup came against the Eastern Europeans, which ended in a well-battled 21-20 Romanian win in New Zealand.
This would by far be Zimbabwe’s closest match at the 1987 Rugby World Cup, as their following Pool Stage fixtures ended in a landslide 11-try defeat to Scotland (60-21), and an even heavier 13-try loss to France (70-12). Four years later, Zimbabwe once again represented their home continent, as they ventured to the Northern Hemisphere for the first time.
Zimbabwe would not come close to victory, akin to their opening Rugby World Cup match against Romania. Their three matches in Pool 2 each saw them concede 50 points, as they took heavy defeats to Ireland (55-11), Japan (52-8), and a less than friendly re-union with the ever-present Scotland (51-12). Zimbabwe have not returned to the Rugby World Cup since 1991, with hopes of qualification growing for the 2027 competition.