Yizrael Gilboa Rugby Club (Hebrew: מועדון רוגבי יזרעאל-גלבוע), also known as Hapoel Yizreel, is a rugby union club based at Kibbutz Yizrael in northern Israel. It plays in the Israeli men's fifteens league and runs youth teams. By one count it is Israel's most decorated rugby club, with 24 national championships as of 2026. The club is run as a registered non-profit association whose purpose is to promote sport and education in the Jezreel Valley and its surroundings.
History
The club was founded in the late 1960s, in 1969 by the club's count, by immigrants from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, and it has played in the league since the mid-1970s. In 2020 the club called itself the largest rugby club in the country.
Before the 2024/25 final, Yizrael had been champions for the previous four seasons. The men topped the 2024/25 league table with 35 points, beat Menashe Mamouths 75–5 in the semi-final on 23 February 2025, and won the final against Maccabi Tel Aviv 26–19 on 1 March 2025.
The 2025/26 season was interrupted by two months of war. Yizrael finished the regular season second with 31 points and the upper play-off second with 36 points; in the play-off it beat Menashe Mamouths 100–10 on 24 January 2026. In the championship final at Hadar Yosef in May 2026 it lost 17–50 to Maccabi Tel Aviv, ending a run of five consecutive titles, and finished the league in second place.
Honours
- Israeli championship (men): 24 titles as of 2026, by one count. These include 13 titles since the 2002 season, the 2023 State Championship and the 2024/25 championship.
- Runners-up: 2025/26 Israeli championship (men).
Ground
The club is based at Kibbutz Yizrael. It is part of a community that lives rugby, with a dedicated rugby stadium and a tradition going back generations. The club hosts other clubs that want to hold training camps there.
Teams and training
As of August 2026, besides a senior men's team, by one count among the leading sides in the country, the club runs five youth teams of various ages with about 100 players. By the club's count, it had satellite groups at Dovrat and HaZorea for children up to the age of 12, its coaches ran regular tag rugby sessions in 14 schools, and it did not yet have a women's team.
Training times as of August 2026:
| Team | Training |
|---|---|
| Youth | Monday and Wednesday 16:30–19:30 (two sessions per group) |
| Seniors | Wednesday 19:00–21:00, Friday 15:00–17:00 |
Confirm times with the club.
Players from Yizrael also play for the Northern Stars, a regional league team that includes players from Haifa and the Menashe Mammoths.
Club life
The club's vision is to become the leading rugby club in the country. Yizrael Gilboa has been called "the spiritual home of Israeli rugby". In 2020 the club's famous cow was given a facelift as part of a rebrand.