Jerusalem Rugby Club (Hebrew: מועדון רוגבי ירושלים) is a rugby club in Jerusalem, Israel. As of August 2026, the club had been active in the city for more than 40 years and led the sport there. It has a men's team, the Jerusalem Lions (אריות ירושלים), a women's team, the Jerusalem Lionesses (לביאות ירושלים), and a youth group for boys and girls. As of 2025, the men play fifteens and the women sevens.
History
In 2017 the club invited people to "join the family, get in shape, and learn to play Rugby". That August it offered a pre-season programme on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 15 August, open to men and women with or without rugby experience.
The Jerusalem men have also played in a combined Jerusalem–Ashkelon side, the Barbarians of Ashkelayim (הברברים מאשקליים). The combined team trains together once a week and separately once a week, each city at home. For a member of the combined side, the move to the renovated Givat Ram ground was a return home: veterans had told him rugby had not been played there since 2000.
As of May 2025, the women's team had grown from five players to 19, the largest squad in the league. The Lionesses hosted the 2024/25 women's championship tournament at Givat Ram Stadium on 25 April 2025; by one count it was the first time in nine years that the capital had hosted such an event. Two teams from Jerusalem took part in the final tournament of the 2024/25 women's State Cup.
In the women's sevens league the Lionesses finished fourth in the 2024/25 table with 36 points. As of 23 November 2025, after two rounds of 2025/26, they were fourth with 18 points, completing the top four.
Ground
The club trains at Givat Ram Stadium (אצטדיון גבעת רם). The women's team earlier trained at Gan Sacher before moving to Givat Ram. In 2017 the club trained on Tuesdays at Gan Sacher (south side, near the Variety Center) and on Thursdays at the Keshet field in Katamonim.
Teams and training
Training times as of August 2026:
| Team | Training |
|---|---|
| Men and women | Monday and Wednesday 20:00 |
| Youth | 18:30 |
Confirm times with the club.
The women train with the men on Mondays and on their own on Wednesdays, and no experience is needed to join. Some players come to the team through exchange programmes. At the start of one season, Jerusalem was one of seven teams registered for the women's league.
Club life
The club calls itself "the home for ALL of Jerusalem rugby lovers past, present and future". The men train alongside the Lionesses, and everyone then sits down together for a beer. Jerusalem is a student city whose players come and go. At the 2024/25 championship the hosts were called the Lionesses of Otzma Jerusalem (הלביאות מעוצמה ירושלים), and Shapiro beer supported the Lions and Lionesses. The Lionesses have been called "the darlings of digital".