Maccabi Tel Aviv won the Israeli Rugby Championship for the 15th time in club history Saturday night, defeating Hapoel Yizreel 50-17 in the final at Hadar Yosef.
The victory gave Maccabi its first national title in seven years and completed a perfect 13-0 season. It also ended Yizreel’s run of five consecutive championships.
The final was close early, with Maccabi leading 23-17 at halftime. Tel Aviv took control after the break, scoring twice to open a 37-17 lead before pulling away for a decisive win in front of hundreds of spectators.
Maccabi had beaten Yizreel 27-16 in the final round of the Premier League playoff stage, a match that served as a preview of the championship game. Tel Aviv won all three meetings between the teams this season.
The squad included seven Israel national team players and players from Canada, Chile, Australia, Georgia, Ukraine, Italy and France.
Among Maccabi’s leading players this season were captain Ohad Reuveni; Roy Goldin, who helped lead the team throughout the campaign; Canadian player Jack Sher, a master’s student at Tel Aviv University; and Mor Klipon, a Golani Brigade soldier who recently returned to club activity after reserve duty.
Joseph Lodmer, who immigrated from Italy and returned to the team after extended reserve service, and Chilean player Danny Elzarki, a university student and startup entrepreneur recently released from military service, also played key roles.
Maccabi’s leading scorers this season included Itay Oslon, Gal Aviram, who immigrated from Australia, and Nazir Gazanov, a Dagestan-born former Russia national team player.
The title was Maccabi Tel Aviv’s 15th national championship. Its previous title came in the 2018-19 season.
Hapoel Yizreel remains Israel’s most decorated rugby club with 24 championships.
The rivalry between the clubs has shaped Israeli rugby for decades. Maccabi Tel Aviv won the country’s first official rugby championship in the 1974-75 season, while Yizreel claimed its first title in 1980-81.
Since Ra’anana won the national championship in 2001-02, only Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Yizreel have won the Israeli rugby title.