Spain and the Netherlands were victorious in their clashes against Sweden and Portugal, gathering a bonus-point win before the Women’s Rugby Europe Championship title game to be played next week.
But in what areas did both teams excel? To help us understand the whys and hows, here are the Hot Stats of Round 1 of the Women’s Rugby Europe Championship.
The opening game of the Women’s REC 2025 will be included after the Netherlands vs Sweden clash to be played on the 19th of April.
GAIN LINE WINS: 97
After the first half with only one try scored, the Oranjes stepped up and provided one of the most dominant halves of the last four seasons of the Women’s Rugby Europe Championship. The hosts physically dominated Portugal, throwing the Lobas backwards and giving them no chance to bounce back.
That thumping physicality can be easily seen in the number of gain line wins. The Netherlands won 97 out of 141 carries, meaning a 67% gain line win success rate, a high number, especially when Spain couldn’t reach that number in the previous game against the Portuguese.
Portugal’s ironclad defensive performance withstood the opposition’s physicality for 40 minutes straight, but it all came crumbled when the Dutch raised the tempo and intensity in the match’s last leg.
Isa Prins and Inger Jongerius were the main gain line winners, with the former making every carry count. Prins was relentless in every aspect of the game, especially how she knocked incoming tacklers down like a V8 bowling ball.
The Netherlands have made great strides in the last couple of years, with that dominant physicality being one of the most recognizable traits of Gareth Gilbert’s side.
LINE BREAKS: 15
Spain’s proficient offensive game plan has been one of the cornerstones of their resurgence at a Test Match level, and the Leonas produced another brilliant attacking performance against Sweden.
The Women’s Rugby Europe Championship title holders were unstoppable and, at times, unplayable, completely monopolizing the ball and creating several good attacking opportunities. When the dust settled, Spain had reached the in-goal area 11 times, created 11-line breaks and beaten 33 defenders.
With the likes of Lea Ducher (4), Claudia Cano (2), Claudia Piquero (2) and Alba Vinuesa (2) running the show, the Leonas never took the foot off the gas pedal, needling a careful but exciting offensive operation.
The hosts were voracious, making sure that every attacking opportunity paid off, course correcting what had happened against Portugal in their opening Women’s Rugby Europe match.
It was a statement from the champions who are in it to win it for the 12th time and will do everything in their power to achieve the most desirable goal.
WILDCARD
TACKLES COMPLETED: 157
João Moura’s Portugal might not have left Amsterdam with the desired result, but that first half will be regarded as a benchmark for future games, especially considering the superb tackling performance.
The Lobas wrapped up the game with 157 successful tackles, having attempted 195 meaning an 80% success rate. However, the Portuguese had only missed 5% of their attempts in the opening 40 minutes, proof of how astonishing their effort was in that period.
Valkyries Normandie Inês Marques and RC Toulon PM Sara Moreira completed 16 and 15, respectively, but weren’t the only ones excelling in that department.
Even in defeat, there are always vital lessons and positive aspects, and Portugal can build on from that defensive effort.
By Francisco Isaac
