A weekend to remember in the men’s Rugby Europe Championship, as Belgium-Germany and Portugal-Spain spiraled fans to unprecedented heights. To further improve that experience let us share some of the top stats of the semifinal round, and why it was so special.
With the line up now confirmed for Paris on March 17, make sure you get your tickets to join us for what should be a festival of Europe rugby in the French capital.
Meters Made: 546
When the Lelos want to put up a show you can be sure they will deliver, and that’s exactly what they did at the weekend. The current title holders created some of the best plays of the semifinal, causing cracks in the Romanian line, amassing 546 meters, which caused a seven-try avalanche.
Davit Niniashvili and Luka Matkava were Georgia’s main playmakers, complimented by the deadly finishing from the likes of Akaki Tabutsadze, Merab Sharikadze, and Demur Tapladze, in what was a perfectly tuned Georgian orchestra, packed with fiery flair and thumping physicality.
Turnovers: 7
History was made in Waterloo, as Germany conquered their first-ever win on Belgium soil. It was a thriller and it will go down as one of great German victories. The Schwarze Adler held a short lead at half-time, but the home team managed a spectacular comeback minutes after coming out of the locker room and were very close to have complete control of the match flow. And then, when things seemed dire, the Germans closed ranks and executed a handful of turnovers that would change the flow of the game in their favor.
Germany was the dominant side at the breakdown fight, poaching five turnovers at the breakdown, breaking Belgium’s momentum when they were close to those much-needed points. Justin Renc, Cameron Lindsay, and Leo Wolf's jackaling skills were on full show. A forceful attack of course causes tries, but an unbreakable defense can grant historic victories, and Mark Kuhlmann’s men are living proof of that statement.
Clean Breaks: 10
Lyn Jones was a happy man after his team's massive victory over Poland, scoring fifty-four points and a total of eight tries, their highest-point-scoring game since returning to the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship.
A total of ten clean breaks helped the Dutch to crack open the scoreboard, in spectacular fashion, a feature shared by both backs and forwards, as Koen Bloemen (2), Siem Noorman (2), and Daily Limmen (2) were just some of the line breakers of the afternoon.
The Netherlands are in the hunt to finish another season in 5th place, and their offensive growth can be vital to cap things off in style.
Offloads: 13
It was an entertaining afternoon in the Estádio do Restelo, as the Iberian clash provided an emotionally-charged encounter, offering fans from Portugal, Spain and those who tuned in around the globe brilliant spectacle. The Lobos attacking patterns, ultimately got the better of their Spanish rivals, dazzling spectators with a flourish of tries that have become synonymous with the Os Lobos attack - tries, created not only by the special swift player combo, but also due to an effective offload cascade, that energized the Portuguese team, which ultimately managed to wear down a dogged Spanish defense.
Those thirteen offloads played a crucial role in unlocking an astonishing tight line of defense, with the likes of Manuel Cardoso Pinto, Tomás Appleton, Lucas Martins, and José Lima as commanders in chief.
Portugal’s attacking prowess produced another memorable victory and granted another shot at the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship title where they will be hoping to go one better than last year in Badajoz.
By Francisco Isaac
