Czechia are now sitting third in the 2024-25 men’s Rugby Europe Trophy standings with two wins from four after an impressive weekend triumph over Luxembourg.
In the Prague Marketa Stadium, the hosts turned on the style amid a flurry of cards to come out on top 40-16 over their bottom of the six-team table visitors.
Hooker Vojtech Vomacka helped Czechia to get off to a flying start on Saturday, his try in the sixth minute being converted by stand-off Martin Cimprich.
Luxembourg then suffered a yellow card, but survived that 10 minutes with 14 men. When the opposition were back to 15, Cimprich kicked a penalty to put Czechia 10-0 ahead.
Just after the half hour mark Luxembourg got themselves right into the game when loosehead prop Matthew Dennis-Soto scored a try. When Fintan Lawlor, the stand-off, converted it was 10-7.
With Luxembourg then suffering a second sin-binning of the first period, Cimprich then scored an important try for Czechia and converted it to give them a 17-7 advantage at half-time.
Vomacka may have started the first half well with a try, but at the start of the second half he was red carded leaving Czechia with 14 men.
Lawlor and Cimprich then swapped penalties to leave things at 20-10 and, as Luxembourg got back to 15 men, we were in for an exciting finale.
By the hour mark it was the shorthanded hosts who were 30-13 up though, Cimprich kicking another penalty and winger Adam Koblic bagging a converted try to a three pointer from Lawlor.
With 17 minutes to go another Lawlor Penalty closed the gap to 14 points and then Czechia had a man yellow carded to put them down to 13.
They withstood that 10-minute period though and, back to 14, they closed the game out late on thanks to a try from centre Tristan Horak and five more points from the boot of the impressive Cimprich.
Also on Saturday, Belgium secured a hard fought 23-19 away win versus Germany in the women’s Trophy event.
Germany had beaten Finland in the three-team event in October, but it was to be Belgium’s weekend in the Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark in Heidelberg.
It means that Belgium now know that a home win over Finland in April will secure them the season title.
Belgium set up their away win in Germany up by going 17-0 ahead after 31 minutes.
Jeanne Marquegnies, the stand-off, scored two tries and centre Lara Steurs kicked two conversions and a penalty and the visitors seemed to be in control.
That was even more the case when a second Steurs penalty made it 20-0, but Germany got a crucial converted try just before half-time to breathe life into the contest.
The try came from winger Steffi Gruber with stand-off Charlotte Malaizier and it was 20-7 at the interval.
It took the German side until the 57th minute to get try number two, centre Johanna Hacker’s score being converted by Malaizier and it was 20-14.
Five minutes later Hacker bagged her second and Malaizier had a chance to put her side ahead, but she missed the conversion and it was 20-19.
It was a very tense last 18 minutes, but Belgium managed to kick a penalty via full-back Chanel Germiat in the 77th minute to win it 23-19.
Match Details and video replays are available here and here
By Gary Heatly
