The play-off phase of the Rugby Europe Championship is here and every match matters.
Following a fascinating pool stage, all eight teams had a week off and are now raring to go once again.
Championship finals day takes place in Leganés on March 15 and this coming weekend’s action will decide who plays who at that stage.
There are two matches on Saturday and, first up, Switzerland are taking on Germany in a fifth-eighth place ranking semi-final at the Stade Municipal in Yverdon-les-Bains at 1pm local (12pm UTC).
Switzerland have home advantage as they finished third in Pool A to Germany’s fourth in Pool B.
Ahead of the huge match Germany head coach Mark Kuhlmann said,
"We knew that this direct duel could happen, in which the question of staying in the league could be decided.
The fact that it's happening a little earlier than expected is actually good for us, because it means that staying in the league is completely in our own hands. Of course, we would have liked it to be different, especially since there was already a chance of an early decision in Belgium. But that's over now. Now the focus is fully on the match against Switzerland."
They both won one game in the first phase - Switzerland getting the better of the Netherlands 29-23 in round three and Germany defeating Romania 30-24 in round one – and both will be looking to hit that form again this time around.
These sides met in a seventh-eight place final last year and Switzerland came out on top 20-17 so Germany will be out for revenge here too.
That day at the Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark in Heidelberg, with the clock over the 80-minute mark, the visitors kept on coming and stand-off Jules Porcher kicked over a winning drop goal to send him and his team mates wild as the full-time whistle blew.
The influential no10, Jules Porcher added, “Our focus is on us. We studied the last matchesand now it’s about turning those lessons into actions. We trust our strengths, stay united and we are ready to exploit every weakness shown by our opposition. I want to see maximum engagement, real passion, and the same team spirit we showed in the last match. If we play with that heart, we prove that Switzerland keeps growing and deserves its place in the Rugby Europe Championship.”
The second match on Saturday is the second fifth-eighth place ranking semi-final and it pits Belgium against the Netherlands at the Province Naimette Arena in Liege at 8pm local time (7pm UTC).
Belgium have the home advantage for this one because they finished third in Pool B while the Netherlands finished bottom in Pool A.
In the first phase, Belgium lost their first two matches, but then rallied in round three to defeat Germany 18-3 while, under new head coach Bryan Easson, the Netherlands have lost three from three to date.
Belgium will no doubt take momentum from their win over Germany into this game while the Netherlands will be looking to find an 80-minute performance that has so far eluded them.
Onto Sunday and this is when the two Championship semi-finals will take place.
First up, reigning champions Georgia will take on Romania at the Avchala Rugby Stadium in Tbilisi at 3pm local time (11am UTC).
Once again Georgia are the team to beat in this competition and they topped Pool A with three wins from three in the first phase while, in a very tight Pool B, Romania won just one game, but managed to grab second spot ahead of Belgium and Germany.
Both of these sides are building up to the Rugby World Cup next year in Australia and when they met in the 2025 Championship semis Georgia won 43-5.
Romania travel as underdogs and will need to do something special to make the final.
The Oaks captain, Tevita Manumua, said, "We all know it's going to be a tough game for us so we are preparing for a big fight with Georgia. We know that it will be a hard match, very physical, but we'll do our best. There's a good atmosphere in the team, we are here as one, as a family.
We are ready to put on a good performance, we all know that we are the underdogs, but we go to Tbilisi to give our best shot and fight until the end. I am very proud to be here, to be an Oak, I am grateful for the opportunity given to me and everytime I am here, playing for the national team, I do my best even I have my ups and downs.",
And the final match of the weekend sees Portugal take on Spain in the second Championship semi-final at the Estádio do Restelo in Lisbon at 3pm local time (3pm UTC).
Portugal looked good in winning three from three to top Pool B in the first phase while Spain won two from three to finish second in Pool A.
Os Lobos captain, Jose Madeira said, "The team is feeling good! We are really eager to take on this Iberian Duel. We know Spain is a team that has shown a great deal of progress in recent times, but that will not change our motto since the start of the REC: one game at a time. Right now we are focused and very motivated to face this challenge, especially playing at home in front of our fans. We want to do everything we can to secure our place in the final in Madrid and give them that gift.
Like Sunday’s earlier match, both of these sides have qualified for the 2027 World Cup and when the met in last year’s last four at this very same stage Spain won 42-31 in a thrilling contest.
There are sure to be more thrills and spills this weekend with a lot on the line for all teams.
The final weekend of Men's Rugby Europe Championship will take place with all 8 teams coming to Madrid next Sunday 15 March for four matches with tickets on sale now.
