Denmark and Moldova set their sights on promotion before play-off clash

This Saturday will see a ‘winner-takes-all’ encounter between Denmark and Moldova, who both topped their respective groups in this year’s Men’s Conference Division.

The game will take place on Saturday 24 May at the Nanok Rugby Club, Copenhagen with kick off at 3pm CET.

Both teams are eager to progress, with Moldova missing out in the high-stakes game last season after being defeated by Luxembourg 19-0 at the Josy Barthel Stadium.

A motivated Moldova coach Veaceslav Titica, said, “First and foremost is to play at a higher level with professional teams, this will let us grow as a team and increase the level of the game in our country.

“We need to improve our communication and to play with more confidence in our defense also we need to trust our strategies and tactical actions that we have prepared during out training, and we need to respect that. We also need to create spaces and attack them which will lead towards the common goal, which is of course the win.”

Captain Igor Misin added “The promotion would have a significant impact from different perspectives, we will play against stronger teams, which will help increase our game levels, secondly we would get more attention and visibility on the international stage and finally become more attractive for sponsors and partners, it will also allow us to motivate the youth to play rugby and increase the number of players and increase financial

Overall, the promotion would help with the rebirth of Moldovan rugby and historically get us back to the level we’ve been playing at in the past.

“We are expecting a tough game where both teams will give their all, I’m sure Denmark will try to surprise us in front of their own friends. We’re ready physically and tactically, with good morale in the camp. We’re prepared to fight until the last minute!”

This will be Denmark’s first shot at promotion having finished third in their pool last season, and captain Mikkel Andresen feels that this could be Denmark’s time to shine, "As a squad, we have been building and pushing ourselves for a few years now with the goal of being promoted to the Trophy level. There is a level of excitement and energy in the squad I have not seen before and it's a testament to how hard everyone has worked to put ourselves in this position.

“We are expecting a very tough physical game against Moldova who we know will be just as motivated to secure promotion as we are. With the game being played in Copenhagen, we expect a large home crowd which will lift us and bring even more energy to our game.

“Promotion to the Trophy level would be huge for us as a squad and for Rugby in Denmark. We are constantly looking to improve and compete against higher ranked nations, and playing in the Trophy would give us more regular opportunity to develop our game and test ourselves. "

You will be able to watch the match live on the Rugby Europe YouTube channel and Rugby Europe tv on Saturday.