And the curtain has come down! After five emotionally charged weekends, we have our newest champion, Portugal, and we have celebrated what a tremendous competition will be remembered in years to come.
But before we put the pen down, let’s pick our final Hot Stats of the Finals Day.
Netherlands: beating defenders for a living
The Oranje have concluded their season on a high, having defeated their long-time rivals Germany 76-7 in one of the most impressive performances of the campaign.
With Boris Hadinegoro and Vikas Meijer pulling the strings, the Dutch were simply relentless in their endeavour to claim a bona fide win, finishing the clash with 44 defenders beaten and 20 line breaks.
Again, 44 defenders beaten, a record not only for this edition of the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship but for the last two years, leaving them just one shy of matching Portugal's 2023 record.
Olivia Sialau, Tim de Jong and Boris Hadinegoro were the main steppers, evading tacklers with ease and pulling more than a few stuns and tricks that rendered the German defence inoperable.
While he wasn’t the player with the most defenders beaten, Boris Hadinegoro pulled an insane couple of side steps before diving for his second try of the game, a perfect illustration of the Dutch razzle and dazzle.
As the next Men’s REC is just one year away, the Netherlands now has a clearer idea of where they should be placing their chips, with that being their all-out attack.
Belgium: a mighty defence to overcome Porcher’s army
For the second time in the last 2 years, Belgium has crossed the finish line in 5th place, a positive outcome for a team on a 3-win streak.
Against a fired-up Switzerland, Belgium fully understood the task at hand, especially in limiting Jules Porcher's movements and options. In the end, they were victorious as the Diables Noirs left Madrid’s Complutense with an 88% successful tackle attempts, clocking in well when it mattered most and sending the unyielding Swiss home without another scalp.
For reference, Switzerland had arrived at the 5th place playoff with an average of 2.5 tries per game, with only Georgia managing to deny Olivier Nier's side from striking a finish.
While Belgium did end up scoring 39 points, it was due to a remarkable and almost pitch-perfect defence that they managed to shut down the underdogs, with Jean Maurice Decubber (22), Florian Remue (13) and William Van Bost (12) being their main tacklers.
124 successful tackles, a spot amongst the best 5 teams of the competition and a promising road ahead for a nation packed with talent and passion.
Romania and Spain: parity in (almost) everything
Spain vs Romania, one of the biggest rivals in the history of the Rugby Europe universe, gave fans yet another formidable clash. However, despite the locals having come out as victors, there was little separating both sides, with the main point of difference being… tries.
Yes, a boring stat for once, but nevertheless, the stat that usually crowns the victor. The Los Leones had to endure a punishing first half, with the scrum and contact line being their main issues, allowing Romania to go to the break in the lead.
However, in the closing 40 minutes, the locals made a spectacular turnaround and found themselves inside the Romanian in-goal area four times, which, in the end, was enough to secure them the bronze medal.
But, looking again at the stats, you would have a tough time finding out the winner if we had blurred out the points and tries scored, as both Romania and Spain conceded the same number of penalties, with the Romanians beating more defenders while the Spanish broke the line a few times more, for example.
Although they are two nations divided by several thousand kilometres, in some ways, they are more similar than one might think.
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Portugal: Lobos who looked more like jackals
The pun in the heading is intended, as Portugal completed 12 successful jackals to finally sit on the throne of the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship, defeating the mighty Lelos 19-17.
The truly massive defensive effort by the Portuguese was inspiring and brutal, with Simon Mannix’s side completing 195 tackles and forcing 14 turnovers, pushing Georgia to concede 23 own mistakes and leading to the Lelos losing track of the ball.
With David Wallis and Rodrigo Marta performing two jackals each, and Nicolás Martins completing four lineout steals, the Lobos threw a spanner in the Lelos works, which was enough to suppress the likes of Davit Niniashvili and Akaki Tabutsadze.
In what is now one of the most replayed moments of the final, you can notice how the Portuguese waited for the right moment to lock in a maul, trapping the Georgian ball carrier in a warm embrace that led them straight to glory.
While most praised the Portuguese for their attacking brilliance, it was that gritty, relentless and passionate defence that ultimately allowed them to end a 22-year quest.
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By Francisco Isaac
