Portugal triumphed yet again in the U20 Rugby Europe Championship, defeating the Netherlands in a contested final, while Belgium took home the bronze medal. Romania and Poland finished 5th and 7th, respectively, in the final rankings.
Lobos retain U20 Championship crown
For the sixth time in their history, Portugal have won the U20 Men’s Rugby Europe Championship, claiming a 29-17 victory over the Netherlands.
The young Lobos dominated from the set-piece, setting up three uncontested tries in the final’s opening half. Hooker Enzo Fernandes scored all of them, with Tomás Marques banking two conversions to give the Portuguese contingent a 19-point lead.
The Netherlands failed to make the most of the opportunities they had in the early stages, finding no cracks in the Portuguese line of defence and converting only a penalty kick when Saba Makharadze whistled for the half-time rest.
The second half produced a super clash as the U20 Oranje came back to life and were just two points behind, following two converted tries, both scored by hooker Mart Gerritse.
With both contestants putting up a brilliant physical effort, the luck of the game went to the title holders, as Portugal managed to earn their fourth score, now from replacement prop Diego Ferreira.
The Dutch went looking for a comeback, but they will be upset with their indiscipline, allowing Tomás Marques to slot in a successful penalty to put an end to all doubts.
Belgium takes the bronze over valiant Czechian effort
After suffering heartbreak in the semifinals, Belgium bounced back to take 3rd place, defeating Czechia 36-12.
Fullback Liam Duncan added his team’s first points, punting in an easy penalty before Miguel Fachada dived in the corner after a cunning play from Benjamin Ruddick.
Czechia did what they could to invert the result, matching Belgium’s physicality for most of the first half, but it wasn’t enough to get them through the opposition’s defence.
Belgium eventually took advantage of Czechia's anxiety, picking up another five-pointer, this time around from Ruddick himself. The scrum half only had to dive in between the goalposts after a sensational sprint from centre Lindberg Ekendahl, side-stepping two incoming tackles before offloading to his teammate.
Like it was a replay of their second finish, Ekendahl broke again through the line and after beating a few defenders made a reverse offloading pass that fell in Ruddick’s direction with the nº9 running unopposed to the try-area. The U20 Diables Noirs added another four minutes to half-time, as wing Louic Vroninks regathered a kick to give his side a 29-point lead.
Belgium’s astonishing first-half performance was enough to secure the bronze medal, despite Czechia fighting back in the final 40 minutes.
The home team struck at the 48-minute mark, as centre Tibor Svida powered his way through to the try-line, giving his team a glimmer of hope.
They would add five more points to their end following a spectacular line break from Jakub Suchomel, who sliced open the opposition to bag a try with 20 minutes to go.
Unfortunately for the locals, Belgium regained momentum and wrapped up the clash with another try, as hooker Jules Jeunehomme concluded a superb team play.
Although it wasn’t the end they had envisioned, Belgium added a second bronze medal to their display cabinet, evidence of growth in their pathway programme.
Stejarii dominance earns them 5th place finish
A dominant Romania claimed fifth place after a 46-10 win over Germany, one of the Stejarii’s best performances in recent years.
In the opening half, Romania banked 29 points following a brace from Alexandre Mirzac and one try each from Erik Nagy and David Balan. Balan’s goalkicking was almost perfect, as the fly half successfully converted eight points from the tee.
Germany only managed to get three points, thanks to a well-placed penalty kick from Max Zahner’s boot.
Feeling in complete control of the game, Romania toned down their tempo, allowing for Germany to get some breathing space, which ended up being enough for them to score their consolation try. Hooker Nick Hill commandeered a maul drive to up his side’s tally to 10 points.
The U20 Stejarii awoke from a brief slumber and tightened their discipline to get back into scoring points. Balan kicked through the goalposts another penalty, and replacement prop Valentin-Ionut Dolghi and fullback Antonio Mitrea found a way to get inside the German in-goal area.
Although Romania didn’t finish on the podium, their last two performances were a silver lining for a young, promising generation that has the quality to help the senior national team.
Poland beats Switzerland in a 12-try game
What a way to start the final day of the U20 Men’s Rugby Europe Championship, as Poland and Switzerland scored 79 points between them, with the Poles taking the win home.
Poland secured the game's first try, following an incisive running line from fullback Johan Janiec, who managed to get a hat-trick. Lucien Frejaville-Connac slotted in the conversion with Switzerland riposting ten minutes later also from the tee.
Trailing by only 4 points, the Swiss tried to counter Poland’s physicality but were unable to, and they conceded 19 points before the break. The best they could do was a five-pointer of their own, dotted down by fullback Lucas Schmid, one of the game’s MVPs.
Fans weren’t ready for what happened next, as despite Poland adding two more tries to their tally in the second half’s first quarter, Switzerland managed to bounce back.
In under five minutes, the Swiss twice broke into the opposition’s in-goal area, with Paul Halter and Joshua Blaser scoring one finish each to narrow their side’s deficit to 5 points.
Feeling the game slipping away, Poland reacted and claimed a spectacular solo try from utility back Filip Kubicki. The wing throttled in and slid past several tacklers to extend his side’s winning margin.
Still, it wasn’t the end, as Switzerland reacted once again, collecting another seven points and was just a penalty kick away from drawing level. Despite their best intentions, Poland’s relentless defence in the last 5 minutes was enough to hold on to the score and earn them a memorable result.
By Francisco Isaac
Photos Martin and Petr Flousek
