Rugby Europe, the regional governing body for rugby in Europe, has confirmed the competition’s schedule of the Rugby Europe Championship 2022 (REC2022), which is the final qualifying phase for the Rugby World Cup 2023.
Qualification for the tournament in France is determined with the two teams with the highest points total from the combined 2021 and 2022 Rugby Europe Championship seasons, directly obtaining their ticket for the highly-anticipated showpiece event. The team ranked in third place will also get a chance to qualify through the global repechage tournament organised by World Rugby.
Before the final REC2021 game between the Netherlands and Spain, which will be played on Saturday 18th December at 14.00, the current standings are here.
Georgia sit in prime position for qualification after remaining unbeaten in the 2021 edition and lifting the trophy. The spot for second place is going to be fiercely contested with Romania, Portugal, Spain or Russia all in with a shout to get that coveted ticket.
Each round of the competition will see crunch games starting with a mouth-watering match with Georgia welcoming Portugal in Round 1 to Tbilisi, followed by Romania hosting the Portuguese the following weekend.
You can expect all eyes to be on the “Lelos” 250th international match against Russia, which will be played on February 27th in the Dynamo Arena in Tbilisi.
The derby between Spain and Portugal in Round 4 also could be decisive on the road to qualification, as well as Romania to host the Georgian team for the traditional Antim Cup.
Spain who have bounced back from a few early defeats in the 2021 competition now look like they’ve found their form at the right time, they’ll hope to get their campaign off and running against the Netherlands before travelling to Sochi in week 2. You can expect a feisty reception at their home games between Romania and Portugal in weeks 3 and 4 before finishing their campaign against Georgia.
Broadcast arrangements will be announced in due time.
Competition page for 2022 can be found HERE
|
DATE |
HOME |
VISITOR |
KO LOCAL |
CITY |
VENUE |
|
05/02/2022 |
Spain |
Netherlands |
16.00 |
Madrid |
Estadio Central UCM |
|
05/02/2022 |
Romania |
Russia |
14.30 |
Bucharest |
Arc de TriumfStadium |
|
06/02/2022 |
Georgia |
Portugal |
15.00 |
Tbilisi |
Avchala Stadium |
|
12/02/2022 |
Netherlands |
Georgia |
13.15 |
Amsterdam |
National Rugby Center |
|
12/02/2022 |
Romania |
Portugal |
17.30 |
Bucharest |
Arc de TriumfStadium |
|
12/02/2022 |
Russia |
Spain |
13.00 |
Sochi |
Yug Stadium |
|
26/02/2022 |
Portugal |
Netherlands |
15.00 |
Lisbon |
Estadio Nacional Jamor |
|
27/02/2022 |
Georgia |
Russia |
18.00 |
Tbilisi |
Dynamo Arena |
|
27/02/2022 |
Spain |
Romania |
12.45 |
Madrid |
Estadio Central UCM |
|
12/03/2022 |
Romania |
Georgia |
17.30 |
Bucharest |
Arc de Triumf Stadium |
|
12/03/2022 |
Russia |
Netherlands |
15.00 |
Saransk |
Mordovia Arena |
|
13/03/2022 |
Spain |
Portugal |
12.45 |
Madrid |
Estadio Central UCM |
|
19/03/2022 |
Netherlands |
Romania |
13.15 |
Amsterdam |
National Rugby Center |
|
19/03/2022 |
Portugal |
Russia |
15.00 |
Lisbon |
Estadio Nacional Jamor |
|
20/03/2022 |
Georgia |
Spain |
15.00 |
Tblisi |
Avchala Stadium |
