Czechia are unbeaten at the top of the men’s Rugby Europe Trophy standings after a big win at the weekend while second placed Poland remain hot on their heels after an impressive victory themselves.
In the six-team event Czechia have now won four games from four and have 18 points after defeating winless Lithuania 87-5 at the Prague Marketa Stadium and outscoring the visitors 13 tries to one.
Winger Albert Aaron Fronek, centre Tibor Svida, back-row Jakub Suchomel and second-row Ondrej Bejcek in the first 18 minutes of the match and with full-back Martin Cimprich converting all four of them it was 28-0 to the hosts.
Centre Daniel Komarek, winger Adam Koblic and a second from Fronek - all converted by Cimprich - made it 49-0 at half-time.
Fronek completed his hat-trick, Komarek got his second, scrum-half Matej Sehnal crossed twice, Suchomel got his second and Koblic got his second as the tries kept coming for Czechia after the break with four of them converted.
Winger Emilis Mikalauskis scored bottom side Lithuania’s only try.
© Martin Flousek
Having been edged out by Czechia 32-30 back in November, Poland knew going into their away match with fourth placed Croatia that a comprehensive win was needed to keep up the pressure.
And Poland delivered at the Gradski Sportski Centar in Makarska by winning 73-3 and scoring 12 tries to none in the process.
Croatia missed an early penalty before one by Poland stand-off Wojciech Piotrowicz put them 3-0 up.
The home side then suffered a yellow card and when they were down to 14 men Poland scored a try by tighthead prop Zenon Szwagrzak converted by Piotrowicz.
By half-time they were 22-3 up, Szwagrzak scoring his second try and centre Nicolas Saborit Zajdow with one of them converted. The Croatia penalty points came via the boot of stand-off Matej Buljanovic.
Poland took things up a gear after the interval and ‘won’ that half 51-0.
Scrum-half Mateusz Plichta, winger Eryk Kamil Swiech (3), hooker Wiktor Wilczuk, Piotrowicz, full-back Kacper Wrobel, Saborit Zajdow with his second and sub Wiktor Lis scored tries with three of them converted.
The competition will be finished off in April and May and, as well as the four teams mentioned, Sweden are third and Denmark are fifth and both have a game in hand on their rivals.
Czechia know that if they defeat Denmark away on April 11 then they will finish top.
At the Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark in Heidelberg, Germany defeated Finland 68-0 on Saturday in the women’s Rugby Europe Trophy.
Germany led 29-0 by half-time thanks to tries from winger Sofie Fella, centre Paula Schult, winger Johanna Hacker (2) and centre Mette Zimmat with scrum-half Charlotte Malaizier converting two of them.
Schult scored her second and third tries, Hacker completed her hat-trick and went on to get a fourth and a fifth on an amazing day for her personally, Zimmat crossed again and sub Ronja Hinterding scored in the second half. Two of them were converted and, in total, Germany scored 12 tries.
Germany are now top of the three-team standings having won one from one with Sweden second and Finland third.
The top spot decider between Sweden and Germany is set to take place on April 4.
© Kessler
By Gary Heatly
