- Amid football success, Spain is proving to be an emerging rugby region
- Los Leones maintained their momentum by beating a rotating Tonga side.
- Fiji’s win ensures their Under-20 team remains qualified for the World Championships
Forget Doha, all roads lead to Madrid. Spain may be football-mad again, but rugby is ready to rock too.
Perhaps the most significant result of a busy testing weekend was Spain’s 29-20 victory over Tonga in Nuku’alofa. While the hosts have been chronically underperforming, Los Leones had come close to beating Samoa in Apia six days earlier, so there’s no doubt they are on the rise despite suffering a terrible setback at the last World Cup when they were eliminated as excessive punishment for fielding ineligible players in qualifiers.
Spain players were dancing in their hotel just hours after the landmark win, as the country’s under-20 team overcame a 14-0 deficit to beat Fiji and secure a place in next year’s Junior World Championships, a result that sent a sense of momentum and great potential across the Iberian peninsula, following Portugal’s success at the World Cup late last year.
Rugby authorities must do all they can to unlock this emerging region. Spain has shown that beneath the veil of football fanaticism there is an oval-ball culture that must be urgently nurtured. Crowds of 25,000 for the domestic final and 40,000 when the classic All Blacks visited Madrid were testament to the level of interest, and the national team is now climbing the rankings and mixing with more established nations.
The authorities should seize this opportunity to encourage expansion in Spain. To its credit, EPCR has chosen to hold the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals in Bilbao again, which is commendable. But more can be done. Organizing a domestic under-20 tournament would be a logical step.
As the powers that be consider whether to accept an offer from Qatar to host the Nations Championship finals from 2026, here’s a stark message: don’t accept it. Don’t accept it. To go down that road would mean the sport abandoning any pretense of upholding its cherished “core values”. The reputational damage would be enormous, with human rights concerns and potentially empty stands for high-profile matches in the scorching heat of Doha. Broadcasters would pull out quickly.
Qatar is 90th in the world rugby rankings with no real market or potential and only a dubious, unsustainable, temporary revenue stream. Spain was 19th before their rankings were updated in their favour. They have a market and huge potential.
There’s a lot of room for growth in Europe. Portugal’s young team was swamped by world champions South Africa in Bloemfontein on Saturday, but the visitors showed their usual boldness and signs that with the right support they could be part of the team. The daring talent of the newcomers shone through, especially full-back Simao Bent, who carried the ball with one hand and showed nifty footwork. What a talent.
Georgia fought to the death against the Wallabies in Sydney, scoring some impressive tries but losing 40-29. The night before, further up Australia’s east coast, Wales beat a reserve Queensland Reds side in a tough victory, but it was not the result Wales desperately wanted. But Georgia is barred from the Six Nations and Wales remain safely in the closed squad, a highlight of the annual game but also an obstacle to expansion.
No country should have the divine right to maintain the comfort of its elites. If the balance of power in the northern hemisphere shifted dramatically and Britain and France came last, they would have to fight to survive. True meritocracy would bring about change.
Imagine if, like in soccer, we reached a stage where a real European Championship was feasible. Imagine if Spain could be nurtured, supported and formed a new home for the sport, with itself as an ambitious neighbour and rival. Imagine if Germany was similarly encouraged to invest in and develop the sport in another home alongside Belgium and the Netherlands.
It doesn’t have to be impossible, but it does require vision, cooperation and patience. These are not qualities the rugby establishment prides itself on. Now is the time to show them. Starting with Spain, then Portugal. This moment must not be missed.
England’s young stars are on the rise again
England Under-20’s Junior World Cup victory in Cape Town is an encouraging sign that the talent pathway is finally being repaired after the huge upheaval that saw highly popular age-group coaches John Fletcher and Peter Walton sacked by the RFU in 2018.
England have not reached a junior final since then, but this year’s strong players have been honed into a formidable squad by Mark Mapletoft and his assistants. Now these bright new faces need to play in the Premiership, or at least on loan to the Championship, to fulfil their enormous potential.
These newcomers must be handled with care, as the move to senior rugby means significant sacrifices even for those who have had success at Under-20 level, and with the Premier League’s salary cap set to rise again, some could be retained as clubs search for quick solutions.
Now, with new agreements soon to be concluded with the unions, a mutually beneficial structure must be created to allow young, home-grown talent to flourish. England needs a new generation to develop, particularly in the forwards.
All Blacks goalkeeper agrees with dramatic move
While most rugby transfers are made for financial gain, career advancement or both, there is a deeper motivation behind Ardie Savea agreeing to join Moana Pasifika.
The All Blacks number eight and World Rugby Player of the Year has signed a three-year contract with the Auckland-based Super Rugby side, which is made up of players with Pacific Islander ancestry as both parents were born in Samoa.
“It’s a big thing for me to give back to my heritage and culture in such a meaningful way,” he said. The 30-year-old is a fine player and an outstanding example of someone who uses his position with a strong sense of responsibility.
Many felt that coach Scott Robertson should have appointed him captain of New Zealand, a role he would have filled with dignity and statesmanship, but he stayed on and has provided sterling leadership, working alongside Moana to develop and promote rugby in Samoa and Tonga.
His arrival will touch the hearts of rugby fanatics across the South Pacific and is sure to create a lasting legacy.
Vannes ticket scramble highlights France’s boom
The ticket sales chaos experienced by Vannes last week was another sign of the continuing boom in French rugby.
After their promotion to the Top 14, 50,000 people rushed to buy season tickets, causing the club’s website to crash under the strain. The town has a population of 54,000.
The addition of another base in the north further accelerates the sport’s already impressively rapid spread across the Channel, and Vannes are desperate to recruit players, and being based in Brittany’s beautiful coastal region, with beaches, islands and plenty of historic architecture nearby, will certainly not help their efforts.
It’s easy to see why Mako Vunipola, and perhaps Leigh Halfpenny too, might be persuaded to go in that direction…
The last word
In terms of showcasing and promoting the sport, the RFU squandered a golden opportunity by arranging for England A to play Australia at The Stoop on November 17th.
The match should be played elsewhere in the country rather than opposite Twickenham, the day after the national team plays South Africa there. There’s no doubt that Harlequins would have been keen to host, and the club has a track record of hosting marquee events, so using their ground seems a safe bet.
There are logistical advantages to having the two England teams in close proximity, but that could have been an arrangement until the Thursday or Friday before the ‘A’ team plays in an area where it is difficult to see the Red Rose.
We could play the reserve Wallabies in their fantastic stadium at Darlington Morden Park, or York City in their smart, modern home where the senior players train. We could fly the flag along the south coast or in East Anglia, where there isn’t as much interest in the sport at an elite level. So mix it up, take a leap of faith. Don’t stay in your comfort zone.