Here we are again for a new season of the #RugbyEuropeChampionship, gathering the 8 best European teams not taking part in the 6 nations. The likes of Georgia, Portugal, Romania or Spain will take on their europeans counterpart from Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Poland. "Os lobos" will try to confirm their impressive performance at the Rugby World Cup by winning for the first time the competition. But the (multi) title holder Georgia won't let it go so easily, and they are still the big favorite of this competition. Romania will have at heart to rejoy their fans after a bitter outing during the World Cup. With a new management led by David Gérard (Frenchman, former Portuguese assistant coach), they already worked very hard to show a different facet of their skills. Below this World Cup trio, Netherlands and Spain will battle it out to join the semi-finals of the competition, while it will be a bit more difficult for Belgium, Poland and Germany, but who knows ? Beware for the least inspired of those teams, as the last from the cumulated ranking of the two last REC will be relegated immediatly to the Trophy division !
Worth noting as well that Rugby Europe upgrades its standards on the #playerwelfare front, with for the first time this season the implementation of the Head Injury Assesment (HIA) protocol on the Women's Rugby Europe Championships ! The Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish and Dutch women athletes will all benefit from the HIA. Hats off to Rugby Europe Chief Medical Officer Antonio Ferreira for this achievement, only possible with the joint support of World Rugby. Good Luck as well to those teams in this competition, which features for the first time 4 teams with the promotion of Portugal at this level.
Let's finish this introduction by a fun fact: did you know that out of the 400 rugby players registered for the Men's competition, a bit more than 100 are playing in France ? Top 14, Pro D2, Nationale, Nationale and Fédérale 1, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby and the FFR - Fédération Française de Rugby are the playing ground of more than 25% of the REC contingent !
The competition kicks in tomorrow ! check it out here ➡ www.rugbyeurope.tv
Rugby Europe #REC World Rugby
It all gets going this weekend in the Rugby Europe Championship with all roads leading to Paris on March 17th 2024.
Tickets are on sale: https://lnkd.in/ev2cxPTE