Rugby: The 'Lions' of Santos, the unlimited Spanish rugby society

The Spanish rugby team unleashes Georgia in Madrid this Sunday in order to win the 'Six Nations b' for the first time. The improvement of the Honor Division and the arrival of young generations reinforce a group that looks at the 2023 World Cup in France.

“The dressing room was the closest thing to a fever room.” The words of Alberto Blanco, Albertuco, they remember how almost two years ago the Spanish rugby team was ruminating their painful indignation in Brussels after losing to Belgium with the biased arbitration of Iordachescu. Last Saturday, after beating Russia (12-31), players were portrayed between smiles at Sochi Stadium. “Now we are more family,” says this pilier Present in both appointments.

The coach's project Santiago Santos He has chained in nine months nine consecutive victories, some of remarkable note against teams that went to the World Cup. This Sunday he receives (12:45 hours) in the Central Stadium of the University City of Madrid to Georgia, the last rival with which he lost. A match to take the temperature to Spanish rugby.

Although the 'Lions' aim high, the greatest difficulties are guessed attached to the grass. Georgia, a regular team in the last world, looks A powerful front, full of kilos and experience. Against it, Alberto Blanco will have to crash, habitual of the selection and protagonist in the numerous recent titles of his team, the VRAC Entrepinares Cheeses. “The mel is very important to get on the team, hopefully not dominate us, face them face to face.” In the last days the first line, commanded by the captain Fernando Lopez, has specifically prepared this phase of the conquest of the ball and contacts with the strongest players of the rival.

Analyzed in the distance, that defeat in Brussels did not mean an end of the cycle and only a reinvention. Among the factors that re-launch the selection, Blanco highlights the improvement of the Spanish Honor Division, which lives its most competitive edition in a long time. “In the last five years the level has risen a lot and that is reflected in the selection. We have better quality and are more competitive.”

In that diagnosis coincides Brad Linklater, a neozelands that arrived in Spain in 2010 and works in the morning as a teacher, “preparing the future for after the withdrawal”. Member of Lexus Alcobendas Rugby, with 'los Leones' he has occupied almost all the positions of the three quarters. On Saturday, against Russia, he even had to get in the lead for a few minutes and despite this he wrote down the essay that took Spain off the scoreboard. “The quality of foreigners is improving, but the biggest change is that, thanks to the work of the clubs and the Federation, this year There are a lot of kids between 18 and 22 who are already starting to stand out on the first level“says Linklater.

This Sunday he won't wear boots against Georgia. Although their work commitments reduce their dedication to selection, it lists the advances of the last five years. “All the technology, the analyzes, the video work, the gps, the plan for each game, the quality of what we eat, the diet, the recovery … That has changed a lot, Now everything is measured to the last detail“Among the outstanding issues, Linklater points out” to improve the training for the referees and for the clubs to train with better quality. ”

Since the end of 2018 the coach Santiago Santos organizes monthly calls and manages a template with several options per position. The labor absences of amateur players and, on the contrary, the reluctance of some French clubs to continually yield to their Spanish professionals. Total, they are between 50 and 60 players with different situations that converge on a similar desire. More resources to improve.

Looking for precisely those means Some Spanish promises cross the Pyrenees every season to form The third San Sebastian line Asier Usrraga I was a minor when, a decade ago, I decided to travel to France. Today, seated in the ranks of Biarritz Olympique from PRO D2 (the second French division), describes how a rugby professional lives. “We have breakfast together, then we have a video session, gym and strikers training. We eat together, again video and then collective training.” A complete dedication that generates “a very high level of competition”.

In his appearances with the 'Lions' he has also perceived that “much progress is being made”. He defines his experience in the selection as “a healthy competition, to come here is a plus, a gift I try to enjoy.” With the 2023 World Cup as a goal, they also return to the selection the descendants of Spanish recruited in the best French categories – Guillaume Rouet, Charly Malie …– who were about to get the ranking for Japan 2019. Some, like Lucas Guillaume, they never left the 'Lions' and have settled as leaders in the field.

The management of such a large group makes “data collection and control more difficult but on the other hand it allows us to have different team profiles according to the rivals.” He assures Mar Alvarez, physical trainer of the selection and Silverstom El Salvador. The truth is that the 'XV of Len' has gained strength. He makes mistakes, but is not usually absent from the game; rather, await your opportunity. Make the most of your strengths, especially the domain in the touch and in the maul. Maintains high defensive intensity for many minutes. It lacks, however, the offensive fluency of a couple of years ago, the ability to surprise. In that number 10 Santos test and test, but he has not found a substitute for the opening Matthieu Belie that contributes mordant to the attack.

For Marvarez, “Georgia is an incredible and physically very good team at all levels”, against which Spain would prefer to “play faster and using space more”. Make the ball circulate with speed and stop as little as possible. “We are almost always interested A game with a lot of game time. We train so that our players can support and tolerate very long sequences. And we are more comfortable than other teams doing this. ”

Now that the improvement against direct rivals such as Russia or Romanian seems consolidated and that the qualification for the 2023 World Cup has not begun to be disputed, coach Santiago Santos sets his immediate goal in this 'Six Nations b': “Georgia has dominated the decade of 2010, Spain must aspire to be the team that dominates in the decade of the 2020 “. The 'Lions' explore their new limits.