MADRID, 5 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish rugby team has beaten the Netherlands this Sunday (28-20) in the first game of the Rugby Europe Championship 2023, a duel in the Central Field of the University City of Madrid that marks the new stage of the ‘Lions’ after of their administrative elimination from the 2023 World Cup in France.
Santi Santos’ men used three trials by Brice Ferrer, Estanislao Bay and Matthew Foulds to emerge victorious from their debut in the competition, where they had eight players born after the year 2000 and most of them were under 25 years of age.
Reinhardt Fortuin, with a shot at the sticks, put the Dutch team ahead after six minutes, but Spain responded with a kick after 12 minutes, with the execution of Gonzalo Vinuesa to put the tables on the scoreboard. In minute 22, with breaks from debutant Estanislao Bay, the Spanish team saw the right lane free for Brice Ferrer to try and Gonzalo Vinuesa did not miss the conversion.
The Netherlands came close thanks to Weersma, although the ‘Lions’ transformed a shot from the sticks that made it 13-6 in the 33rd minute. A test by Bay and the transformation of Vinuesa made it 20-6 at halftime.
After the restart, Matthew Foulds and Vinuesa increased the gap before the Dutch team, with their first test by Wolf Van Dijk and the transformation of Fortuin, reacted in a match that ended with the goals of Vinuesa and Weersma.