The ‘Leonas’ lose to France in the final of the Hamburg tournament, the second and last stop on the continental circuit
The ‘Lions’, after winning the title in the Hamburg event, hang the bronze of the general classification
MADRID, 9 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish women’s rugby 7s team was proclaimed continental runner-up this Sunday after losing 26-7 to the French team in the final of the Hamburg (Germany) tournament, the second and last stop of the Rugby Europe Sevens Championship 2023.
The ‘Lionesses’, after winning Belgium 17-12 in the semifinals, played in the final of this tournament and healed several injuries from their performance in the recent European Games, held in Krakow and the Malopolska region (Poland), where they stayed without a ticket for Paris 2024.
But a week after the European Games, Alberto Socías’s players stood up to ‘VII del Gallo’. And despite the defeat, they accumulated 18 points for the general classification of the Rugby Europe Sevens Championship this year. Together with the 12 points obtained during the first stop made in Algarve (Portugal), they finished with 30.
To reach the final in hamburger lands, Spain had signed a full of victories. Some of them had been meritorious, such as the one won in the group stage against Great Britain, a team with Olympic status after winning the gold medal in Krakow.
Meanwhile, France had reached the title event winning all their games by more than 40 points and having received just two tries in their previous five duels. With this potential, the French beat Spain and tied the victory, adding 20 points to the global computation of the championship; in total, they finished on top with 40 points.
On the other hand, the Spanish team beat France 19-21 precisely in the final of the men’s tournament. The ‘Lions’ thus added 20 points to their general scoreboard, keeping 30 and finishing in third place in this European Championship played in two chapters.
His bronze medal came after opening the day with a victory against Ireland, in the semifinals by 19-24, thus confirming the good momentum of Paco Hernández’s team. Not surprisingly, they defeated two Olympic teams this Sunday.