Belgium favourites for first title

Belgium took on the British Army last month in a warm-up fixture (Photo: Sportkipik.be)

Rugby Europe’s annual XVs championship has undergone a gradual evolution over the years.

With a history going back to 1988 it was, until around 2000, a major annual tournament that most of Europe’s top nations entered. However after 2000 the development of the Women’s Five and (later) Six Nations reduced the importance the annual European tournament, and Six Nations teams started to only send full squads to a quadrennial “Championship” while, in other years, they included more and more development players in their squads to the extent that, from 2010, they officially became “A” teams.

​The rise in the importance of sevens rugby – and the European Sevens Championship – further diluted participation by leading nations (including Spain). With the 2013 (and next year’s 2016) competitions also morphing into World Cup qualifiers the championship is now, in effect, a competition for Europe’s developing national fifteens and, since last year in Belgium, has become a straight knockout in order to reduce the number of matches, and costs.

Nonetheless cost remains a challenge, with 2014 champions Netherlands taking the decision not to defend their title this year primarily in order to save money. As a result the Czech Republic will take part in their first ever Championship finals – but only after an international cloud funding appeal.

Without the Dutch – who were clearly a step above their opponents last year – this year’s tournament is more open, though last year’s runners-up Belgium start as likely favourites.

With the largest domestic club league of the four teams taking part, Belgium start with the advantage of the largest pool of players to choose from. The squad also includes three players - Systke D’Haeseleir, Nele Pien and Ciska De Grave (who was missing last year through injury) – who play just over the border for current Top 8 leaders Lille. Belgium’s XV’s squad is also probably the best funded of the four, with a regular visits to England, and a programme of games including opposition such as the French and British Army XVs.

That said, it will not be that simple. Hosts Switzerland may have finished fourth last year but they have beaten Belgium, and with home advantage could easily cause a surprise. Their semi-final against Russia on Thursday is a repeat of last year’s fourth-place play-off, which was a terrifically tight game which the Swiss were unlucky to lose. And the Swiss have been preparing hard with an early season game against an unofficial German XV (lost 47-13 after a good start) and a 12-10 win against Italian team AS Monza last month.

Russia are also a bit of an unknown at XVs as it is not a game they play very much, even domestically. However they are taking the tournament very seriously with coaches V. Bagdosarov from Krasny Yar and E.Erokhin from Novokuznetsk – who both have plenty of XVs experience – being drafted in to lead the team, and a squad that includes several familiar names from the World Series (although not full members of the squad) including Ekaterina Bankerova, Anna Matveeva and Ylia Ledovskaya as well as Alena Dammer, reported to be a very promising young scrumhalf. It certainly sounds a stronger team that the one that finished third last year, and with Russia having ambitions to play in the World Cup and not ruling out the release of sevens squad players next year this could be the surprise package of the tournament.

Finally the Czechs who, in all honesty, are just excited to be at the tournament having lost a play-off to Switzerland to play in Belgium last year. A young team of mainly students they will hope to make up for a lack of experience with enthusiasm. The smallest player-base, and with the smallest amount of financial support, it’ll be a tough learning experience for the team. The Belgians are likely to be a tough ask in the first game, so their main hope for glory may come against either Russia or Switzerland on Sunday. At sevens the Czechs have a very good record – at least as good as the Swiss – so there is considerable potential for the future.

Squads:

Belgium:Lotte Beckers (Dendermonde); Cécile Blondiau (Soignies); Amandine Briquet (Soignies); Cathy De Geyter (Boitsfort); Carmen De Donder (Dendermonde); Ciska De Grave (Lille); Anouschka Devos (Dendermonde); Systke D’Haeseleir (Lille); Laura Fortemps (Coq Mosan); Lotte Hemeryk (Dendermonde); Lauranne Lecloux (Boitsfort); Alison Lenaerts (Boitsfort); Stéphanie Lepage (Boitsfort); Valérie Letange (Boitsfort); Nele Michem (Dendermonde); Tine Michem (Dendermonde); Céline Minon (Coq Mosan); Elodie Musch (Boitsfort); Nele Pien (Lille); Gaëlle Portier (Coq Mosan); Delphine Rossignol (Boitsfort); Britte Seghers (Mechelen); Margaux Stévins (Boitsfort); Héloise Stévins (Boitsfort); Alicia Torre (Coq Mosan); Sarah Verzin (Boitsfort)

Czech Republic:Aneta Šmejdová (RC Sparta Praha); Karolina Filsáková (RC Havířov); Sára Exnerová (RC Sparta Praha); Dominika Havelková (RC Přelouč); Květa Kottková (RC Slavia Praha); Šárka Žižková (RC Tatra Smíchov); Jana Urbanová (RC Sparta Praha); Tereza Braunová (RK Petrovice); Katka Malá (RC Sparta Praha); Terezka Jarošová (RC Sparta Praha); Hanka Erika Radochová (RK Petrovice); Katka Vrbacká (JIMI RC Vyškov); Lucie Svobodová (RK Petrovice); Kamila Rousová (RC Dragon Brno); Pája Čuprová (JIMI RC Vyškov); Martina Hlaváčová (RC Tatra Smíchov); Klára HladilováRC Sparta Praha); Kateřina Daníčková (RC Tatra Smíchov); Kateřina Pokorná (RC Tatra Smíchov); Alexandra Zítková (RC Dragon Brno); Zuzka Malá (RK Petrovice); Václava Hrabětová (RK Petrovice); Šárka Šimánková (RC Sparta Praha); Katka Čaky Nováková (RC Plzeň)

Russia:Akhmedova, Artamonova, Assesserova, Bankerova, Baranova, Bobkova, Chirkova, Dammer, Golovizina, Kondrashova, Kulkova, Kurushina, Ledovskaya, Matveeva, Pavlova, Pikalova, Rybakova, Stolyarova, Vladykina, Voroshilova.

Switzerland:Kiri Aebischer - RC Bern; Kim Andrey – RC Bern; Isabella Bauer – GC Zürich; Rahel Bosshard – GC Zürich; Carole Casparis – RC Luzern; Katja Dick – GC Zürich; Angela Diener – RC Luzern; Esti Duss – RC Luzern; Geraldine Fontana – RC Winterthur; Selina Fux – RC Bern; Carole Gachet – RC Bern; Simone Haymoz – GC Zürich; Eva Hollenstein – RC Luzern; Muriel Kehl – GC Zürich; Ramona Mani – RC Bern; Judith Martinot-Prébandier – RC Yverdon; Cynthia Munstermann – RC Luzern; Stéphanie Neri – RC Monthey; Claire Pagnot - Strasbourg; Holly Shearer – GC Zürich; Aida Stamm - GC Zürich; Henriette Thole – RFC Basel; Fabienne Ullmann – RC Bern; Sabrina Walti – GC Zürich

Veronika Mühlhofer – Head Coach; Vincent Prébandier – Coach; John Douglas – Coach; Ronny Karlen – Coach; Carolin Reischauer - Manager

All game will be streamed live athttp://www.dailymotion.com/…/x3b5znw_2015-rugby-europe-wome…,

Rugby Europe results page