Spain “working together for the dream”

Can you tell us something about yourself and how you were introduced to the game?

My name is Isabel Rico, I’m the Vice-Captain of the Spanish National team. I come from Madrid and I work as a primary school teacher and a coach. From a young age I was interested in rugby, I used to watch my father play with his team, but I didn’t start to play rugby until I was 21 years old in Olimpico de Pozuelo. When I was younger, I used to do a lot of different sports, but mostly athletics, which I think has helped me to be strong and work hard in rugby. Because I always wanted to try rugby, I decided to go to Olimpico and give it a try, and from that moment I just loved it straight away and have been playing ever since.

What are your hopes and expectations from the tournament in Madrid?

For this tournament, we want to concentrate on each game and play each game as hard as if it was a final, and hopefully make it to the final of the tournament with the best feelings in the team. We want to play the best rugby we are capable of, and at the same time we are really happy to welcome everyone to El Central and we hope to see people supporting us and enjoying watching the rugby. It’s a really good opportunity for people to learn more about rugby and for the sport to grow in Spain and we hope to be important in promoting rugby for the future generations.

How much do you know about your opponents?

We know a little about our opponents. We know that some of them have had training games against other nations, like Switzerland and Belgium had test matches, while Czech Republic were meeting this weekend and last weekend. We know some of the teams will have their 7s players involved but at the moment we are concentrating on ourselves and preparing to play whatever opposition we are faced with.

How have you been preparing for the tournament?

During the year, we have been preparing for this tournament. We have had 1 week camps since last November, when we played 3 Test matches against Scotland and Hong Kong. Since then, we met during Easter and in June for more training camps, and this time together has helped us to develop new young players and focus specifically on what we are trying to achieve with both technical and physical things in the game.

Does sevens benefit or compete with fifteens?

I really think that the 15s compliments the 7s, as it is the 15s game that the players come from, where they can be seen and selected for the 7s squad. Now, our 7s players come into the squad for this Europeans, and at the end of the day we are all fighting for the same dream which is to play a World Cup together, so we do not exist as 7s and 15s players, but are all 15s players. The 7s success with reaching the Olympics has been huge in promoting our sport in Spain, and any continued success for the team will only benefit rugby for the future.

What effect has the Olympics had on rugby in Spain? Did the rugby sevens tournament get much coverage in Spain?

I think that they have had a huge effect, because even people who didn’t know anything about rugby could watch every single match of the men and womens games during the Olympics. It was broadcast on the main TV channel and I think the success of the two teams has been a huge boost to rugby in Spain and has helped to start a new generation of rugby.

How important is qualifying for the World Cup for Spain?

For us, I think that it is really important if we want to have support, especially for the 15s. We want to keep improving the rugby in Spain, and for us this is a dream that we have been dreaming since the last World Cup in 2014 in Paris. And for us it is really important that we keep doing our best if we want to keep developing rugby in Spain, because it has a big impact in the support of the Spanish federation and in the motivation for young players, to see the things they can possibly achieve.

If you were in change of World Rugby, what changes would you make (if any)?

For us as a country, we would like the chance to play more high-level international games, so I would like that there were different competitions for the teams who aren’t in the top tier of European rugby, similar to the Nations cup for the men.

I don’t think that it is fair that a private competition like the Six Nations takes more importance than the European teams, and it seems unfair that the Winner of the Europeans must play a play-off against the last place Six Nations team for the World Cup, when previously all the teams played in the Europeans and there were two spots to qualify. This makes the chances of qualifying smaller and gives more importance to the ‘elite’ teams. I think the same opportunities should be given to teams who are developing and not be controlled by the larger tournaments in rugby.  If we want to improve world rugby, we need to give teams more opportunities to compete at the elite level, and I think the Six Nations could work better as a qualifying tournament, or that the teams in the Six Nations play in the Europeans to provide that level of opposition to everyone, so that we can improve by playing against the best teams.

I think also the autumn internationals should be regulated by World Rugby so that gives them opportunities so every team has an opportunity to play an Autumn International.

Spanish squad:Isabel Macias Valcayo (OLÍMPICO POZUELO); Isabel Rico Vázquez (OLÍMPICO POZUELO); Elena Redondo (OLÍMPICO POZUELO); Irene Schiavón Mateao (OLÍMPICO POZUELO); Iera Etxebarría (OLÍMPICO POZUELO); María Ribera García (XV SANSE SCRUM); Marina Bravo Bragado (CR CISNEROS); Amaia Erbina Araña (CR CISNEROS); Anne Fernadnez De C. (CR CISNEROS); Aroa González (INEF BARCELONA); María Losada Gifra (INEF BARCELONA); Ángela Del Pan Moruno (INEF BARCELONA); Anna Ramón Guardia (INEF BARCELONA); Diana Gasso García (GOTICS RC); Vanesa Rial López (CRAT CORUÑA); Mónica Castelo Mejuto (CRAT CORUÑA); Paula Medín López (CRAT CORUÑA); Jeanina Alejandra. Vinueza Loyola (CAU VALENCIA); Saioa Jaurena Atxa (GETXO R.T.); Bárbara Plà Vegués (GETXO R.T.); Carmen Pérez Ruiz (GETXO R.T.); Enara Cacho Gabilondo (HERNANI RT); Laura Delgado Dueñas (STADE TARBES PYRENEES); María Casado González (BSORF); Ángela Soria Mazcuñan (SUNNY BANK DRAGONS); Patricia García Rodríguez (F.E.R.)