Day 2 - European Championship Series Leg 2
BelSevens
An early first match against Spain again. The kick-off at 9:30 meant meeting at the stadium as early as 8:00. The BelSevens, motivated and ready for an important day, had all recovered well after yesterday and were physically prepared.
The warm-up began under the sun and without difficulty. Next to them, the Spanish team was also preparing to seek revenge for the match for bronze played two weeks earlier in Croatia. This game promised to be tense...
A quick start with a try on each side. Then, a well-structured Spanish team ready for the challenge got the machine going and pushed to make a difference before the break. As a result, the score was 5 to 17. The second half started off fairly well, but the BelSevens couldn't break through the Spanish defense. A few small errors led to a final score of 5-27 in favor of Spain.
The most important thing is that our BelSevens finished second in their group and thus qualified well for the quarter-finals.
By finishing fourth in the overall standings, they were set to play their quarter-final against Germany. A team not to be underestimated, but nonetheless quite beatable for them.
The BelSevens tend to want to rectify the situation after a defeat, and this time was no different... A focused and very active warm-up to prepare while intimidating the opponent who was warming up right next to them. It must have worked because we quickly led 10-0 with tries scored by Émilie Musch and Pauline Gernaey.
In the second half, we controlled the game with another try from Pauline, followed by a German try in the last seconds of the match.
Our BelSevens will therefore compete in the semi-final tomorrow against Great Britain. A match that promises to be close but very interesting.
MenSevens
The MenSevens needed a win today to overcome their two defeats from yesterday. Croatia, a must-win game for multiple reasons, was not going to stand in their way.
The least we can say is that the men channeled all their energy and frustration into today's game as they started off fiercely against the Croatians. By halftime, the score was already 31-0. It was also during halftime that the team learned they needed a 41-point difference to qualify for the quarters.
Armed with this information, they finished what they started, ending the game with a massive score. A resounding 59-5 victory, featuring a hat trick from Gaspard Lalli and tries from Nicolas Bulte, Jens Torfs, Ryan Godsmark, and Siméon Soenen, marked the perfect way to kick off the second day of the European Championship Series in Hamburg.
The MenSevens finished 7th in the overall standings, setting up a quarter-final clash against the 2nd place team.
With their initial mission (reaching the quarter-finals) accomplished, everything else was a bonus. They were set to face Ireland for the second time in two days. The Irish team, ranked 2nd in the world, is an Olympic team and competes in the World Series—no easy feat.
They gave it their all, showing great effort and determination. A beautiful try from Gaspard Lalli and some impressive plays added some excitement to the game. They can be proud of how they defended their colors and will be back for more! The final score was 7-36 for Ireland, meaning our MenSevens will play for 5th place tomorrow against Georgia.
A second day filled with highs, laughter, and good spirits. Bring on the third and final day!
