2025 Rugby Europe Championship
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| 2025 Rugby Europe Championship | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 January – 16 March 2025 |
| Countries | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Champions | Georgia (17th title) |
| Antim Cup | Georgia (19th title) |
| Matches played | 20 |
| Attendance | 88,575 (4,429 per match) |
| Tries scored | 164 (8.2 per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Spain Gonzalo López-Bontempo (69 points) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Georgia (country) Aka Tabutsadze (9 Tries) |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 31 January 2025 – 16 March 2025 |
| No. of nations | 8 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 20 |
← 2023 2031 → | |
The 2025 Rugby Europe Championship, which doubles as the qualifying process for the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup and World Rugby Nations Championship's second division for Europe, is the ongoing, ninth Rugby Europe Championship, the annual rugby union competition for the top European national teams outside the Six Nations Championship, and the 54th edition of the competition (including all its previous incarnations as the FIRA Tournament, Rugby Union European Cup, FIRA Nations Cup, FIRA Trophy, and European Nations Cup).[1]
Eight teams took part in the 2024 championship. The championship was contested by Belgium, Georgia, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Poland.[2] Georgia won the previous championship after defeating Portugal in the final, claiming their 16th title. Poland were relegated. After winning the 2023-24 Rugby Europe Trophy, Switzerland were promoted to the Championship for the 2025 season. This is the first time in their history that they are in the top division.[citation needed ]
The serpentine system was applied to allocate each team to their respective groups.[3] Each team plays a total of five games (three round robin group matches to determine the team's path and two play-off matches).[3] Seeding (for a group) and relegation are calculated over a two-year cycle, as is the promotion from the Trophy competition.[3]
This year's edition of the Rugby Europe Championship doubles as the year of the 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifiers for the European region.[4] The top two sides from each pool will qualify for the Rugby World Cup, with the final & bronze final acting as seeding matches to seed the team Europe 1–4. The Ranking Finals will then act as the play-off to determine Europe 5, who will advance to the final qualification tournament.
Participants
[edit ]| Nation | Stadium | Head coach | Captain | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home stadium | Capacity | Location | |||
| Belgium | Stade Charles Tondreau Stade du Pachy |
8,000 3,000 |
Mons Waterloo |
France Laurent Dossat | Jens Torfs |
| Georgia | Avchala Stadium Mikheil Meskhi Stadium |
3,500 27,223 |
Tbilisi | England Richard Cockerill | Vasil Lobzhanidze |
| Germany | Auestadion Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark |
18,737 5,000 |
Kassel Heidelberg |
Germany Mark Kuhlmann | Jörn Schröder |
| Netherlands | NRCA Stadium | 7,000 | Amsterdam | Wales Lyn Jones | Hugo Langelaan |
| Portugal | Estádio do Restelo Estádio Nacional |
19,856 37,593 |
Lisbon Oeiras |
New Zealand Simon Mannix | Tomás Appleton |
| Romania | Stadionul Arcul de Triumf Botoșani Municipal Stadium |
8,207 7,782 |
Bucharest Botoșani |
France David Gérard | Ovidiu Cojocaru |
| Spain | Estadio Nacional Complutense | 12,400 | Madrid | Argentina Pablo Bouza | Jon Zabala |
| Switzerland | Stade Municipal Yverdon | 6,600 | Yverdon-les-Bains | France Olivier Nier | Cyril Lin |
World Cup qualification
[edit ]Main article: 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup qualifying
| Nation | Rank | Began play | Qualifying status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 27 | 1 February 2025 | Advances to Final Qualification Tournament on 15 March 2025 |
| England | 4 | N/A | Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2023 World Cup |
| France | 3 | N/A | Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2023 World Cup |
| Georgia | 12 | 1 February 2025 | Qualified on 9 February 2025[5] [6] / as Europe 1 on 16 March 2025 |
| Germany | 32 | 31 January 2025 | Eliminated by Netherlands on 1 March 2025 |
| Ireland | 7 | N/A | Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2023 World Cup |
| Italy | 15 | N/A | Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2023 World Cup |
| Netherlands | 26 | 2 February 2025 | Eliminated by Belgium on 15 march 2025 |
| Portugal | 15 | 1 February 2025 | Qualified on 9 February 2025[7] / as Europe 4 on 16 March 2025 |
| Romania | 20 | 31 January 2025 | Qualified on 9 February 2025[7] / as Europe 3 on 16 March 2025 |
| Scotland | 8 | N/A | Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2023 World Cup |
| Spain | 18 | 2 February 2025 | Qualified on 9 February 2025[5] [8] / as Europe 2 on 16 March 2025 |
| Switzerland | 28 | 1 February 2025 | Eliminated by Belgium on 1 March 2025 |
| Wales | 5 | N/A | Qualified with Top 12 finish at 2023 World Cup |
Tables and fixtures
[edit ]Pool A
[edit ]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 212 | 39 | +173 | 32 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 15 | Grand Finals Semi-Finals |
| 2 | Spain | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 128 | 99 | +29 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |
| 3 | Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 104 | 93 | +11 | 17 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Ranking Finals Semi-Finals |
| 4 | Switzerland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 226 | −213 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: Rugby Europe[9]
Rules for classification:
If two teams have the same number of points the best ranked will be: 1) match points in the games played between the tied Unions; 2) tries in the games played between the tied Unions; 3) match points difference in all pool games; 4) tries for in all pool games; 5) match points for in all pool games.
If three or more teams have same number of points, the best ranked will be: 1) match points difference in all pool games; 2) tries for in all pool games; 4) match points for in all pool games.
Points were awarded to the teams as follows: Win – 4 points, Draw – 2 points, At least 3 more tries than opponent – 1 point, Loss within 7 points – 1 point[10]
Rules for classification:
If two teams have the same number of points the best ranked will be: 1) match points in the games played between the tied Unions; 2) tries in the games played between the tied Unions; 3) match points difference in all pool games; 4) tries for in all pool games; 5) match points for in all pool games.
If three or more teams have same number of points, the best ranked will be: 1) match points difference in all pool games; 2) tries for in all pool games; 4) match points for in all pool games.
Points were awarded to the teams as follows: Win – 4 points, Draw – 2 points, At least 3 more tries than opponent – 1 point, Loss within 7 points – 1 point[10]
Week 1
[edit ] (1 TBP) Georgia 110–0 Switzerland
(1 TBP) Spain 53–24 Netherlands
Week 2
[edit ] (1 TBP) Georgia 40–7 Netherlands
Switzerland 13–43 Spain (1 TBP)
Week 3
[edit ] (1 TBP) Netherlands 73–0 Switzerland
Pool B
[edit ]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 130 | 50 | +80 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 15 | Grand Finals Semi-Finals |
| 2 | Romania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 58 | +27 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 3 | Belgium | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 83 | 90 | −7 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Ranking Finals Semi-Finals |
| 4 | Germany | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 143 | −100 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on 15 February 2025. Source: Rugby Europe[9]
Rules for classification:
If two teams have the same number of points the best ranked will be: 1) match points in the games played between the tied Unions; 2) tries in the games played between the tied Unions; 3) match points difference in all pool games; 4) tries difference for in all pool games; 5) match points for in all pool games.
If three or more teams have same number of points, the best ranked will be: 1) match points difference in all pool games; 2) tries for in all pool games; 4) match points for in all pool games.
Points were awarded to the teams as follows: Win – 4 points, Draw – 2 points, At least 3 more tries than opponent – 1 point, Loss within 7 points – 1 point[10]
Rules for classification:
If two teams have the same number of points the best ranked will be: 1) match points in the games played between the tied Unions; 2) tries in the games played between the tied Unions; 3) match points difference in all pool games; 4) tries difference for in all pool games; 5) match points for in all pool games.
If three or more teams have same number of points, the best ranked will be: 1) match points difference in all pool games; 2) tries for in all pool games; 4) match points for in all pool games.
Points were awarded to the teams as follows: Win – 4 points, Draw – 2 points, At least 3 more tries than opponent – 1 point, Loss within 7 points – 1 point[10]
Week 1
[edit ]Week 2
[edit ]Week 3
[edit ]Ranking Finals
[edit ]The winner of this bracket will advance to the Final Qualification Tournament for the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup and World Rugby Nations Championship's second division.
Semi-finals
[edit ] Netherlands 38–9 Germany
Belgium 38–5 Switzerland
Seventh-place final
[edit ] Germany 17–20 Switzerland
Fifth-place final
[edit ] Netherlands 10–31 Belgium
Grand Finals
[edit ]Semi-finals
[edit ]Bronze Final
[edit ]Cup Final
[edit ]Final standings
[edit ]| Pos. | Team | Points | 2027 RWC / WRNC Division 2 qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 10 | Qualified as Europe 1 |
| 2 | Spain | 8 | Qualified as Europe 2 |
| 3 | Romania | 6 | Qualified as Europe 3 |
| 4 | Portugal | 5 | Qualified as Europe 4 |
| 5 | Belgium | 4 | Advances to FQT |
| 6 | Netherlands | 3 | Eliminated |
| 7 | Switzerland | 2 | |
| 8 | Germany | 1 |
Team of the Tournament
[edit ]On 21 March 2025 Rugby Europe published its Team of the Tournament[11]
International broadcasters
[edit ]| Country | Broadcaster[12] | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium | VRT LN24 |
Belgium games shown live via VRT and LN24. |
| Georgia | Rugby TV Imedi TV |
Georgia games shown live via Rugby TV and Imedi TV. Also Georgia games are streamed and free on Rugby TV Facebook page. |
| Germany | ProSieben Maxx Joyn Ran |
Germany games shown live via ProSieben Maxx, other games are streamed and free on Joyn and Ran. |
| Netherlands | Ziggo | Selected games live on Ziggo Sport. |
| Portugal | Sport TV | Portugal games shown live on Sport TV. |
| Romania | TVR1 TVR Sport |
Romania games shown live via TVR1 and TVR Sport. |
| Spain | Teledeporte RTVE Play |
Spain games shown live via Teledeporte and .RTVE Play digital platform. |
| Switzerland | RTS 2 SRI digital |
Switzerland games shown live via RTS 2 channel and SRI digital platforms. |
| North America | FloRugby | All games available through streaming via FloSports. |
| Rest of the World | Rugby Europe | All games available through streaming via Rugby Europe (registration required). Some games are streamed and free on Rugby Europe Youtube channel |
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ "EPCR announces venues for 2025 and 2026 Finals Weekends | European Professional Club Rugby". www.epcrugby.com. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "2024 World Rugby Participants". September 2024.
- ^ a b c "New Format for Rugby Europe Championship". Rugby Europe. 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- ^ "2025 Rugby Europe Championship Calendar Confirmed". 18 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Georgia and Spain secure Men's Rugby World Cup 2027 qualification". World Rugby. 9 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ "Georgia Book Spot in Seventh Consecutive Rugby World Cup". Americas Rugby News. 8 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Romania and Portugal qualify for Men's Rugby World Cup Australia 2027". World Rugby. 9 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ "Georgia, Spain qualify for 2027 Rugby World Cup". SuperSport. 9 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Rugby Europe Men's Championship 2025". Rugby Europe.
- ^ a b "September 2024 Edition (2024-2025 season v1) RUGBY EUROPE INTERNATIONAL XV CHAMPIONSHIPS MEN & WOMEN 2024-2025 TOURNAMENT MANUAL" (PDF). Rugby Europe. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ {{Cite web|url=https://www.rugbyeurope.eu/news/team-of-the-men-s-rugby-europe-championship-2025 |title=Team of the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship 2025}
- ^ "Unprecedented Coverage for 2025 Men's Rugby Europe Championship". Rugby Europe.
Categories:
- Rugby Europe Championship
- 2024–25 Rugby Europe International Championships
- 2025 rugby union tournaments for national teams
- 2024–25 in European rugby union
- 2025 in Belgian sport
- 2025 in Dutch sport
- 2025 in Georgian sport
- 2025 in German sport
- 2024 in Polish sport
- 2024 in Portuguese sport
- February 2025 sports events in Europe
- March 2025 sports events in Europe
- 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup qualification
- Rugby World Cup European qualifiers