Women’s rugby 7 final
The teams of the University of Gloucestershire and the University of Paris 13 met in the rugby 7 final of the women’s tournament. Played at Hrvatski Dragovoljac Stadium, where the men’s final was also held, the gold went to the Frenchwomen, who bested their peers from Britain and notched a 19:17 win.
At the beginning of the match, the team from Great Britain quickly achieved dominance on the field and the scoreboard was soon showing a result of 7:0 in favor of the British team. However, the French team struck back, scoring five points. The tempo of the game increased as half time approached, and the score was tied with 12:12 when the referee blew the half time whistle.
During the second half, the University of Gloucestershire scored another five points after the University of Paris reached 17 points. The well-synchronized team from Great Britain managed to keep the lead until the end. Both teams deserved to reach the finals, but this time, the gold goes to the French team who thus became the best university rugby players in Europe, beating their opponents from Great Britain by 2 points.
‘It was a great final because both teams played amazingly well. The competition was great and we really saw some very good teams and some very good matches,’ said Mave Heui, the coach who led the winning team.
The coach of the British team also gave his review of the finished competition:
‘The entire organization and the whole atmosphere of the Games, with so many different countries and sports, was a great experience for all participants.’
The women’s team of the University of Porto won the bronze medal.
Men’s rugby 7 final
The Georgian National University SEU rugby team won the title by defeating the Nova University of Lisbon with a score of 26:12.
The audience enjoyed the game as both sides were good both in offense and defense. The Portugal team took the first lead, but the Georgians reacted quickly and put themselves ahead with 7 points, maintaining their lead until the half time whistle.
During the second half, the Georgian team continued with their dominant performance. Leading by eight points, the psychological momentum went to their side as the Portuguese struggled to develop their attack. The final score of the game – 26:12 – confirms that the Georgian team dominated the pitch.
‘We participated in many strong university competitions in the last four years, which were mostly easy for us. However, the tournament in Zagreb was great in terms quality of and we played against some strong teams. Our players gave their best to win first place and proved their quality and perseverance,’ commented Besik Khomasuridze, the coach of the Georgian team.
‘Some teams were prepared by national team coaches which increased the level of professionalism of many of the participants. I think my team was well-coordinated and deserved to win,’ said the captain of the gold-winning team, Dimitri Kalandadze, who was also declared best player of the tournament.
Pedro Netto Fernandes, the coach of the Nova University of Lisbon was proud of his rugby players:
‘We came here with no ambitions and we are proud of ourselves for what we have managed to achieve. Our only defeat was in the final. We won against the Georgians in the group phase of the tournament; they’re a great team and I congratulate them on winning first place’
Third place in the men’s rugby tournament was won by the Siberian Federal University from Russia, who achieved a landslide victory with a score of 12:0 against the Romanian team form the Ecological University of Bucharest.
