The new look, six-team Men’s Rugby Europe Super Cup gets underway on Friday and the players cannot wait to get going for 2025/26.
This season the six teams involved will compete in a round robin phase from October to December. Then, the top four teams will play semi-finals and finals in January.
In this short, sharp format every game really does count and all the sides will be looking to get off to a flying start over the coming days.
On Friday even the honour has been given to Spanish side Castilla Y Leon Iberians to kick things off against Belgian outfit Brussels Devils at 7pm local (5pm UTC).
Matt Foulds, the Iberians captain, said: “We are incredibly excited to kick off our Rugby Europe Super Cup campaign on Friday in Palencia. Playing the Brussels Devils at the Nueva Balastera in Palencia is a huge moment for the whole Iberians setup and for Spanish rugby.
“The team knows the challenge ahead. We respect the Brussels Devils, but we are focused on delivering a high-energy performance, particularly in front of our home crowd. We want to start the tournament with a win and show the quality and ambition of Spanish rugby. We are ready for the fight.”
Felipe Geraghty from the Brussels Devils said: “We are really happy that the Brussels Devils are back in the Super Cup and we really look forward to these kind of matches.
“We know we are going to play against a really strong Iberians team with a lot of players from the Spain national team, but these are the kind of matches that we need to play if we want to improve.
“We expect a physical battle with lots of speed on the ball, we know they’re strong and fast, but at the same time but we’ve been working hard during pre-season campaign. It’s going to be hard, but a really nice challenge to test ourselves.”
There are then two matches on Saturday with the first one being the Romanian Wolves versus Delta from the Netherlands at 3pm local time (noon UTC).
Ahead of the clash in the Arcul de Triumf stadium in Bucharest, Florin Surugiu from the Wolves said: “It’s a special feeling for me to be back with the Romanian Wolves because this is the team I practically started my evolution towards the national team with in 2008.
“Honestly, it is a big surprise for me to be here, to be back in a European competition, but it’s also a great joy and, in a way, it feels like a circle is closing.
“I took the step towards performance rugby with the Wolves and, basically, this is where I’m coming to an end. It was an ambition of mine to play at this age with my colleagues, some even 20 years younger than me. I’m grateful for everything rugby offered me and, in return, I try to give back as much as I can.
“It’s a nice position to be among the most experienced players in the team, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility because you are a role model for the others and you are that player who is always expected to make a difference in difficult moments.
“I’m glad that we have a lot of young players in the team and I hope this campaign will be a launching point towards the Oaks [the Romanian national team] for them just like it was for me.”
The Delta head coach Mitch McGahan said: “The Romanian Wolves are an experienced team who will bring not only Super Cup but World Cup experience to the competition.
“For us this season is a reset from previous years with a number of our experienced players being replaced with players we feel will be in the reckoning for the Netherlands national team when it comes to qualification hopes for the 2031 Rugby World Cup.
“This is about giving them a platform to be able to bridge the gap between their under-20 campaigns and this level and helping them put their hands up for selection for future Rugby Europe campaigns with the national side.”
The final game of an exciting first weekend in the Super Cup comes in Lisbon in Portugal when Lusitanos take on the Bohemia Warriors from Czechia in the CAR Jamor stadium at 3.30pm local time (2.30pm UTC).
David Wallis from Lusitanos said: “We’re a team that has gone through major changes and now includes many new players.
“Despite that, our goal remains to reach the final of the competition although we always take it one game at a time. This will be our first match of the season and we’re very happy to finally be back in action. We know it’s going to be a tough game, but, of course, we aim to come away with a win.”
Dan Hosek of the Bohemia Warriors said: “We’re looking forward to the match, of course, there’s a bit of nervousness as we’re playing against the strongest opponent on paper.
“As for our preparation, it has been good, we’ve been getting ready not only for Portugal this weekend, but for the whole season.
“This definitely won’t be an easy match. We expect speed, of course, as the Portuguese are known for their fast style of play, moving the ball from side to side. I think they have quite a few players from their sevens national team as well so the match will certainly have a good tempo.
“We’re taking this match as preparation for our long-term goal and that’s to help the Czechia national team reach the Rugby Europe Championship. We’re going there to play a quality game, one that will help us improve and take lessons from it into the next matches so that, by the end of the season, we’ll be a much better team.”
All the games will be live on RugbyEurope.TV.
WHERE TO WATCH THE RUGBY EUROPE SUPER CUP
In international rugby this weekend, in the men’s Rugby Europe Conference Slovenia are taking on Hungary on Saturday at 2pm local (noon UTC).
By Gary Heatly