England A to take on Spain, as host city lined up

World Cup qualifiers Spain will play England A for the first time in 32 years on November 8th, with the game almost certain to be played at the José Zorrilla Stadium in Valladolid.

After a successful Rugby Europe Championship campaign, which saw the Leones finish runners-up behind Georgia, Spain have landed the prestigious fixture as part of their preparations for the tournament in Australia in two years’ time.

Juan Carlos Martín, Real Federación Española de Rugby’s president, has now shed some light about the possible venue in an interview with the Spanish outlet Deportes COPE Valladolid.

“If the Copa del Rey [Spanish Cup final] final is a sellout, Zorrilla is a leading candidate to host England,” he said.

Spain last played at the 27,618 capacity stadium in November of last year, with Fiji taking the win in a highly contested match, 33-19.

It won’t be the first game between Spain and England ‘A’, as they have met a handful of times in the 1980s and 1990s. The first clash took place in 1988, with the English hosts claiming a 31-6 win – the first of five victories for their secondary team.

Since the last meeting in 1993, the Spanish national team has only faced the non-professional England Counties side, so getting the England A fixture is a sign of how far the Leones have come in recent years.

After missing the last two Men’s Rugby World Cups due to eligibility issues, Spanish rugby is enjoying a purple patch, achieving top-level results across 15s and 7s.

Besides the England ‘A’ fixture, Spain will also host Fiji and Tonga, but no information has been provided about the venues for those games.