New Rugby Europe Super Cup champions crowned after Iberian battle

Spain’s Castilla y León Iberians are the new Super Cup owners, having bested their Portuguese neighbours, the Lusitanos, 42-17 to lift the winners’ trophy for the first time since the competition’s debut in 2021.

The Iberians were by some distance the best outfit after the first 40 minutes, clinching three unconverted tries, scored by scrum-half Estanislao Bay, flanker Vicente Boronat and lock Pablo Guirao. Despite missing all conversions, Iñaki Mateu added three from the tee midway through the half.

The best the Lusitanos could manage was a successful penalty goal taken by Domingos Cabral, narrowing the Spanish lead to 15 points. However, five minutes before the break, the Portuguese side were reduced to 14 players following a yellow card for their number eight, José Monteiro.

The second half kicked off exactly like the first, with the Iberians celebrating in the in-goal area. This time it was South African-born John Wessell Bell who sliced through the Lusitanos defence to extend his side’s lead. The Portuguese problems continued after hooker Enzo Fernandes was sent to the sin bin following a high tackle.

The Iberians added two more tries while the opposition effectively played the entire second half a player down, as Guilherme Costa and Duarte Nunes also spent 10 minutes in the sin bin. Afonso Tapadinhas bagged a Lusitanos consolation before Martiniano Cian dotted down the Iberians’ sixth try of the final.

With little left to play for, the Castilla y León Iberians kicked the ball out to claim the cup after nailing their Iberian rivals 42-17, a positive sign ahead of the upcoming Men’s Rugby Europe Championship.

Estanislao Bay proved too much for the Lusitanos to handle, with the veteran scrum-half delivering a masterclass in game management and relentlessly targeting his opposite number.

For the Lusitanos, it was by far their heaviest defeat against their Iberian rivals and the second time they have failed to lift the Super Cup.

In the bronze final, the Dutch Delta finished on the podium after scoring a late try, pushing their rivals, the Brussels Devils, into fourth place.