Rugby Europe Championship semis confirmed as Madrid finals day looms

The Rugby Europe Championship semi-final line-up has been confirmed as all eight teams eye another Finals Day in Madrid on the weekend of March 15th.

Question marks remain over whether the REC will be contested by eight teams, as is the current format, or if it will return to a six-team format in seasons to come. As it stands, all eight teams will partake in what will be a real treat for European rugby fans, the REC’s second ‘Final Day’ after the success of the Finals in Paris in 2024.

Pool action wrapped at the weekend with Georgia and Portugal topping Pools A and B respectively, while Spain and Romania secured second place to book their spots in the last four.

Switzerland’s historic win over the Netherlands added a riveting sub-plot at the foot of the table, with the Edelweiss and Oranje facing the prospect of relegation.

Finals Day will begin at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, where the seventh place ranking match kicks off from 11 am, before the fifth place final at 13:30.

The focus then moves to Estadio Municipal de Butarque, the home CD Leganés, for the Bronze Final at 16:00, with the Grand Final scheduled for 18:45.

Before that, there is the small matter of the semi-finals.

Reigning champions Georgia will host Romania in Tbilisi after finishing top of Pool A with a 42-30 win over Spain. Portugal, who dismantled Romania 44-7 in Lisbon to seal top spot in Pool B, now welcome Iberian rivals Spain to the Estádio do Restelo in what promises to be a decisive derby.

At the other end of the competition, relegation is what is at stake.

Switzerland and Germany meet in Yverdon-les-Bains on 7 March, with their Championship status on the line. Belgium, meanwhile, host the Netherlands in a repeat of last year’s fifth place final, the fixture that propelled the Black Devils into the World Cup Final Qualification Tournament.