Portugal Tour - The games

Saturday, February 2

U17 - Caldas 12 - CSCE 64
U19 - Caldas 12 - CSCE 19

The U17s didn't have a big challenge, playing a Caldas team much shorter and lighter. However,
since the first minute, they showed they weren't just tourists and played how these games should be played: committed, serious and concentrated.
The U19s had a more difficult task facing a Caldas team in a mission to prove foreigners wouldn't get it too easy. A lot of individualism and mistakes from our players didn't help either. At the end a score which is much better than the quality of rugby displayed.

Sunday, February 3

U17:  Santarém 0 - CSCE 36
U19:  Santarém 0 - CSCE 34

Portugal seems to suffer from the same problem we have in Luxembourg: football has absolute priority. As a result, although our hosts booked the pitch, we could only play 30 minutes in the U17s and 40 in the U19 because the football team booked the same pitch at the last minute.
Santarém aligned two very good teams and even if the scores don't show it, the games were more difficult than the day before.
The U17s raised their level and displayed a superb rugby which didn't give the opposition any chance. The U19s, playing more collective and scoring in every opportunity, did the same.
Overall, two great games form the U17 team where all 26 players could participate, a not so good game from the U19s on Saturday but a good display on Sunday. Luxembourg rugby can be proud of these teams and both opposition clubs were somehow surprised by the quality of rugby the boys played.
Congratulations.