2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship

The 2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship was the seventh annual international rugby union competition for Under 18 national rugby union teams in Europe.[1] The event was organised by rugby's European governing body, the FIRA – Association of European Rugby (FIRA-AER).[2] The competition was contested by 24 men's junior national teams and was held in late March and early April 2010.[3] It was hosted by the Italian region of Veneto, with the final played at the home ground of Benetton Treviso.[4]

2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship
Tournament details
Host nation Italy
Dates27 March 2010 – 3 April 2010
No. of nations24
Final positions
Champions  France
Runner-up  Ireland
Tournament statistics
Matches played36
← 2009
2011 →

The tournament was won by France, who won its fifth European championship and its fourth in a row,[1][5] with Ireland finishing runners-up.[6]

It was sponsored by French company Justin Bridou and therefore officially called the 2010 Justin Bridou European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship.[2]

Overview

History

The European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship was first held in 2004, in Treviso, Italy. It replaced the previously held European Under-18 Emergent Nations Championship, which had first been held in 2000.[7] The first championship in 2004 was won by France.[1]

The following two championships, held in Lille, France, in 2005 and again in Treviso in 2006, were won by England. Alternating between France and Italy, the next four championships were held in Biarritz, Treviso again, Toulon and once more in Treviso in 2010. All four were taken out by France, but of Europes top rugby playing nations, England, Wales and Scotland did not take part in the latest edition.[1]

Format

The championship, similar to previous editions, was organised in an A, B and C Division, with A being the highest and C the lowest. Each division consisted of eight teams and each team played three competition games, with a quarter final, semi final and final/placing game.[6]

The quarter finals were played according to a seeding list, with the winners moving on to the first to fourth place semi finals while the losers would enter the fifth to eighth place semi finals.[6]

The winners of the semi-finals one to four would play in the division final while the losers would play for third place. Similarly, the winners of the fifth to eighth semi finals would play for fifth place while the losers would play for seventh.[6]

The winner of the A division was crowned European champions while the eighth placed team would be relegated to the B division. Similarly, the winner of B and C division would move up a division for 2011 while the last placed teams would be relegated. This meant, France was crowned European champions while Romania finished on the relegation spot. Portugal won the B division and earned promotion while the Ukraine was relegated and replaced by Sweden, the C champions.[6]

Venues

The games of the 2010 championship were played at five different locations and stadiums:[4]

Changes for 2011

The 2011 edition of the championship is scheduled to see a return of the absent three home nations, England, Scotland and Wales. For this purpose, the A division will be enlarged to twelve teams, while B and C remain at their current strength.[8]

D Division

The D division forms the fourth level, below the C division, of European Under-18 rugby. In 2010, only four teams compete at this level, at a tournament held at Chișinău, Moldova, from 19 to 22 May 2010. It consists of the teams of Moldova, Israel, Croatia and Norway.[9]

Teams and final standings

The participating teams and their final standings were:[9][10]

Games

The results of the games:[6]

Championship
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
 France 50
 Italy 10
 France 21
 Belgium 0
 Belgium 27
 Russia 14
 France 27
 Ireland 3
 Ireland 20
 Germany 11
 Ireland 19
 Georgia 11
 Romania 7
 Georgia 25
3rd Place Final
   
1  Georgia 18
2  Belgium 15

Relegation
Semi-finals 5th Place Final
      
1  Italy 13
4  Russia 8
 Italy 18
 Germany 13
3  Germany 44
2  Romania 0
7th Place Final
   
1  Russia 34
2  Romania 12

Championship
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
 Portugal 104
  Switzerland 3
 Portugal 25
 Netherlands 10
 Netherlands 55
 Ukraine 0
 Portugal 43
 Spain 3
 Spain 53
 Czech Republic 5
 Spain 26
 Poland 3
 Poland 23
 Lithuania 7
3rd Place Final
   
1  Netherlands 42
2  Poland 8

Relegation

The Switzerland versus Ukraine game was tied after regular time and was decided by penalty kicks.[11]

Semi-finals 5th Place Final
      
1   Switzerland 16
4  Ukraine 16
  Switzerland 3
 Czech Republic 54
3  Czech Republic 8
2  Lithuania 5
7th Place Final
   
1  Lithuania 21
2  Ukraine 5

Championship
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
 Sweden 13
 Austria 0
 Sweden 19
 Serbia 9
 Denmark 5
 Serbia 24
 Sweden 30
 Hungary 24
 Hungary 21
 Luxembourg 11
 Hungary 13
 Latvia 0
 Bulgaria 0
 Latvia 34
3rd Place Final
   
1  Serbia 14
2  Latvia 12

Relegation

The Denmark versus Austria game was tied after regular time and was decided by penalty kicks.[12]

Semi-finals 5th Place Final
      
1  Austria 12
4  Denmark 12
 Denmark 14
 Luxembourg 29
3  Luxembourg 8
2  Bulgaria 0
7th Place Final
   
1  Austria 31
2  Bulgaria 3

D Division

Held at a different time and location as the other three divisions, in Moldova, these are the results:[9]

Semi-finals Final
      
1  Moldova 90
4  Norway 0
 Moldova 23
 Croatia 5
3  Croatia 25
2  Israel 18
3rd Place Final
   
1  Norway 0
2  Israel 76

References
  1. 2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship official website – History Archived 13 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine accessed: 1 May 2010
  2. U18 – 2010 FIRA-AER Justin Bridou European Championship FIRA-AER website, accessed: 1 May 2010
  3. FIRA AER U18 Euro Championship Archived 19 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine IRFU website, accessed: 2 May 2010
  4. 2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship official website – Stadiums Archived 13 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine accessed: 1 May 2010
  5. 2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship official website – Home Archived 11 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian) accessed: 15 May 2010
  6. 2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship official website – Fixtures Archived 13 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine accessed: 1 May 2010
  7. Forty years of age grade growth in Europe Archived 3 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine IRB website, published: 16 April 2009, accessed: 2 May 2010
  8. U18-EM: Frankreich verteidigt Titel Archived 11 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Rugby-Journal, published: 3 April 2010, accessed: 2 May 2010
  9. U18 – 2010 Group D FIRA-AER website, accessed: 2 May 2010
  10. 2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship official website – Standings Archived 13 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine accessed: 1 May 2010
  11. FIRA – AER website – Switzerland versus Ukraine game accessed: 1 May 2010
  12. FIRA – AER website – Denmark versus Austria game accessed: 1 May 2010
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