2011 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship

The 2011 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship was the eighth annual international rugby union competition for Under 18 national rugby union teams in Europe. The event was organised by rugby's European governing body, the FIRA – Association of European Rugby (FIRA-AER). The competition was contested by 28 men's junior national teams and will be held in April 2011. It was hosted by the French region of Armagnac and Bigorre.[1] The tournament was won by the under-18 team of Ireland, who took out the title for the first time, beating England in the final.[2][3] For the first time, France did not reach the championship game and finished in fourth place only.

2011 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship
Tournament details
Host nation France
Dates15 April 2011 – 24 April 2011
No. of nations28
Champions  Ireland
Tournament statistics
Matches played40
← 2010
2012 →

The tournament's defending champion was France, who had won five European championships and the last four in a row.[4][5] The 2011 edition of the competition saw the introduction of an elite division, above division one, made up of four teams, France, England, Wales and Ireland. The divisions below remained unchanged. It marked the first time that all countries participating in the Six Nations Championship send a team to the European championship.[1][6]

It was sponsored by French company Justin Bridou and therefore officially called the 2011 Justin Bridou European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship.[1]

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.[5] The first championship in 2004 was won by France.[4]

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 won by France, but of Europe's top rugby playing nations, England, Wales and Scotland did not take part in the 2010 edition.[4]

Format

The 2011 edition saw the introduction of an Elite division, consisting of four teams, two of which, England and Wales, had not taken part in the 2010 competition or, in the case of Wales, never taken part in the European championship.[1]

Below the elite level, the championship was organised in First, Second and Third Divisions, with First being the highest and Third 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. 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.[7]

The winner of the Elite division, Ireland, was crowned European champions while the fourth placed team was to be relegated to the First division. Similarly, the winner of the Second and Third divisions would move up a division for 2012 while the last placed teams would be relegated.

To determine the four teams playing in the Elite Division, a qualifying tournament was held between the Six Nations U-18 sides in late February and early March, with the teams drawn into two groups of three teams each. France and England won their groups, with Wales and Ireland finishing second, qualifying all four teams for the Elite Division. Italy and Scotland finished third, placing them in the First Division. For Italy, this was still a bonus as it obtained the second seed for the division, behind Scotland. After an unsuccessful 2010 tournament, where the team had finished only fifth, it would have been entitled to only the fifth seed otherwise. Scotland made a return to the European championship for the first time since 2006.[8]

Venues

The games of the 2011 championship were played at venues in Armagnac and Bigorre, two regions in southern France.[1] The first round of games in all divisions except the elite one was played on 16 April 2011. The elite division played their first games in Auch the following day. The second round was played on 19 April while the finals for all divisions were held on 22 and 23 April, with Division two and three playing on the 22 and the Elite and First Division on the 23.

The venues for the Elite Group where:

D Division

The D division forms the fourth level, below the Third division, of European Under-18 rugby. In 2011, only three teams compete at this level, at a separate tournament. It consists of the teams of Israel, Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. The tournament was held independently of the other divisions on 14 April at Sinj, Croatia and won by the home nation.[10][11]

Teams and standings

The participating teams and their divisions are in order of their ranking after the tournament:[7]

Games

The scheduled games:

Elite Division

The games of the elite division:[12]

Semi-finals Final
      
1  France 17
4  Ireland 19
4  Ireland 17
2  England 8
2  England 38
3  Wales 34
3rd Place Final
   
1  France 6
3  Wales 15

First Division

The games of the first division:[13]

Championship
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1  Scotland 65
8  Romania 3
1  Scotland 87
5  Germany 3
4  Belgium 11
5  Germany 27
1  Scotland 17
2  Italy 12
2  Italy 14
7  Portugal 3
2  Italy 36
3  Georgia 16
3  Georgia 38
6  Russia 3
3rd Place Final
   
3  Georgia 40
5  Germany 0

Relegation
Semi-finals 5th Place Final
      
4  Belgium 19
8  Romania 6
4  Belgium 5
7  Portugal 10
6  Russia 7
7  Portugal 8
7th Place Final
   
6  Russia 3
8  Romania 11

Second Division

The games of the second division:[14]

Championship
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1  Spain 50
8  Ukraine 0
1  Spain 52
4  Czech Republic 20
4  Czech Republic 67
5   Switzerland 5
1  Spain 47
7  Sweden 7
2  Netherlands 12
7  Sweden 18
7  Sweden 19
6  Lithuania 10
3  Poland 10
6  Lithuania 12
3rd Place Final
   
4  Czech Republic 12
6  Lithuania 15

Relegation
Semi-finals 5th Place Final
      
2  Netherlands 17
3  Poland 27
3  Poland 41
8  Ukraine 10
5   Switzerland 5
8  Ukraine 31
7th Place Final
   
2  Netherlands 34
5   Switzerland 0

Third Division

The games of the third division:[15]

Championship
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1  Hungary 66
8  Bulgaria 11
1  Hungary 27
4  Luxembourg 17
4  Luxembourg 51
5  Denmark 0
1  Hungary 7
2  Serbia 13
2  Serbia 13
7  Moldova 0
2  Serbia 12
3  Latvia 5
3  Latvia 15
6  Austria 11
3rd Place Final
   
3  Latvia 7
4  Luxembourg 12

Relegation
Semi-finals 5th Place Final
      
5  Denmark 14
8  Bulgaria 13
5  Denmark 7
7  Moldova 25
6  Austria 0
7  Moldova 32
7th Place Final
   
6  Austria 10
8  Bulgaria 15

European Championship final

The European Championship final was held on 23 April at 18:30 at Tarbes and was broadcast live on Eurosport 2.[16] The final was played in wet conditions and a well organised Ireland side went up 11-3 by half time. England's head coach, John Fletcher, conceded that it was a well-deserved Irish victory but that the game was an important lesson to learn and would help his players in their future development.[2] For Ireland, which was, for the first time, represented by a schools team rather than a Club XV, captain Luke McGrath was the most influential figure on the field, scoring twelve points.[3]

23 April 2011
18:30
 Ireland 17 – 8  England
Try: McEllin 25'
Pen: McGrath (4) 4', 11', 58', 61'
 Report Try: Hepburn 66'
Pen: Slade 33'
Stade Maurice Trélut, Tarbes
Referee: Arnaud Blondel (France)
Ireland:
FB15Rory Scholes  15'
RW14Conor McEllin  67'
CT13Robbie Henshaw
SF12Chris Farrell
LW11Mark Roche
FF10Stuart Olding  68'
HB9Luke McGrath (c)  68'
N88Ryan Murphy
OF7Dan Leavy
BF6Donagh Lawler
RL5Gavin Thornbury  40'
LL4Jerry Sexton  15'
TP3Ed Byrne
HK2Bryan Byrne
LP1Gordon Frayne  45'
Substitutes:
16Andrew Murphy
17Thomas Ferrari
18Christopher Taylor  45'
19Luke Satchwell  15'
20Mark Best
21Jack O'Neill  40'
22David Shanahan  68'
23Rory Scannell  68'
24Jack Fitzpatrick  24'
25Cian O'Halloran  67'
26Seamus Glynn
Coach:
Terry McMaster
England:
FB15Jack Nowell
RW14Tony Watson
CT13Mark Jennings
CT12Sam Hill
LW11Jack Arnott  50'
FH10Henry Slade  38'
SH9Alex Day  38'
N88Jack Clifford
OF7Matt Hankin  50'
BF6David Sisi  45'
RL5Dominic Barrow (c)
LL4Tom Jubb
TP3Daniel Herriot  45'
HK2Nathan Morris  39'
LP1Alec Hepburn
Substitutions:
16Max Crumpton
17Tom Smallbone  45'
18Scott Spurling  39'
19Joe Robinson  45'
20Joe Buckle  50'
21James Lightfoot-Brown  38'
22Will Hooley  38'
23Marcus Webber  50'
24Tom Stephenson
Coach:
John Fletcher

References
  1. "U18 - 6 Nations play off". FIRA-AER. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  2. Ireland overcome England U18 in FIRA/AER final Archived 27 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine RFU website, published: 23 April 2011, accessed: 23 April 2011
  3. European Glory For Ireland Schools Team Archived 25 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine IRU website, published: 23 April 2011, accessed: 23 April 2011
  4. "2010 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship - History". MediaOfficina.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  5. "Forty years of age grade growth in Europe". International Rugby Board. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 3 February 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  6. "About the FIRA AER U18 Championship". Irish Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  7. "2011 groups". FIRA-AER. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  8. "2011 U18 - VI Nations play-off". FIRA-AER. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  9. "U18 Justin Bridou European Championship: the Organisation Committee in a turmoil" (PDF) (Press release). FIRA-AER. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  10. "European Championship U18 - Group D". FIRA-AER. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  11. "U NEDJELJU 3.4.HRVATSKA U18-MAĐARSKA U18". Croatian Rugby Federation (in Croatian). Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  12. "2011 U18 Justin Bridou European Championship > Elite Group". FIRA-AER. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  13. "2011 U18 Justin Bridou European Championship > Division 1". FIRA-AER. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  14. "2011 U18 Justin Bridou European Championship > Division 2". FIRA-AER. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  15. "2011 U18 Justin Bridou European Championship > Division 3". FIRA-AER. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  16. U18 - The final will be Ireland Vs England FIRA-AER website, accessed: 18 April 2011
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