Spain's Leonas hold strong to beat fired-up Yaras

While the Women’s Six Nations kicked off this Saturday, Spain and Brazil clashed at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Torrevieja, with the Leonas bagging a 41-12 win.

Both teams will be competing at this year’s Rugby World Cup in England, and were keen to get additional Test match minutes under their belts as they build towards the tournament.

Brazil’s Yaras had beaten Portugal the previous weekend and travelled to Spain to wrap up their European Spring tour of 2025, getting in the lead five minutes into the game. A spectacular set-piece play opened enough space for Natália ‘Poke’ Rosa to strike, with the winger sprinting unopposed to the line.

‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

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‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025

Spain would immediately react and put their first points on the scoreboard, with Lons Section Paloise Clara Piquero placing the ball down after ten phases of play. Both teams would secure a second try each, but Spain retook the lead following a well-placed kick from fly-half Amalia Argudo.

Brazil’s resilience in defence and superb performance from the scrum made Spain’s mission harder, with the locals having to pull up their sleeves to score a third try before the break. Centre Zahia Pérez broke the line after an elusive pop pass from Argudo and dived in to pull her team ahead.

With the wind at their backs, the Leonas started to get more comfortable with the ball in their possession, setting up a handful of plays that pushed Brazil back into their half. The fearless Yaras tried to fight back but the Spanish maul made a turning of events impossible, with Spain scoring three uncontested tries in the last quarter of the match.

Marieta Román and Nuria Jou with a brace added their names to the point-scorers sheet, with Argudo slotting  two successful conversions.

At the end of the game, Laura ‘Bimba’ Delgado, Spain’s captain, shared her opinion about how the match went: “It was a great test for us ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, especially as this was our first Test match of 2025.

“I think we excelled in some areas, showing some of our best features and skills, mainly the maul and the speed of our backline game. Brazil are a tough opposition and helped us find out which areas we must focus on. We will be knee-deep working to improve our game in the next few weeks.”

Spain’s Women’s Rugby Europe Championship title defence kicks-off next Saturday, with Juan González Marruecos’ side travelling to Lisbon to face Portugal.