And it's a wrap-up in the pool stage of the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship 2025, with Georgia and Portugal confirming a home championship semifinal
After the announcement last October, Portugal have been forced into making a major change to their first-ever match against Ireland, with the Portuguese Union having to change venues.
Georgia, Romania, Spain, and Portugal are heading to Australia in 2027, with all four European nations having won their second set of games in the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship, still with one round left to play.
Four teams stand just one win away from securing direct qualification for Rugby World Cup 2027, with the semi-finalists of this year’s Rugby Europe Championship guaranteed passage to Australia.
There could be significant movement in the world rankings following this weekend's matches.
Georgia, Romania, Portugal and Spain kicked their Men’s Rugby World Cup qualification hopes in great fashion, claiming bonus-point victories over Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in the first round of the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship 2025.
Romanian centurion Mihai Macovei will be involved with the Lobos setup, assisting the Portuguese national team when they travel to Romania in two weeks.
Outwith the Six Nations spotlight, emerging nations jostle for position in another thrilling REC - with the added carrot of Rugby World Cup qualification.