Spain's Women's Rugby Team Plays First-Ever Home International in Seville, Losing 0-20 to South Africa
Spain's women's rugby team, Las Leonas, played the first women's international ever staged in Seville on October 4, losing 0-20 to South Africa in the WXV Global Series at the La Cartuja sports complex. A capacity crowd turned out, and captain Lourdes Alameda marked the occasion by winning her 50th cap for Spain.
South Africa imposed their physical game from the start. Catha Jacobs scored the opening try in the 14th minute and Jacomina Cilliers converted for 0-7; a Cilliers penalty in the 32nd minute made it 0-10 at half-time.
Four minutes into the second half Aseza Hele crossed for a second try to stretch the lead to 0-15, and Cilliers completed the scoring with a try of her own in the 67th minute for the final 0-20. Spain also lost key players Ana Peralta and Claudia Peña to injury during the match.
The test closed a month-long block of training and competition for Spain, following two WXV Global Series Challenger matches in Hong Kong, a defeat to Fiji and a win over Samoa, with the fixture against Brazil cancelled. Las Leonas return to action in April in the Rugby Europe Championship, where a place at the next World Cup will be at stake.
(Source: Spanish Rugby Federation)
Source: Spanish Rugby Federation
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Higueras entrega el premio “Todos somos estudiantes” a Las Leonas de rugby 01.jpg。CC BY 4.0 | Diario de Madrid，Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Higueras entrega el premio “Todos somos estudiantes” a Las Leonas de rugby 01.jpg. CC BY 4.0 | Diario de Madrid, via Wikimedia Commons.
