Spain's Iberians Close Tbilisi Cup With a 15-48 Loss to Currie Cup Champions Griquas After Leading Early On
Castilla y León Iberians, Spain's professional rugby franchise, closed their Tbilisi Cup campaign on October 4 with a 15-48 defeat to South Africa's Suzuki Griquas at the Avchala Rugby Stadium in Tbilisi. The Griquas are the reigning Currie Cup champions.
The Iberians set the early pace: Estanislao Bay scored the opening try and Bautista Güemes added the conversion for a 7-0 lead, and the Spanish side were still ahead 10-5 during the first half. The South Africans' greater physical power gradually told, however, and they pulled away.
Valentino Rizzo's try in the 69th minute was the Iberians' only score of the second half, and the match ended 15-48.
Despite the closing defeat, the tournament brought a landmark result for the Iberians, who had beaten South Africa's Toyota Cheetahs earlier in the competition. Coached by Raúl Pérez, the 29-man squad's trip to Georgia forms part of Spanish rugby's high-performance programme on the road to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
(Source: Spanish Rugby Federation)
Source: Spanish Rugby Federation
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：ST vs Harlequins - Match-26.jpg。CC BY-SA 3.0 | PierreSelim，Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: ST vs Harlequins - Match-26.jpg. CC BY-SA 3.0 | PierreSelim, via Wikimedia Commons.
