2020 Rugby League European Championships
The 2020 Rugby League European Championships were a series of international rugby league tournament that were scheduled to place in October and November 2020. The tournaments were severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background
A restructured European Championship system was announced in January 2020, with Euro A to be contested by six teams across two pools. Euro B and C remained a three-team competition, while a Euro D was introduced for the first time consisting of four teams.
COVID-19 cancellations and aftermath
In July 2020, the top tier tournament was cancelled in due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with postponement to 2021 was not possible due to participating teams competing in the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup (which iself was eventually postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic).[1] The remainder of the competition was postponed to 2021, however Euro C required a second postponement and was subsequently cancelled.
The next edition of the tournament was intended to be in 2023,[2][3] however that ended up postponed due to France withdrawing as hosts of the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.[4]
In March 2025, the ERL announced the return of the tournament starting in October, thus officially canceling the 2023 edition.[5]
Euro A
| 2023 European Championship | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Matches played | 7 |
< 2018 2023 > | |
Planned fixtures
Draw
Six teams were to have competed in the 2020 edition, with Italy and Spain joining the four teams that participated in 2018. The teams were split into two pools of three, where the winners would have contested a final and the bottom teams would have been relegated to the 2022 European Championship B.[6]
The draw was conducted on 31 January 2020 at the Red Star Sport Society Media Centre in Belgrade by Stevan Stevanovic and Jelena Stojiljkovic, the captains of Serbia's mens and women's rugby league teams respectively.[7]
Group A1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to Final |
| 2 |  Italy
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  Scotland
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to Euro B |
Group A2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ireland
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to Final |
| 2 |  Spain
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  Wales
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to Euro B |
Final
7/8 November 2020
|
| Winner of A1 | v | Winner of A2 |
|---|---|---|
Euro B
| 2021 European Championship B | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 3 |
| Host country |  Serbia |
| Winner | Serbia (4th title) |
| Matches played | 3 |
| Points scored | 262 (87.33 per match) |
| Tries scored | 50 (16.67 per match) |
| Top scorer |  Oleksandr Skorbach (46) |
| Top try scorers | Anatolii Hrankovskyi (4) Oleksandr Skorbach (4) Rajko Trifunović (4) |
< 2018 2023 > | |
The 2021 European Championship B was an international rugby league tournament that took place in October 2021, originally scheduled to take place in October 2020.[8][9] The tournament was postponed in July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] A revised schedule was announced in April 2021,[11] and the tournament details were confirmed in August 2021.[12]
Background
Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine played each other once in a round robin format. Ukraine entered the tournament after the 2020 European Championship C was cancelled.[11] Greece withdrew as their domestic competition was yet to restart.[12][13] The winner of the tournament will be promoted to 2022 European Championship.[14]
John Risman, who is a lifetime honorary president of Serbian Rugby League presented the trophy and medals to the winner of the tournament.[15] The tournament was won by Serbia, with Ukraine finishing runner-up and Russia third.
Participants
| Team | Captain | Coach | Previous Apps |
Previous best result | World Ranking[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Russia
|
Andrey Zdobnikov | Roman Ovchinnikov
|
5 | Champions (2010 East, 2012–13, 2018) | 37 |
| Serbia
|
Stevan Stevanović |  Darren Fisher
|
5 | Champions (2007, 2010 West, 2014–15) | 15 |
| Ukraine
|
Oleksandr Skorbach | Gennady Veprik
|
3 | Runners-up (2010 East) | 39 |
Squads
On 29 September 2021, each competing nation announced their squads for the tournament.[14]
Serbia
Stefan Simovic (RLC Dorcol Tigers), Aleksandar Pavlovic, Djordje Krnjeta, Dragan Jankovic, Dzavid Jasari, Enis Bibic, Nemanja Manojlovic, Stevan Stevanovic, Vladimir Milutinovic (RLC Partizan 1953), Lazar Zivkovic, Mihajlo Jovic, Stefan Arsic (RLC Radnicki Nis), Aleksandar Djordjevic, Marko Jankovic, Milos Calic, Milos Zogovic, Miodrag Tomic, Nikola Djuric Rajko Trifunovic, Stefan Nedeljkovic, Vojislav Dedic (RLC Red Star)
Russia
Ilia Danilov (RC Dinamo), Evgenii Chevankov, Artem Egorov, Roman Ovchinnikov, Sergei Sazonov, Pavel Smirnov, Dmitrii Strukov, Ivan Suracov, Ivan Troitskii, Artem Tiutrin, Ivan Vabishchevich, Andrei Zdobnikov (RLC Locomotive), Egor Petukhov (RC Moscow Dragons), Vadim Buriak, Igor Chuprin, Aram Gazarian, Anton Matiushkin, Zakir Prizniakov (RLC Olimp), Andrey Perin (RC Spartak), Kirill Bozhko, Maxim Martynov (RC Zelenograd)
Ukraine
Liubomyr Beznoshchuk, Vitalii Boichuk (Carpathian Trinity), Anatolii Hrankovskyi, Taras Kolisnyk, Vitalii Puchkov, Dmytro Semerenko, Oleksandr Shcherbyna, Oleksandr Skorbach, Oleksandr Syvokoz, Mykhailo Troian, Evhenii Trusov, Bohdan Vepryk, Ihor Yurkin (Kharkiv Legion XIII), Valentyn Korchak, Orest Adamyk, Valentyn Koval, Danylo Kozak, Igor Vashchuk (Lviv Tigers), Volodymyr Radchyk (Rivne Giants)
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbia
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 28 | +92 | 4 | Promotion to Euro A |
| 2 | Ukraine
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 114 | 72 | +42 | 2 | |
| 3 | Russia
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 162 | −134 | 0 |
Fixtures
| Serbia
|
66–10 | Russia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Djordjević (3), Arsić (2), Vl. Dedić (2), Pavlović (2), Bibić, Djurić, D. Janković, Trifunović Goals: Jašari (7/13) |
Report (IRL) Report (ERL) Report (SRL) |
Tries: Egorov, Sazonov Goals: Vabishchevich (1/2) |
| Russia
|
18–96 | Ukraine
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Chuprin, Troitskii, Vabishchevich Goals: Vabishchevich (3/3) |
Report (IRL) Report (ERL) |
Tries: Skorbach (4), Adamyk (2), Hrankovskyi (2), Kolesnik (2), Kozak (2), Trusov (2), Beznoshchuk, Puchkov, Shcherbyna, Troyan Goals: Skorbach (12/17), Beznoshchuk (0/1) |
| Ukraine
|
18–54 | Serbia
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Hrankovskyi (2), Shcherbyna Goals: Skorbach (3/3) |
Report (IRL) Report (ERL) |
Tries: Trifunović (3), Milutinović (3), Arsić, Vl. Dedić, Stevanović, Zogović Goals: Jašari (7/10), Vo. Dedić (0/1) |
Euro C
| 2020 European Championship C | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 3 |
< 2018–19 2025 > | |
The 2020 European Championship C was a planned international rugby league tournament that would have taken place in October and November 2020.[19]
Background
In April 2021, after initially being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tournament, which was originally postponed until 2021, was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions in Germany and Norway prevented the competition taking-place.[19][20] Three teams were to compete in the tournament, down from the six that participated in the 2018–19 edition. The three teams are Germany, Norway, and Ukraine.
The tournament was intended to be postponed to 2022, but was never played.[19]
Participants
| Team | Captain | Coach | Previous Apps |
Previous best result | World Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Germany
|
TBA | TBA | 1 | Third place (2018–19) | TBA |
 Norway
|
TBA | TBA | 3 | Runners-up (2010, 2013, 2018–19) | TBA |
| Ukraine
|
TBA | TBA | 4 | Champions (2009, 2013, 2016) | TBA |
Original fixtures
Euro D
| 2021 European Championship D | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host country |  Turkey |
| Winner |  Netherlands (1st title) |
| Matches played | 4 |
| Points scored | 208 (52 per match) |
| Tries scored | 34 (8.5 per match) |
| Top scorer | Auke Idzerda (28 points) |
| Top try scorer | Joran Schoenmaker (5) |
2025 > | |
The 2021 European Championship D was an international rugby league tournament. Originally scheduled to take place in October and November 2020 the championship was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic following a meeting of the European Rugby League (ERL) in July 2020.[21] Four teams competed in the tournament; Czechia, Malta, Netherlands and Turkey.
The tournament was won by the Netherlands who beat Czechia 36–10 in the final.
Background
After initially being rescheduled following the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was planned to be played to be played in May and June 2021 with the teams being drawn into two groups of two. The groups would play two games, one home and one away; with the aggregate winners of the two groups meeting in a final.[22][23] In April 2021 the Rugby League European Federation announced that the tournament will be played at a single venue and that the format of the tournament will not be as originally announced.[24]
The revised draw, venue and format were announced on 1 September 2021. The games were all staged in Bodrum, Turkey on 14 and 17 October and was a single-leg knock-out tournament. To give each team two matches, the losers of the first round games met in a third-place game.[25]
Participants
| Team | Captain | Coach | Previous Apps |
Previous best result | World Ranking[b] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Czech Republic
|
Tomáš Řičica | David Lahr
|
0 | Debut | 22 |
 Malta
|
Shan Francois Hussain | Roderick Attard
|
0 | Debut | 16 |
| Netherlands
|
Ben Dommershuijsen | Kane Krlic
|
0 | Debut | 25 |
| Turkey
|
Doruk Çeliktutan | Julien Treu
|
0 | Debut | 24 |
Squads
On 13 October 2021, each competing nation announced 19-man squads for the tournament.[27]
Czech Republic
Antonín Berk, Daniel Veselý, Filip-Daniel Kittl, (Krupka Dragons), David Bělohlávek, Jan Říha, Erik Schulz (Slávia Hradec Králové), Jakub Hudrlík, Jan Hovard, Josef Chuchlík, Martin Kubát, Matěj Greenwood, Taras Turkevyč, Tomáš Horák (Mad Squirrels Vrchlabí), Jiří Pecina, Ondřej Preininger, Tomáš Řičica (Chrudim Rabbitohs), Jan Pecháček (Vlci Trutnov), Roman Richtr (Barbarians Letohrad), Tomáš Kasík (Black Angels Hodonín)
Malta
Alfie Jewitt (Ackworth Jaguars), Justin Barlogio (DC Slayers), Dean Zammit (Hunslet), Christian Briffa, Mark Camilleri, Shaun Chircop, Jeremy Dela, Aidan Demicoli, Shan Francois Hussain (IKHAL), Cameron Brown, Russell Bugeja, Robin Cutajar, Justin Farrugia, James Grech, Jean Scholey, Jean Pierre Zarb, Luke Musu (ISWED), Zarrin Galea (Redcliffe Dolphins), Karl Cassar (Shaw Cross Sharks)
Netherlands
Adam Braksator, Bonne Wilce, Frank Longhurst, Lucas Gout, Maurits Thomson, Paul Dirkzwager, Romeo Goldman, Thomas Farrell (Den Haag Knights), Arie-Tjerk Razoux Schultz, Daniel de Ruiter, (Haderwijk Dolphins), Auke Idzerda, Ben Dommershuijsen, Edson Neves, Isaac Ngirubiu, Shadan Lavia (Rotterdam Pitbulls), Joran Schoenmaker, Laury Renac, Mauricio Gomez Pazos, Paul Kuijpers (Zwolle Wolves)
Turkey
Alperen Kademli, Can Günersu, Erdem Çağdaş, Kemal Ege Gürkan (Ankara Frigler), Mert Tayyar Berktav (Bilgi Badgers), Miraç Ertürk, Ahmet Tarik Tekin, Batuhan Balçin, Doruk Çeliktutan, Oğuzhan Demir, Ozan Işik, Rama Kabak, Taner Burak, Yusuf Can Tunç (Kadiköy Bulls), Selçuk Cömert (Kandira Ragbi), Errol Carter (London Skolars), Behzad Bayram (Rg Heidelberg), Oğuzhan Tirendez, Ömer Faruk Pir (Trakya Ragbi)
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||
| Malta
| 16 | ||||||
| Czech Republic
| 40 | ||||||
| Czech Republic
| 10 | ||||||
| Netherlands
| 36 | ||||||
| Netherlands
| 40 | ||||||
| Turkey
| 18 | Third place | |||||
| Malta
| 12 | ||||||
| Turkey
| 36 | ||||||
Fixtures
Semi-finals
| Malta
|
16–40 | Czech Republic
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Scholey, Barlogio, Galea Goals: Galea (2/3) |
Report (IRL) Report (ERL) |
Tries: Bělohlávek, Preininger, Řičica (2), Hudrlík (2), Horák Goals: Hudrlík (6/7) |
| Netherlands
|
40–18 | Turkey
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Shoenmake (2), Ngirubiu, Farrell (2), Renac Goals: Idzera (8/8) |
Report (IRL) Report (ERL) |
Tries: Demir, Ertürk, Çeliktutan Goals: Bayram (3/3) |
Play-offs
| Malta
|
12–36 | Turkey
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Zammit, Cutajar Goals: Galea (2/2) |
Report (IRL) Report (ERL) |
Tries: Demir, Işik, Çeliktutan, Bayram, Balçin, Tayyar Berktav, Tirendez Goals: Bayram (4/7) |
| Czech Republic
|
10–36 | Netherlands
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Veselý, Kasík Goals: Veselý (1/2) |
Report (IRL) Report (ERL) |
Tries: Schoenmaker (3), Lavia, Razoux Schultz, De Ruiter Goals: Idzera (6/9) |
Notes
- ^ IRL World Rankings are as of July 2021.[16]
- ^ IRL World Rankings are as of July 2021.[26]
- ^ Netherlands promoted to the 2023 European Championship B as well as progressing to the qualifying tournament for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.[30]
References
- ^ "Rugby League European Federation confirms status of 2020 European Championships". European Rugby League. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ "ERL Congratulates World Cup Organizers & Outlines International Fixture Schedule". europeanrugbyleague.com. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
- ^ Willacy, Gavin (23 February 2023). "The European Championship offers rugby league fans quirky delights". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ "European Championships cancelled as international calendar left in tatters". LoveRugbyLeague. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2510/three-tier-mens-european-rugby-league-ch
- ^ "Men's European Championship to expand in 2020". European Rugby League. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Draw for the Euros to be Live Streamed". www.rlef.eu.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
- ^ "Men's European Championship to expand in 2020". www.rlef.eu.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "Draw for the Euros to be Live Streamed". www.rlef.eu.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Rugby League European Federation confirms status of 2020 European Championships". www.rlef.eu.com. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ a b "European rugby league board confirm revised international schedule". European Rugby League. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Euro B confirmed for Serbia". European Rugby League. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "All Stars Beat England". Rugby League Review (153): 28.
- ^ a b "Squads Announced for Rugby League Euro B Championship".
- ^ "John Risman to Present Trophy and Medals to Euro B Winner".
- ^ "Cook Islands rise 17 places in latest Rugby League World Rankings". Rugby League International Federation. 13 July 2019.
- ^ a b c "Squads Announced For Rugby League Euro B Championship". European Rugby League. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "Serbia vs. Ukraine - Rugby League Project".
- ^ a b c "European rugby league board confirm revised international schedule". Rugby League European Federation. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "Rugby League European Federation confirms status of 2020 European Championships". www.rlef.eu.com. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ "Rugby League European Federation confirms status of 2020 European Championships". www.rlef.eu.com. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ "Men's European Championship to expand in 2020". www.rlef.eu.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Draw for the Euros to be Live Streamed". www.rlef.eu.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "European rugby league board confirm revised international schedule". Rugby League European Federation. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "Euro D Draw Confirmed". europeanrugbyleague.com. European Rugby League. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Cook Islands rise 17 places in latest Rugby League World Rankings". Rugby League International Federation. 13 July 2019.
- ^ "Euro D Championship set for kick off - with added World Cup incentive". europeanrugbyleague.com. European Rugby League. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "Czech Republic vs. Malta - Czech Republic 40 def. Malta 16".
- ^ "Turkey vs. The Netherlands - Turkey 18 lost to the Netherlands 40".
- ^ "Czech Republic 10 v 36 Netherlands". europeanrugbyleague.com. European Rugby League. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.