The 2008 European Sevens Championship was a rugby sevens competition, with the final held in Hanover, Germany. It was the seventh edition of the European Sevens championship and also functioned as a qualifying tournament for the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. The event was organised by rugby's European governing body, the FIRA – Association of European Rugby (FIRA-AER).

Outcome

The finals tournament held in Hanover, Germany on 12 and 13 July 2008, as well as being the European Sevens Championship, functioned as a qualifying tournament for the world cup. England, France and Scotland had already qualified through their past performance.Portugal take Hannover 7's Title therugbyworldcup.co.uk, accessed: 26 January 2009 The five best nations out of the twelve participating ones qualified for the Dubai tournament. Teams finished in the following order:Die Endplatzierungen Hanover Sevens website, accessed: 25 January 2009 PlaceCountry 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

Bid On 16 June 2007, the FIRA congress in Monaco decided to award the finals tournament to Hanover, beating bids from Russia, Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the process.And now for something completely different: ENC 7's 2008 in Hannover accessed: 26 January 2009

Tournament history From 2002, FIRA, the governing body of European rugby, has been organising an annual European Sevens Championship tournament. A number of qualifying tournaments lead up to a finals tournament, which functions as the European championship and, in 2008, also as the qualifying stage for the Sevens World Cup.The 7s European Championship Hanover Sevens website – History of the tournament, accessed: 25 January 2009

The first European Championship was held in 2002 in Heidelberg, Germany, and was won by Portugal, the team that won every championship since except 2007, when Russia won.

The next year, the tournament was again held in Heidelberg and in 2004, Palma de Mallorca, Spain was the host.

From 2005 to 2007, Moscow was the host of the tournament.

Hanover held the tournament for the first time in 2008 and will do so again in 2009.

Tournament

Stadium

The finals tournament was held at the AWD-Arena in Hanover, home ground of the football club Hannover 96. The stadium holds 50.000 spectators, 43,000 of them on seats, the rest standing.AWD-Arena – facts Hanover Sevens website – stadium information, accessed: 25 January 2009

The tournament was seen by over 30,000 spectators, a good turn out in a country like Germany, where rugby is not a mainstream sport.Ultimate Sevens website Article on the Hanover Sevens, accessed: 26 January 2009 After selling more than 35,000 tickets in advance, mostly within Germany, the organisers were forced to open up the upper tier of the stadium to meet demand.Germans go sevens-crazy The Independent, accessed: 26 January 2009

Qualifying Twelve teams qualified through the seven qualifying tournaments, held at the following locations: LocationCountryDateWinnerRunner-up Odense Denmark 10–11 May Sopot Poland 24–25 May Zagreb Croatia 31 May-1 June Tbilisi Georgia 7–8 June Ostrava Czech Republic 14–15 June Corfu Greece 20–21 June Moscow Russia 28–29 June Source:

Group stage The tournament was divided into a group and a finals stage. In the group stage, two groups of six teams were drawn. Within each group, each team played each other once. The top two teams went to the Cup stage of the tournament while the third and fourth placed team qualified for the Plate stage. Five and six went to the Bowl finals. Qualified for the Cup stageQualified for the Plate stageQualified for the Bowl stage

Group A   POR GEO ESP GER RUS ROM Portugal– 26–10 28–5 14–12 45–5 38–0 Georgia–– 28–5 26–0 5–0 12–0 Spain––– 26–22 7–29 14–0 Germany–––– 17–12 24–21 Russia––––– 19–19 Romania––––––

TeamPldWDLPFPA+/-Pts 550015132+11915 54018131+5013 520357107-509 52037599-249 511374100-268 501431100-696

Group B   WAL IRE ITA UKR POL Bel Wales– 26–14 33–12 21–17 38–7 33–12 Ireland–– 17–12 26–7 17–7 31–0 Italy––– 31–15 40–0 17–10 Ukraine–––– 21–14 22–12 Poland––––– 21–19 Belgium––––––

TeamPldWDLPFPA+/-Pts 550015164+8715 540110552+5313 530211475+3911 520384104-209 510449135-867 500553124-715

Finals Three separate rounds of finals were held, Bowl, the lowest, Plate and Cup. The semi final winners of each group went on to the final while the losers played each other. All teams from the Cup stage were qualified for the next sevens world cup and also the Plate winner.

Bowl Winner: Russia

Plate Winner: Italy (qualified for the 2009 Sevens world cup)

Cup Winner: Portugal (all four teams qualified for the 2009 Sevens world cup)

Top point scorers Points Name Team Tries Con Pen Drop Pedro Leal 6 22 0 0 Merab Kvirikashvili 6 11 0 0 Martin Roberts 5 10 0 0 Ian Keatley 4 9 0 0 Mustafa Güngör 4 8 0 0 Oleh Kvasnytsya 7 0 0 0 Andrew Maxwell 5 3 0 0 Alexander Gvozdovskiy 3 8 0 0 Juan Cano 6 0 0 0 César Sempere 3 7 0 0 Matthieu Franke 4 4 0 0 Key: Con = conversions; Pen = penalties; Drop = drop goals

Teams

Belgium Head coach: Neil Massinon

Manager: Thierry Massinon PlayerClub Mathieu Verschelden ASUB Waterloo Alexandre Van Pestel R.S.C. Anderlecht Johann Bombaerts ROC Ottignies Jérémy Maes ASUB Waterloo Kevin Williams Seapoint David Nemsadze Domont Morgan Croisy ASUB Waterloo Jérôme Cauwe ASUB Waterloo Simon Marote Arras Neil Massinon Brussels Barbarians Jerôme Bize Tours Source:

Georgia Head coach: Kakhaber Alania PlayerClub Shalva Sutiashvili AC Bobigny 93 Rugby Simon Maisuradze ASM Clermont Auvergne Giorgi Chkhaidze Massy Bidzina Samkharadze FC Farul Constanţa Merab Kvirikashvili Section Paloise Alexander Todua Lelo Giorgi Shkinini Hooligana Jaba Bregvadze Kochebi Lasha Khmaladze Lelo Alexander Nizharadze Kochebi Beka Tsiklauri Irakli Gundishvili Périgueux Source:

Germany Head coach: Lofty Stevenson PlayerClub Franck Moutsinga Berliner RC Mustafa Güngör RG Heidelberg Tim Kasten Southend RFC Markus Walger RK Heusenstamm Clemens von Grumbkow RC Orléans Christopher Weselek RG Heidelberg Matthieu Franke RC Orléans Alexander Pipa TSV Handschuhsheim Benjamin Simm DSV 78/08 Ricklingen Mike Härtel TSV Victoria Linden Stefan Kunde SC 1880 Frankfurt Benjamin Krause DSV 78/08 Ricklingen Source:

Ireland Head coach: Jon Skurr PlayerClub Cian Aherne Leinster Richard Briggs Esher RFC Kieran Campbell Connacht Darren Cave Ulster James Coughlan Munster Eoghan Grace Chris Henry Ulster Ian Keatley Connacht Seamus Mallon Ulster Conor McPhillips Connacht Andrew Maxwell Edinburgh Brian Tuohy Cornish Pirates Source:

Italy Head coach: PlayerClub Kris Burton RC Orléans Benjamin De Jager Benetton Treviso Gabriele Gentile Unione Rugby Capitolina Alvaro Lopez-Gonzalez Petrarca Padova Rugby Antonio Mannato Gran Parma Rugby Roberto Mariani Rugby Viadana Alessandro Onori Gran Parma Rugby Davide Pastormerlo Rugby Rovigo Tomas Pucciariello Rouen Michele Sepe Unione Rugby Capitolina Marko Stanojevic Rugby Calvisano Benjamin Tomaghelli US Rugby Brescia Source:

Poland Head coach: PlayerClub Tomasz Grodecki Budowlani Łódź Maciej Maciejewski Budowlani Łódź Artur Maros Budowlani Łódź Tomasz Kozakiewicz Budowlani Łódź Rafał Janeczko Folc AZS Warszawa Wojciech Łukasiewicz Folc AZS Warszawa Jakub Lisiewski Folc AZS Warszawa Mariusz Motyl Arka Gdynia Marek Płonka Lechia Gdańsk Patryk Narwojsz Czarni Pruszcz Gdański Dawid Banaszek CS Bourgoin-Jallieu Donald Gargasson ASM Clermont Auvergne Source:

Portugal Head coach: Tomaz Morais PlayerClub Aderito Esteves David Mateus C.F. Os Belenenses Goncalo Foro Vasco Uva Montpellier Hérault RC Pedro Silva Pedro Leal Antonio Pinto Diogo Mateus C.F. Os Belenenses Frederico Oliveira Pedro Cabral CDUL Sebastiao Cunha Antonio Aguilar Source:

Romania Head coach: PlayerClub Carl Cimpoias Henley Hawks Florin Vlaicu Steaua Bucuresti Bogdan Bradu RC Timișoara Florin Surugiu Olimpia Bucuresti Andrei Filip Dinamo București Ionuț Florea FC Farul Constanta Mădălin Lemnaru RC Brasov Viorel Lucaci U. Baia Mare Valentin Ivan Dinamo București Marian Dumitru FC Farul Constanta Daniel Nainer Steaua Bucuresti Razvan Suteu Grivita Bucuresti Source:

Russia Head coach: Claude Saurel PlayerClub Evgeny Bystryakov "Slava" Moscow Igor Galinovskiy "Krasniy Yar" Krasnoyarsk Andrey Kuzin "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region Andrey Garbuzov "Krasniy Yar" Krasnoyarsk Evgeny Matveev "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region Alexey Panasenko "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region Yuri Kushnarev "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region Alexander Shakirov "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region Alexander Gvozdovskiy "Krasniy Yar" Krasnoyarsk Oleg Kobzev "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region Victor Gresev "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region Sergey Gavryushin "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region Source:

Spain Head coach: José Ignacio Inchausti PlayerClub Jaime Nava Club Alcobendas Rugby Diego Á. Gorosito Valladolid RAC Rafael Camacho CAR Inés Rosales Juan Cano CR Cisneros Javier Canosa CRC Madrid Noroeste Pablo Feijoo Leicester Tigers Sergi Guerrero UE Santboiana Facundo Lavino CRC Madrid Noroeste Víctor Marlet UE Santboiana Ignacio Martín Bera Bera RT Pedro Martín Valladolid RAC Cesar Sempere CRC Madrid Noroeste Source:

Ukraine Head coach: Michel Bishop PlayerClub Ruslan Tserkovnyy Kredo-63 Odesa Vitaly Orlov Enisey-STM Maksim Kravchenko Olimp Kharkiv Sergey Tserkovnyy Olimp Kharkiv George Gegidze Kredo-63 Odesa Oleg Kvasnitsa Obolon-Universitet Khmelnytskyi Jaba Malaguradze Kredo-63 Odesa Vyacheslav Ponamorenko Olimp Kharkiv Alexandr Lubyy Olimp Kharkiv Giorgi Todradze Kredo-63 Odesa Bogdan Zhulavskyi Kredo-63 Odesa Source:

Wales Head coach: Gareth Baber PlayerClub Johnathan Edwards Scarlets Lee Beach Neath RFC Rhodri McAtee Cornish Pirates Lee Williams Scarlets Martin Roberts Scarlets James Lewis Newport Gwent Dragons Gareth Chapman Cardiff RFC Alec Jenkins London Welsh RFC James Merriman Neath RFC Dafydd Hewitt Cardiff Blues Andy Powell Cardiff Blues Richie Pugh Cardiff RFC Source:

References

External links

Portugal lead Euro charge to 2009 RWC Sevens IRB website – Article on the 2009 Sevens world cup qualifying Hannover sevens website FIRA-AER official website