Low country rivals battle for Euro crown

Belgium battle with Russia (with thanks to Belgian RFU)

This will be the eighth time the two teams have met in what has generally been a one-sided series, with all eight games going to the Dutch by an average margin of over 65 points. However, with most of the Netherlands top players now with the professional sevens team it is highly unlikely that we will see a difference between the teams on that scale.

The Dutch had the larger of the two semi-final wins. With the Swiss missing half their first choice pack due to injury – and then losing a wing as well before the game began – they were always going to struggle up front. However, they started promisingly and, although they conceded a try after 12 minutes, were looking dangerous at times, even though much of the game was in their end of the field.

It looked like they might go into the break just one score behind but with only a few minutes to half time came the turning point and the Dutch second try. Not only was it the timing of the score, it was the manner by which it was achieved that made the difference, the Dutch prop taking the ball 15m out and crashing through three or four tackles, knocking the Swiss defence aside like so many skittles.

As Dutch captain Petra Zwart said after the game, they had taken a while to “adjust to an unfamiliar opponent” but this score showed the way. “In the second half we found our focus and were able to put points on the board”. That focus was to use the power of their pack, which with repeated mauls ground down and exhausted the smaller Swiss team allowing the Dutch to add five more unanswered tries for a 39-0 win.

Belgium’s win was slightly closer on the scoreboard, but just as emphatic, though it was at the cost of injury to Systke d’Haeseleir, one of the key players in the team.

The first Belgian try came after eight minutes from Margaux Stévins and was soon followed by a second from Cécile Blondiau. The Russians pulled a try back (achieved through some good work by their forwards – which the Dutch will have noted) but Blondiau soon added her second and Belgium’s third for a 17-7 half-time lead.

The second half continued much as the third, with the Belgians dominating possession adding two more tries from Gaëlle Portier and Margaux Lalli giving them a 29-7 win – their first over Russia in four attempts

And so to Sunday. Switzerland will almost certainly run the Russians much closer than they did the Dutch and – if they were at full strength – would undoubtedly have started as favourites. The key will be whether their make-shift pack will be able to hold the Russians, because if they do their backs look significantly more of a threat and should carry the day.

As for the final, the one blot on the Belgian copybook – the try they conceded against Russia – will have given the strong Dutch pack a lift, added to the confidence that comes from having played 160 minutes of rugby in the past two weeks without conceding a try. The Dutch will therefore start as favourites to lift the title – but the result is by no means certain and the Belgians are very capable of winning their first game against their neighbours.

The final placings will be used to determine the European rankings from eighth-11th, with the top seven places already claimed by Spain and the Six Nations teams.

Matches will be streamed live, and recordings of the semi-finals can also be found on the same website.

Women's European Trophy finals day 2014 (ASUB Waterloo) 

2 November 

11:00 Switzerland v Russia

14:00 final Netherlands v Belgium

(all kick-off times are local time)