Andorra Rugby Sevens Cabrits Claim Fifth at Europe Conference 1 in Comeback Win

Andorra's rugby sevens team, the Cabrits, secured fifth place at the Europe Conference 1 men's tournament at Estadi Nacional in Andorra la Vella with a 14-7 comeback victory over Bulgaria in the fifth-place match.

The competition concluded Sunday after two days of play. On Saturday, Andorra opened with a narrow 5-12 defeat to Israel at 9:44am, followed by a commanding 25-0 win against Serbia at 4:44pm. Points from the group stage carried over to a second pool Sunday morning, where the Cabrits beat Slovenia 29-0 at 11:16am but lost 19-12 to Luxembourg at 1:32pm. That result, combined with the overall points tally across the three groups, eliminated their chances of a top-four finish and promotion to the Trophy division.

Dropped to the consolation bracket, Andorra defeated Serbia 31-12 to reach the fifth-place final. Trailing 0-7 at halftime against Bulgaria, the Cabrits rallied in the second half as Ian Granyena and Hugo Llata scored tries, both converted by Sacha Franken for the winning margin.

Israel claimed the title with a 38-10 final victory over Austria, while Cyprus took bronze by edging Luxembourg 17-12. Austria and Israel earned promotion.

The women's event, held Friday and Saturday without Andorra—their team plays in a higher division—ended with Finland's 26-5 final win over Latvia. Both teams gained Trophy promotion.

Albert Calvó, president of the Andorran Rugby Federation, described the outcome as positive despite the semifinal miss. He highlighted how the Luxembourg defeat decided their path, adding that Rugby Europe was pleased with the first Conference 1 event at Estadi Nacional. Last year's tournament occurred at the Ordino Tecnification Centre.