Andorra U18 Rugby Sevens Teams Retain European Trophy Status in Budapest

Andorra's under-18 rugby sevens teams preserved their place in the European Championships Trophy division at the Budapest tournament, with the women taking sixth position and the men seventh following decisive final-day triumphs against Moldova.

Coach Gerard Giménez's women's team, known as the "grandalles," sealed their survival with a 15-0 shutout of Moldova in the second-phase mini-league. That result pushed them ahead of the Moldovans and into sixth overall, despite a 24-10 defeat to Portugal earlier in the three-team decider. Portugal's later victory over Moldova confirmed Andorra's penultimate standing in a division without relegation risk.

The women's squad comprised Èlia Taulats, Laly Moreau, Yaiza Valero, Lucie Vignard, Salma Akaou, Noa Díaz, Lua Garcia, Nihad Ruchdi, Anna Georget, Zoe Alís, and Martina Galera. They had endured a tough group stage, losing 29-10 to Portugal, 34-5 to Switzerland, and 25-0 to Sweden.

Marcelo Ponce's men's side, the "cabrits," matched that feat by edging Moldova 17-12 to lock in seventh place among eight teams and sidestep demotion to Trophy 2. The win echoed their 26-7 group-stage success over Moldova, though a 31-0 loss to Croatia had already ruled out a fifth-place push.

The men's players were Ethan Compan, Dario Rekordi, Albert Miralles, Miquel Alberca, Roc Alsina, Anton Calvet, Kilian Rubinos, Daniel Armengol, Tomàs Moreno, Yaël Massignac, Conrad Armengol, and Adrià Lechantre. Group B began poorly with a 45-5 reverse against Latvia and 31-7 to Israel.

Both teams achieved their core target of Trophy retention while building valuable match practice against top opposition at Dr. Koltai Jeno Sports Center.