Credit: RCL
Rugby Club Luxembourg’s (RCL) Touch team was back in action in the 2nd leg of the Belgian League Mixed Open Touch rugby series in Liège on Sunday 13 March 2022.
RCL Touch had a core of experienced players and several new women and juniors who took the plunge for their first taste of competitive Touch.
Co-captains Hamish Cullen and Amaury Billay successfully organised the playing structures and subbing systems, allowing the newcomers to experience the challenge and intensity of competitive Touch as well as opportunities to succeed in their specific roles in the team. The experienced players built a platform for the team to put six tries past the best team in the league in their opening loss to Royal Kituro Rugby Club, who have consistently been the best team in the Belgian league.
That baptism of fire, however, included a competition-ending injury for one of RCL's top newcomers, Lone Myrtue, as well as a try on her debut for Amelie Germette. The team kicked on to record an impressive win against Liege Touch Rugby 9-6.
As RCL Touch develops as a club and a team, their aim in this league was to provide a framework for new players to both have a great time and to experience a relative level of challenge.
The most valuable players awards went to Alessia Hancock who, aged 13, showed an intuitive understanding of the game and more than kept up with her older peers, and Antonine Pfaltzgraff, whose heads up play, scything lines and big engine provided a backbone to RCL Touch's game in attack and defence.
Anyone wishing to play Touch is invited to contact RCL Touch via email: luxembourgtouch@gmail.com.
