Spain Set To Learn Fate: “Either we are Europe 1 or we are disqualified”

Spain is set to learn its fate today. In the words of Head Coach Santiago Santos “either we are Europe 1 or we are disqualified“. His comments come ahead of the highly important decision from World Rugby following the scandal that has shaken Rugby Europe and RWC qualification to its core.

Yesterday saw the beginning of the sanctioning process. Five players from Spain were suspended for their participation in an ugly sequence of referee abuse that followed the controversial match in Brussels.

A lot surrounds the match in question, both before and after it had been played. A chronological detailing of the events can be seen here.

Of the five Spanish players suspended by Rugby Europe the player with the longest sentence is Sebastien Rouet (43 weeks). Despite this being a very long suspension the Spanish rugby community has taken it, and the others, as being lenient punishment. Calls had been made from within Rugby Europe to ban Sebastian Rouet for five years.

Spain’s Head Coach Santiago Santos noted how the players were handling Rugby Europe’s decision to sanction five players:

“Some of the players told me that they do not want to even train or play rugby. Beyond the sanction they are disillusioned with rugby and this is very sad.”

Santos made note that Rugby Europe had not done a good job with the appointment of match officials for the game in Brussels.

“I want to believe in justice, that rugby is a fair sport. I believe that the appointment of the referee and the refereeing was unfair and that justice is going to be done.”

In losing to Belgium Spain finished behind Romania in the Rugby Europe Championship. This saw Romania qualifying for RWC 2019 as Europe 1. Spain finished as Europe 2, setting them up to play against Portugal in a play-off with Samoa awaiting the winner.

World Rugby agreed that Belgium vs Spain should be replayed though there are even more serious issues. There is proven breaching of player eligibility rules by Romania. Center Sione Faka’osilea starts in six of Romania’s eight RWC qualifying matches despite not being eligible. It came just days after World Rugby had disqualified Tahiti from RWC qualifiers on the same grounds.

Spain has two players in a similar position to Faka’osilea. Both Mathieu Bélie and Bastien Fuster played u20’s for France in matches which are technically ‘binding.‘

Yet unlike Faka’osilea the cases of Bélie and Fuster are not so straight forward. Faka’osilea represented Tonga at sevens, specifically at the Gold Coast stop on the 2013-14 World Sevens circuit. Spain maintain that neither the union nor Bélie or Fuster were notified by France in written or oral form that they were bound to the FFR.

Santos told Spanish media outlet Revista22:

“It could come to be that we are disqualified. I am confident that we have done well and the eligibility of the players is being reviewed. Our cases that are in doubt are Bélie and Fuster based on involvement for France’s u20’s in 2008. I don’t think there are any problems. I am happy with what we have done but I don’t know who this will end up. Either we are Europe 1 or we are disqualified.”

Spain is set to learn its fate today. Regardless of the result it is to be unprecedented for Spanish rugby. Either the country will be disqualified from the RWC qualifiers or Spain will be cleared and will replace Romania s Europe 1. The latter being the case means Japan vs Spain would be the tournament opener for RWC 2019.