Spain’s rugby team on verge of World Cup qualification

Los Leones are one win away from their first Rugby World Cup appearance for 20 years.

Football, tennis, Formula 1, basketball – these are the sports in which Spanish men and women excel.

The men’s football team in particular dominated the global game between 2008 and 2012, becoming the first ever team to win three international tournaments in a row when they triumphed at Euro 2008, the World Cup 2010, and Euro 2012…

But there is one globally popular sport in which Spain has been a relative underachiever: rugby. The Rugby World Cup is, after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, the third-most watched sporting tournament on the planet, and the next one is held in Japan in 2019.

Now, while New Zealand’s All Blacks are the clear favourites, and Ireland, England and Australia would all be hoping to reach the final four, a number of European teams have the simple aim of not being embarrassed once they are at the tournament – if they can qualify, that is.

Spain took a huge step towards qualification this week after triumphing 84 – 10 against Germany, a score that is the nation’s second-highest ever. All that now stands between Spain and a place in Japan is Belgium – a win against the Belgians in Brussels would see Spain secure automatic qualification for the World Cup.

It is 20 years since Spain last graced the Rugby World Cup, so a return is long overdue. The sport is gaining popularity across the country, with even King Felipe part of a 15,000-strong crowd who saw the team vanquish the Germans.

Sure, Spain won’t be troubling the top sides anytime soon, but a high-profile participation in the next World Cup will do wonders for rugby’s image. And as we know, once Spaniards set their minds to a sport, they generally rise to the top.