2003–04 European Nations Cup First Division

The 2003–04 European Nations Cup was the fourth edition of the newly reformed European Championship for tier 2 and 3 rugby union nations. This was the second two-year cycled championship, the first to be planned from the start.

2003–04 European Nations Cup
Date16 February 2003 – 27 March 2004
Countries Czech Republic
 Georgia
 Portugal
 Romania
 Russia
 Spain
Final positions
Champions Portugal
Antim Cup Romania (2003, 2004)
Tournament statistics
Matches played29
Tries scored128 (4.41 per match)

The title was won by Portugal for the first time, with their Iberian neighbours Spain being relegated. Portugal won all their games, except to a loss abroad to Romania. The Championship saw another new face in the Czech Republic who replaced the relegated Netherlands.

Table

Place Nation Games Points Table
points
Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Difference
1 Portugal 10901245180+6528
2 Romania 10802320123+19726
3 Georgia 10514193148+4521
4 Russia 9306198175+2315
5 Czech Republic 9306139263−12415
6 Spain 10019129335−20611

Results

Week 1

16 February 2003
 Portugal 34–30  Georgia
Try: Gonçalves
Da. Mateus
Di. Mateus
Con: Malheiro (2)
Pen: Malheiro (5)
Try: Abuseridze
Katsadze (2)
Zedginidze
Con: Jimsheladze (2)
Pen: Jimsheladze
Drop: Jimsheladze

16 February 2003
 Spain 19–52  Russia
Try: Penalty try
Con: Cascarra
Pen: Cascarra (3)
Try: Fedchenko
Grachev
Kuzin
A. Sergeev
S. Sergeev
Con: Rachkov (3)
Pen: Rachkov (6)
Drop: Rachkov
Inca, Mallorca
Referee: Daniel Pruvot (France)

22 June 2003
 Czech Republic 5–42  Romania
Try: Stastny
Try: Brezoianu
Ghioc
Popescu
Sauan
Tofan
Con: Dumbrava (4)
Pen: Dumbrava (3)
Tatra Smichov Rugby Club, Prague
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Dave Pearson (England)

  • The match between the Czech Republic and Romania, originally scheduled for 15 February, was postponed.

Week 2

22 February 2003
 Georgia 34–3  Spain
Try: Gundishvili
Shvelidze
Yachvili
Zibzibadze (2)
Con: Jimsheladze (3)
Pen: Jimsheladze
Pen: Cascarra
Tbilisi
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: G. Doyle (Ireland)

22 February 2003
 Portugal 16–15  Romania
Try: Garvão
Con: Malheiro
Pen: Malheiro (2)
Drop: Tomé
Try: Manta
Tincu
Con: Tofan
Pen: Tofan

14 June 2003
 Czech Republic 27–13  Russia
Try: Camrda
Pekarek
Rohlik
Con: Kafka (3)
Pen: Kafka (2)
Try: Lubkov
Con: Rachkov
Pen: Rachkov (2)
Tatra Smichov Rugby Club, Prague
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Nereo Dordolo (Italy)

  • The match between the Czech Republic and Russia, originally scheduled for 22 February, was postponed.

Week 3

8 March 2003
 Portugal 43–10  Czech Republic
Try: Malheiro (2)
Da. Mateus
Di. Mateus
Vieira
Con: Malheiro
Cardoso Pinto (2)
Pen: Malheiro (4)
Try: Zak
Con: Krejci
Pen: Krejci

9 March 2003
 Russia 17–23  Georgia
Try: Sergeev
Pen: Rachkov (2)
Drop: Rachkov (2)
Try: Jimsheladze
Pen: Jimsheladze (6)
Stadium Junost, Krasnodar
Referee: Giovanni Morandin (Italy)

9 March 2003
 Spain 6–31  Romania
Pen: Díez
Drop: Velazco Querol
Try: Petrechei
Socol
Tofan
Con: Tofan (2)
Pen: Tofan (4)
Campo Universitário, Madrid
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Antonio Lombardi (Italy)

Week 4

22 March 2003
 Czech Republic 15–30  Georgia
Pen: Kafka (4)
Drop: Kafka
Try: Khamashuridze
Labadze
Shvelidze
Zedginidze
Zibzibadze
Con: Jimsheladze
Pen: Jimsheladze
Tatra Simchov Rugby Club, Prague
Attendance: 1,400
Referee: Carlo Damasco (Italy)

22 March 2003
 Romania 23–12  Russia
Try: Petrache
Vioreanu
Penalty try
Con: Tofan
Pen: Tofan (2)
Pen: Rachkov (4)
Dinamo Stadion, Bucharest
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Daniel Dartigeas (France)

23 March 2003
 Portugal 35–16  Spain
Try: Cunha
Sousa
Con: Malheiro (2)
Pen: Malheiro (5)
Drop: Malheiro (2)
Try: Tuineau Iloa
Con: Cascarra
Pen: Cascarra (2)
Drop: Kovalenco
Estádio Municipal, Coimbra
Referee: Jean-Luc Rebollal (France)

Week 5

29 March 2003
 Russia 14–25  Portugal
Try: Dymchenko
Pen: Akulov
Try: Cunha
Con: Malheiro
Pen: Malheiro (5)
Drop: Malheiro
Stadium Junost, Krasnodar
Referee: Mircea Paraschivescu (Romania)

30 March 2003
 Georgia 6–19  Romania
Pen: Jimsheladze (2)
Try: Brezoianu
Gontineac
Maftei
Con: Tofan (2)
Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Daniel Gillet (France)

30 March 2003
 Spain 38–40  Czech Republic
Try: Beltrán Rodriguéz
Cascarra
Loubsens
Monreal Izquierdo
Zarzosa
Con: Cascarra (2)
Pen: Cascarra (3)
Try: Rohlik
Stastny
Suster
Syrovy
Con: Kafka (4)
Pen: Kafka (4)
Campo Universitário, Madrid
Referee: Jeremy Schauder (Israel)

Week 6

14 February 2004
 Romania 55–11  Czech Republic
Try: Baraulea (2)
Gheara
Gontineac
Sauan
Teodorescu (2)
Zebega
Con: Dumbrava (6)
Pen: Dumbrava
Try: Rohlik
Pen: Kafka
Krejci
Dinamo Stadion, Bucharest
Referee: Jean-Luc Rebollal (France)

14 February 2004
 Georgia 14–19  Portugal
Try: Ghvaberidze
Kopaliani
Con: Kvnikhidze
Urjukashvili
Try: Aguilar
Con: Malheiro
Pen: Malheiro (3)
Drop: Malheiro
Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Antonio Lombardo (Italy)

14 February 2004
 Russia 36–6  Spain
Try: Fedchenko
Grachev
Korobeynikov
Korshunov
Kuzin
Rachkov
Pen: Rachkov (2)
Pen: Martinéz Torres
Stadium Junost, Krasnodar
Referee: Jean-Pierre Pellaprat (France)

Week 7

21 February 2004
 Romania 36–6  Portugal
Try: Baraulea
Mersoiu
Sauan (2)
Toderasc
Con: Dumbrava (4)
Pen: Dumbrava
Pen: Malheiro (2)
Stade 1 Mai, Constanta
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Johan Meersman (Belgium)

22 February 2004
 Spain 6–6  Georgia
Pen: Kovalenco
Martinéz Torres
Pen: Kvinikhidze (2)
Tarragona
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Mauro Dordolo (Italy)

  • The game between Russia and the Czech Republic, originally scheduled for 21 February 2004 and postponed due to snow, was not played.

Week 8

6 March 2004
 Romania 50–10  Spain
Try: Dragoș Dima
Sirbu
Socol
Teodorescu
Tincu
Toderasc
Tonita
Voicu
Con: Tofan (5)
Try: Loubsens
Con: Martinéz Torres
Pen: Martinéz Torres
Stadionul Ghencea II, Bucharest
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Jean-Christophe Gastou (France)

6 March 2004
 Georgia 9–3  Russia
Pen: Barkalaia
Jimsheladze
Drop: Jimsheladze
Pen: Rachkov
Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Joel Dume (France)

6 March 2004
 Czech Republic 8–13  Portugal
Try: Rohlik
Drop: Brabek
Try: Cunha
Garvão
Pen: Grenho
Tatra Smichov Rugby Club, Prague
Attendance: 500
Referee: Séan Mallon (Netherlands)

Week 9

20 March 2004
 Russia 33–24  Romania
Try: Grachev
Kazantsev
Klyuchnikov
Shelepkov
Con: Simonov (2)
Pen: Simonov (3)
Try: Sauan
Toderasc
Penalty try
Con: Dumbrava (3)
Pen: Dumbrava
Stadium Junost, Krasnodar
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Gérard Borréani (France)

20 March 2004
 Spain 19–35  Portugal
Try: Davila Sánchez
Velazco Querol
Pen: Kovalenco (3)
Try: Aguilar (2)
Garvão (3)
Mateus
Con: Malheiro
Pen: Malheiro
Ibiza
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Akim Hadj Bachir (France)

20 March 2004
 Georgia 23–7  Czech Republic
Try: Gorgodze
Zedginidze
Con: Kvinikhidze (2)
Pen: Kvinikhidze (3)
Try: Rohlik
Con: Krejci
Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Bernd Gabbei (Germany)

Week 10

27 March 2004
 Czech Republic 16–6  Spain
Try: Brabec
Con: Kafka
Pen: Kafka
Drop: Kafka
Pen: Martinéz Torres (2)
Tatra Smichov Rugby Club, Prague
Referee: Maurizio Vancini (Italy)

27 March 2004
 Portugal 19–18  Russia
Try: Andrade
Malheiro
Pen: Malheiro (3)
Drop: Kazantsev
Try: Kuzin
Simonov
Con: Simonov
Pen: Simonov
Municipal Stadium, Coimbra

27 March 2004
 Romania 25–18  Georgia
Try: Sirbu
Tudori
Pen: Dumbrava (2)
Tofan (3)
Try: Gorgodze
Kvinikhidze
Con: Kvinikhidze
Pen: Kvinikhidze (2)
Iași
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Stefano Mancini (Italy)

See also

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