National rugby sevens team to train at La Vila ground

The men's rugby seven national team have now finished their break following their participation in the Hamilton and Sydney Oceanic Series, and come together again to prepare for the next two rounds in Los Angeles and Vancouver. These will be the first in which they will not compete with their female counterparts, and therefore they will recover the competition format of last season, with quarter-finals and semifinals in both the cup standings (the eight best that qualify for the cup), and in the challenge (the remaining classified from the ninth place).

The HSBC World 7s Series are the top worldwide competitors of the Olympic rugby modality, and in it the 15 best selections around the globe are competing. ‘Los Leones 7’s’ earned their place as “core team” or fixed team in 2017, and since then they have fought every year to remain among the best in the ten venues or rounds that are held around the five continents.

On this occasion the national coach, Pablo Feijoo, has chosen Villajoyosa to as a training base for these important to the sixteenth matches. Both the Alicante climate and the fantastic facilities of El Pantano - home of the La Vila Rugby Club and one of the best rugby installations in Spain - have been key to making the decision.

Feijoo will be present at training, with captain Paco Hernández in the lead. They are joined by young talents who have been training with the national team for a while such as Martín Alonso, Nil Vessuri, Juandre Kleynhans, Enrique Bolinche, Jorge Calvo and Francisco Cosculluela. The best news is the return of Alejandro Alonso, undoubtedly one of the fundamental members of the Spanish team, who seems to be 100% better following an injury that kept him off the field for six months.

The Leones will face their main rival, Wales, in the group stage.