Little Belgium has a big rugby heart
Assistant coach Simon Leader gives the inside track on the rise of rugby in Belgium
Our season finished with a big win over Portugal in the play-off to maintain our position in next season’s Rugby Europe Championship but, it is fair to say, it has not been an easy year.
Beginning my third season as part of the Belgium coaching team, I and the other coaches had been excited by the prospect of facing some big names in the world game. We were confident we had found our level in this tournament immediately below the Six Nations and would be able to impose ourselves in the group.
Things, however, did not quite go to plan and the experience of the other teams, particularly Russia, Georgia and Romania shone through. We were far from embarrassed but finished on the wrong side of the scoresheet in all five of our matches. We still felt, though, that we deserved our chance to play there again next year and, with that in mind, attacked Portugal with everything we had, winning 29-18 in Brussels.
On the day we were the better team and probably played our best 80 minutes of the season. We stayed up. Mission accomplished!
Behind the scenes, as a rugby nation we need to evolve. We have managed to stay up this season in spite of, rather than because of, the off-field organisation.
Two days’ preparation, players unavailable due to work, lack of funding… these are all problems that we as coaches shouldn’t need to be concerned with but we are, regularly.
Our squad is made up of professionals, semi-professionals and amateurs picked from France, England and Belgium. Whether they are paid or not has no bearing on their application to their country. Each one will always give it their all.
It is the disparity in skill levels with which we struggle, and with very limited preparation time before matches, something that we find hard to properly address.
With more time and funding to support our work, I am confident that our goals for the season would not simply be to stay up. We could look at a top three finish and then, who knows, a World Cup. If we can apply the passion, harness the work rate and develop the skills, we could be the next European team entering the debate about promotion and relegation involving the Six Nations.
Our captain this season typifies all that is good about our rugby. A full-time professional in France’s ProD2 league, Jens Torfs is a class act both on and off the field.
If you want to be the best player on the park, he is your bench mark to beat, week-in, week-out. His passion for his country is something to behold as well.
Among the other pros, Julien Berger is another who stands out. Jean-Baptiste de Clerc, Guillaume Piron and Charles Reynaart have all played their part, too.
As the club scene in Belgium produces teams that peak and trough, with different champions in each of the last three seasons, we need to look at the strength coming through. Our U20s finished fifth in the European Championship second tier.
Now we must develop our coaching support throughout the country, ensuring players get the best opportunities to develop. The very best players will be tempted by France and England and we need to embrace this and work with the clubs to maintain a good working relationship.
For now, we will continue to fight for this little country with a big heart. Allez Belgique!