World Beach Rugby Tournament in Alcudia

All day Saturday the teams battled it out for supremacy and then on Sunday the best of the best took part in the semi finals and finals. Interspersed with the matches were skills clinics and training sessions from on site elite players, working with the competitors to improve their basic rugby skills and teach them some new ones. Those same elite players were definitely spotted hopping on and off the pitch throughout the competition helping out the teams as and when they needed it.

The competition consisted of short matches between all the teams, 4 minutes each way with a minute’s break at half time, with the finals being played slightly longer at 6 minutes each way. It was 5 players to a side with rolling substitutions being made by the reserve players waiting in the wings, full contact tackles and no scrums or lineout’s involved. Play was fast and constant with teams restarting swiftly after scoring, smooth substitutions and nothing halting progress for long. The players worked hard under a hot weekend sun and more than one match ending with the players dunking themselves into the sea to cool off.

The atmosphere at the games was extremely friendly with a small crowd of spectators mingling happily with the players and the teams showing nothing but love for each other off the pitch, On the pitch there was the occasional descent into chaos as a tackle or try caused a spark of violence to ensue during play but these incidents were short lived and the players inevitably finished the match with hand shakes. The DJ up on his stage kept the tunes pumping out all weekend and more than one player was caught dancing when they were supposed to be paying attention. At the end of the weekend it was an all French final in the Men’s tournament with team Brive (FRA) V’s team Seventise (FRA) and a win for Brive.

The beach bar beer tent did an absolutely roaring trade in San Miguel and barbeque burgers and there was a real festival atmosphere kicking in by late afternoon with everyone swigging cold beers and dancing in the sun, Some perhaps partook a little too freely of the beer and there was one or two players who did not make it to their last matches of the day, but I suppose that’s why you have substitutes. The after parties were of course held at the Banana Club who sponsored the event and also hosted the awards ceremony on Sunday night, but how many people survived the beach party and into the club is anybody’s guess.

Other sponsors of the weekend were Rhino Teamwear, Ca’l Lloro restaurant and hotel in Pollenca, Shamrock Irish bar from Port D’Alcudia who made a large impact sponsoring uniforms and teams, San Miguel of course providing beer and shade with seating areas and umbrellas, and the Bellevue hotel in Port D’Alcudia with whom World Beach Rugby had an accommodation deal for the players of the event.

The only negative of the weekend was that the Women’s tournament was somewhat overlooked, only 3 of the 17 teams signed up were women and they were all from Mallorca, which begs the question of whether their competition was promoted abroad in the same way the men’s was, the ‘also women’s rugby’ afterthought tacked onto WBR’s twitter bio would suggest probably not and for some reason neither the finalists nor the winners of the Women’s beach rugby tournament have been published online.

That aside (and hopefully rectified by next time) the weekend was a great success, fun was had by players and supporters alike and the kids clinic sessions held with the elite players will ensure the next generation of Beach Rugby aficionados. The weekend will have ended with some serious San Miguel hangovers and some sun and sand burn, but I don’t think either of those will stop any one from signing up again next time.