# 2008 European Sevens Championship

The 2008 European Sevens Championship was a rugby sevens competition, with the final held in Hanover, Germany. It was the seventh edition of the European Sevens championship and also functioned as a qualifying tournament for the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens. The event was organised by rugby's European governing body, the FIRA – Association of European Rugby (FIRA-AER).

## Outcome

The finals tournament held in Hanover, Germany on 12 and 13 July 2008, as well as being the European Sevens Championship, functioned as a qualifying tournament for the world cup. England, France and Scotland had already qualified through their past performance. The five best nations out of the twelve participating ones qualified for the Dubai tournament. Teams finished in the following order:
| Place | Country |
| 1st | Portugal |
| 2nd | Wales |
| 3rd | Georgia |
| 4th | Ireland |
| 5th | Italy |
| 6th | Spain |
| 7th | Germany |
| 8th | Ukraine |
| 9th | Russia |
| 10th | Romania |
| 11th | Poland |
| 12th | Belgium |

## Bid

On 16 June 2007, the FIRA congress in Monaco decided to award the finals tournament to Hanover, beating bids from Russia, Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the process.

## Tournament history

From 2002, FIRA, the governing body of European rugby, has been organising an annual European Sevens Championship tournament. A number of qualifying tournaments lead up to a finals tournament, which functions as the European championship and, in 2008, also as the qualifying stage for the Sevens World Cup.
The first European Championship was held in 2002 in Heidelberg, Germany, and was won by Portugal, the team that won every championship since except 2007, when Russia won.
The next year, the tournament was again held in Heidelberg and in 2004, Palma de Mallorca, Spain was the host.
From 2005 to 2007, Moscow was the host of the tournament.
Hanover held the tournament for the first time in 2008 and will do so again in 2009.

## Tournament
### Stadium

The finals tournament was held at the AWD-Arena in Hanover, home ground of the football club Hannover 96. The stadium holds 50.000 spectators, 43,000 of them on seats, the rest standing.
The tournament was seen by over 30,000 spectators, a good turn out in a country like Germany, where rugby is not a mainstream sport. After selling more than 35,000 tickets in advance, mostly within Germany, the organisers were forced to open up the upper tier of the stadium to meet demand.

### Qualifying

Twelve teams qualified through the seven qualifying tournaments, held at the following locations:
| Location | Country | Date | Winner | Runner-up |
| Odense | Denmark | 10–11 May | Wales | Ireland |
| Sopot | Poland | 24–25 May | Ireland | Poland |
| Zagreb | Croatia | 31 May-1 June | Italy | Germany |
| Tbilisi | Georgia | 7–8 June | Wales | Ukraine |
| Ostrava | Czech Republic | 14–15 June | Portugal | Spain |
| Corfu | Greece | 20–21 June | Spain | Russia |
| Moscow | Russia | 28–29 June | Portugal | Russia |
Source:"Qualifying". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-25.

### Group stage

The tournament was divided into a group and a finals stage. In the group stage, two groups of six teams were drawn. Within each group, each team played each other once. The top two teams went to the Cup stage of the tournament while the third and fourth placed team qualified for the Plate stage. Five and six went to the Bowl finals.
* Qualified for the Cup stage
* Qualified for the Plate stage
* Qualified for the Bowl stage

#### Group A

| | POR | GEO | ESP | GER | RUS | ROM |
| Portugal | – | 26–10 | 28–5 | 14–12 | 45–5 | 38–0 |
| Georgia | – | – | 28–5 | 26–0 | 5–0 | 12–0 |
| Spain | – | – | – | 26–22 | 7–29 | 14–0 |
| Germany | – | – | – | – | 17–12 | 24–21 |
| Russia | – | – | – | – | – | 19–19 |
| Romania | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/- | Pts |
| Portugal | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 32 | +119 | 15 |
| Georgia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 81 | 31 | +50 | 13 |
| Spain | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 57 | 107 | -50 | 9 |
| Germany | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 75 | 99 | -24 | 9 |
| Russia | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 74 | 100 | -26 | 8 |
| Romania | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 100 | -69 | 6 |

#### Group B

| | WAL | IRE | ITA | UKR | POL | Bel |
| Wales | – | 26–14 | 33–12 | 21–17 | 38–7 | 33–12 |
| Ireland | – | – | 17–12 | 26–7 | 17–7 | 31–0 |
| Italy | – | – | – | 31–15 | 40–0 | 17–10 |
| Ukraine | – | – | – | – | 21–14 | 22–12 |
| Poland | – | – | – | – | – | 21–19 |
| Belgium | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | +/- | Pts |
| Wales | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 64 | +87 | 15 |
| Ireland | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 105 | 52 | +53 | 13 |
| Italy | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 114 | 75 | +39 | 11 |
| Ukraine | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 84 | 104 | -20 | 9 |
| Poland | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 49 | 135 | -86 | 7 |
| Belgium | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 53 | 124 | -71 | 5 |

### Finals

Three separate rounds of finals were held, Bowl, the lowest, Plate and Cup. The semi final winners of each group went on to the final while the losers played each other. All teams from the Cup stage were qualified for the next sevens world cup and also the Plate winner.

#### Bowl

Winner: Russia
| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| Russia | 27 |
| Belgium | 0 | | |
| Belgium | 0 | Russia | 29 |
| | | Romania | 12 |
| Poland | 7 | Romania | 12 |
| Romania | 21 | | |
| Romania | 21 | 3rd place | 3rd place |
| | | Belgium | 0 |
| | | Poland | 26 |

#### Plate

Winner: Italy (qualified for the 2009 Sevens world cup)
| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| Spain | 22 |
| Ukraine | 10 | | |
| Ukraine | 10 | Spain | 17 |
| | | Italy | 24 |
| Italy | 21 | Italy | 24 |
| Germany | 19 | | |
| Germany | 19 | 3rd place | 3rd place |
| | | Ukraine | 14 |
| | | Germany | 35 |

#### Cup

Winner: Portugal (all four teams qualified for the 2009 Sevens world cup)
| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| Portugal | 14 |
| Ireland | 12 | | |
| Ireland | 12 | Portugal | 26 |
| | | Wales | 12 |
| Wales | 19 | Wales | 12 |
| Georgia | 14 | | |
| Georgia | 14 | 3rd place | 3rd place |
| | | Ireland | 7 |
| | | Georgia | 26 |

## Top point scorers

| Points | Name | Team | Tries | Con | Pen | Drop |
| 74 | Pedro Leal | Portugal | 6 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | Merab Kvirikashvili | Georgia | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | Martin Roberts | Wales | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Ian Keatley | Ireland | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Mustafa Güngör | Germany | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Oleh Kvasnytsya | Ukraine | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Andrew Maxwell | Ireland | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Alexander Gvozdovskiy | Russia | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Juan Cano | Spain | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | César Sempere | Spain | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Matthieu Franke | Germany | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Key: Con = conversions; Pen = penalties; Drop = drop goals

## Teams
### Belgium

Head coach: Neil Massinon
Manager: Thierry Massinon
| Player | Club |
| Mathieu Verschelden | ASUB Waterloo |
| Alexandre Van Pestel | R.S.C. Anderlecht |
| Johann Bombaerts | ROC Ottignies |
| Jérémy Maes | ASUB Waterloo |
| Kevin Williams | Seapoint |
| David Nemsadze | Domont |
| Morgan Croisy | ASUB Waterloo |
| Jérôme Cauwe | ASUB Waterloo |
| Simon Marote | Arras |
| Neil Massinon | Brussels Barbarians |
| Jerôme Bize | Tours |
Source:"Team Belgium". Hanover Sevens website. Archived from the original on 2008-08-09. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Georgia

Head coach: Kakhaber Alania
| Player | Club |
| Shalva Sutiashvili | AC Bobigny 93 Rugby |
| Simon Maisuradze | ASM Clermont Auvergne |
| Giorgi Chkhaidze | Massy |
| Bidzina Samkharadze | FC Farul Constanţa |
| Merab Kvirikashvili | Section Paloise |
| Alexander Todua | Lelo |
| Giorgi Shkinini | Hooligana |
| Jaba Bregvadze | Kochebi |
| Lasha Khmaladze | Lelo |
| Alexander Nizharadze | Kochebi |
| Beka Tsiklauri | |
| Irakli Gundishvili | Périgueux |
Source:"Team Georgia". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Germany

Head coach: Lofty Stevenson
| Player | Club |
| Franck Moutsinga | Berliner RC |
| Mustafa Güngör | RG Heidelberg |
| Tim Kasten | Southend RFC |
| Markus Walger | RK Heusenstamm |
| Clemens von Grumbkow | RC Orléans |
| Christopher Weselek | RG Heidelberg |
| Matthieu Franke | RC Orléans |
| Alexander Pipa | TSV Handschuhsheim |
| Benjamin Simm | DSV 78/08 Ricklingen |
| Mike Härtel | TSV Victoria Linden |
| Stefan Kunde | SC 1880 Frankfurt |
| Benjamin Krause | DSV 78/08 Ricklingen |
Source:"Team Germany". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Ireland

Head coach: Jon Skurr
| Player | Club |
| Cian Aherne | Leinster |
| Richard Briggs | Esher RFC |
| Kieran Campbell | Connacht |
| Darren Cave | Ulster |
| James Coughlan | Munster |
| Eoghan Grace | |
| Chris Henry | Ulster |
| Ian Keatley | Connacht |
| Seamus Mallon | Ulster |
| Conor McPhillips | Connacht |
| Andrew Maxwell | Edinburgh |
| Brian Tuohy | Cornish Pirates |
Source:"Team Ireland". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Italy

Head coach:
| Player | Club |
| Kris Burton | RC Orléans |
| Benjamin De Jager | Benetton Treviso |
| Gabriele Gentile | Unione Rugby Capitolina |
| Alvaro Lopez-Gonzalez | Petrarca Padova Rugby |
| Antonio Mannato | Gran Parma Rugby |
| Roberto Mariani | Rugby Viadana |
| Alessandro Onori | Gran Parma Rugby |
| Davide Pastormerlo | Rugby Rovigo |
| Tomas Pucciariello | Rouen |
| Michele Sepe | Unione Rugby Capitolina |
| Marko Stanojevic | Rugby Calvisano |
| Benjamin Tomaghelli | US Rugby Brescia |
Source:"Team Italy". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Poland

Head coach:
| Player | Club |
| Tomasz Grodecki | Budowlani Łódź |
| Maciej Maciejewski | Budowlani Łódź |
| Artur Maros | Budowlani Łódź |
| Tomasz Kozakiewicz | Budowlani Łódź |
| Rafał Janeczko | Folc AZS Warszawa |
| Wojciech Łukasiewicz | Folc AZS Warszawa |
| Jakub Lisiewski | Folc AZS Warszawa |
| Mariusz Motyl | Arka Gdynia |
| Marek Płonka | Lechia Gdańsk |
| Patryk Narwojsz | Czarni Pruszcz Gdański |
| Dawid Banaszek | CS Bourgoin-Jallieu |
| Donald Gargasson | ASM Clermont Auvergne |
Source:"Team Poland". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Portugal

Head coach: Tomaz Morais
| Player | Club |
| Aderito Esteves | |
| David Mateus | C.F. Os Belenenses |
| Goncalo Foro | |
| Vasco Uva | Montpellier Hérault RC |
| Pedro Silva | |
| Pedro Leal | |
| Antonio Pinto | |
| Diogo Mateus | C.F. Os Belenenses |
| Frederico Oliveira | |
| Pedro Cabral | CDUL |
| Sebastiao Cunha | |
| Antonio Aguilar | |
Source:"Team Portugal". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Romania

Head coach:
| Player | Club |
| Carl Cimpoias | Henley Hawks |
| Florin Vlaicu | Steaua Bucuresti |
| Bogdan Bradu | RC Timișoara |
| Florin Surugiu | Olimpia Bucuresti |
| Andrei Filip | Dinamo București |
| Ionut Florea | FC Farul Constanta |
| Mădălin Lemnaru | RC Brasov |
| Viorel Lucaci | U. Baia Mare |
| Valentin Ivan | Dinamo București |
| Marian Dumitru | FC Farul Constanta |
| Daniel Nainer | Steaua Bucuresti |
| Razvan Suteu | Grivita Bucuresti |
Source:"Team Romania". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Russia

Head coach: Claude Saurel
| Player | Club |
| Evgeny Bystryakov | "Slava" Moscow |
| Igor Galinovskiy | "Krasniy Yar" Krasnoyarsk |
| Andrey Kuzin | "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region |
| Andrey Garbuzov | "Krasniy Yar" Krasnoyarsk |
| Evgeny Matveev | "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region |
| Alexey Panasenko | "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region |
| Yuri Kushnarev | "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region |
| Alexander Shakirov | "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region |
| Alexander Gvozdovskiy | "Krasniy Yar" Krasnoyarsk |
| Oleg Kobzev | "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region |
| Victor Gresev | "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region |
| Sergey Gavryushin | "VVA-Podmoskovje" Moscow region |
Source:"Team Russia". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Spain

Head coach: José Ignacio Inchausti
| Player | Club |
| Jaime Nava | Club Alcobendas Rugby |
| Diego Á. Gorosito | Valladolid RAC |
| Rafael Camacho | CAR Inés Rosales |
| Juan Cano | CR Cisneros |
| Javier Canosa | CRC Madrid Noroeste |
| Pablo Feijoo | Leicester Tigers |
| Sergi Guerrero | UE Santboiana |
| Facundo Lavino | CRC Madrid Noroeste |
| Víctor Marlet | UE Santboiana |
| Ignacio Martín | Bera Bera RT |
| Pedro Martín | Valladolid RAC |
| Cesar Sempere | CRC Madrid Noroeste |
Source:"Team Spain". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Ukraine

Head coach: Michel Bishop
| Player | Club |
| Ruslan Tserkovnyy | Kredo-63 Odesa |
| Vitaly Orlov | Enisey-STM |
| Maksim Kravchenko | Olimp Kharkiv |
| Sergey Tserkovnyy | Olimp Kharkiv |
| George Gegidze | Kredo-63 Odesa |
| Oleg Kvasnitsa | Obolon-Universitet Khmelnytskyi |
| Jaba Malaguradze | Kredo-63 Odesa |
| Vyacheslav Ponamorenko | Olimp Kharkiv |
| Alexandr Lubyy | Olimp Kharkiv |
| Giorgi Todradze | Kredo-63 Odesa |
| Bogdan Zhulavskyi | Kredo-63 Odesa |
Source:"Team Ukraine". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

### Wales

Head coach: Gareth Baber
| Player | Club |
| Johnathan Edwards | Scarlets |
| Lee Beach | Neath RFC |
| Rhodri McAtee | Cornish Pirates |
| Lee Williams | Scarlets |
| Martin Roberts | Scarlets |
| James Lewis | Newport Gwent Dragons |
| Gareth Chapman | Cardiff RFC |
| Alec Jenkins | London Welsh RFC |
| James Merriman | Neath RFC |
| Dafydd Hewitt | Cardiff Blues |
| Andy Powell | Cardiff Blues |
| Richie Pugh | Cardiff RFC |
Source:"Team Wales". Hanover Sevens website. Retrieved 2009-01-26.