Vilamoura XV Rugby Club are feeling confident this season, not only because the club won again last weekend, but also because they are proving they can live with the best in 1st Division B in Portuguese Rugby. The team beat Evóra Rugby Club 27-20 last weekend, leaving them second in the league with good prospects of reaching the final four to avoid having to go to the relegation play-offs in the second phase of the season.
The Évora game was a hard fought one with the score remaining very close at 22-20 until the final moments. The home side started well, with the strong wind in their favour proving decisive for getting the first points on the board. But the early advantage was not sufficient to give the Vilamoura side an easy run in the second half and Évora came back as expected, managing to score a try. However, home boy, Eddie Cooper, saved the day with a push-over try in the last moments, securing another win for Vilamoura.
Highlights of this week’s game were Man-of-the-Match, Miguel Caldeira, who was simply everywhere, Igor Scaletchi’s never-ending tackling and try-machine Vitali Scerbina.
On another note, Vilamoura XV Rugby Club said farewell to its South African player, Mark Walburger, on Saturday evening. Mark is returning to his home country after more than a year of playing rugby in Portugal. He will be missed for his excellent service and skills in the scrum-half position and for his friendliness and sympathy off the pitch.
