Sides from six nations – Holland, England, Wales, France, Germany and the Czech Republic – will take part in the second annual Rotterdam 9s.
Organised by the Nederlandse Rugby League Bond, last year’s (inaugural) 9’s saw teams from Belgium and Australia take part, in what is a truly cosmopolitan day. This year’s event is to be hosted by Rotterdam Pitbulls RLFC, at Rotterdamse Studented Rugby Club, on Saturday 8 April, with the first game due to kick off at 10.00 and the final around 18:00 hours.
“We are very excited about the tournament after 2016’s being such a success,” said Jason Bruygoms, NRLB development officer and Rotterdam 9s coordinator. “We hope the Rotterdam 9s will become a highly respected event in the international calendar, while retaining a distinctly club feel. We hope to expand the tournament each year to include more teams.
“The nines concept is a great development tool, and it gives both the sport and us some great exposure just before the domestic season starts on 22 April.”
The NRLB will play a four-team championship this year for the first time in its history, following last year’s successful formation of Harderwijk Dolphins RLFC.
