Luxembourg Mens Over 30s team is looking forward to the 2022 European Touch Champs (ETCs) to be held in Nottingham once again in 2022 after a 4 year hiatus due to Covid-19.
The ETCs were last held in Nottingham in the summer of 2018, and with the 2020 Championships inevitably cancelled, the Luxembourg National Touch Association (NTA) was more than happy when the 2022 was tournament was confirmed in Nottingham, UK on August 2nd-6th.
In Jan 2022 our NTA held discussions it was decided that only a Men’s Over 30s team would be entered in the 2022 ETCs. Player numbers suffered slightly over the last few years due to Covid-19, however in recent months we are now seeing a return to touch as it was previously, with new and old players arriving on the pitch again in recent months and the return of our Summer Social league for social and Corporate teams.
Our Mens 30s began their training early in the new year and with the unfortunate hiccups of a couple of withdrawals and injuries along the way, the journey has been an arduous one it times, but one that us made as stronger as a team and perhaps even more determined to do our best and gain some results at the championships.
We have been hitting the pitch for trainings every other Sunday right through the depths of winter, and have ramped up our trainings as the tournament draws closer to ensure we are match ready and match fit. With 14 games proposed to be played over the 5 days of the tournament, it will be a long and enduring competition both physically and mentally. In the M30 division we look forward to meeting the touch powerhouses of England, France, and Ireland, and also the challenge of playing our neighbours Belgium, Switzerland, and Sweden who will be entering the M30 division for the first time.
To help us in our preparation we invited the Belgium M30 team to Luxembourg to play us in a friendly match and they gladly accepted. We played a 1hr match (3 x 20minute periods) which was a good test for our fitness.
The match was fast from the get go but we were up to the task early, keeping to our structures both and attack and defense, and turned over our subs well in order to keep our legs fresh. At the end of the 1st period we had a 3-1 lead and were feeling confident. In the 2nd period Belgium sharpened up and started to find their rhythm more in attack, tying the game up at 5-all after 40 minutes. In the final period fatigue began to set-in for us which affected our attack in both execution and decision making. Our lack of match fitness also affected us defensively so at the full-time whistle Belgium came out on top 9-7. We enjoyed the game though and took heart in the many positives attributes we displayed, but took on board the areas we know we need to improve.
With only 4 weeks to go until the Championships now, we are more than excited and look forward to finally getting onto the pitch and putting into practice all that learned, especially our main attack moves all named after Luxembourgish beer brands!
We’d like to thank RCL for their support as a recognised sponsor in helping us get to Nottingham, and look forward to producing some results that the whole Luxembourg Touch family might be proud of!
You can follow our progress here:
https://www.internationaltouch.org/events/euros/2022/mens-30/
Cheers!
Luxembourg M30 Team
Touch Luxembourg 