São Paulo – The Brazilian women’s rugby team finished among the ten best in the Sevens Rugby World Cup, held last weekend in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The champion was Australia and New Zealand finished second.
Brazil was the only Latin American country present and competed in the championship against 15 other countries. In addition to the winners, also participating were South Africa, Canada, China, Spain, the United States, France, the Netherlands, England, Italy, Japan, Russia, Thailand and Uganda.
The Brazilian team had three wins and three losses. Brazil defeated Thailand, Uganda and Russia, and lost to Spain, Canada and China. It was the first time that Brazil participated in the world cup for the sport. Specialised Websites considered the result good, taking into consideration that the sport is not popular in Brazil.
The Brazilian team members were Beatriz Futuro, Bruna Lotufo, Mariana Ramalho, Julia Sarda, Gabriela Bittencourt, Natasha Olsen, Paula Ishibashi, Jéssica Santos, Gabriela Ávila, Bárbara Santiago, Emily Barker and Cristiana Futuro. They play for clubs such as Atlético São Paulo, from the capital of São Paulo, Niterói, from the state of Rio de Janeiro, Bandeirante, from Rio Claro, in the interior of São Paulo, and Desterro, from the state of Santa Catarina.
Beatriz and Cristiana are sisters. The technical commission was comprised of Flávio Santos, coach, Mauricio Migliano, technical assistant, Allan Martins, physiotherapist, and Jose Alpuim, manager. The competition took place from March 05 to 07.
Sevens rugby is very similar to traditional rugby, but with variations with regard to the number of players and the duration of each match. It is popular in Europe and Oceania. Athletes use their hands and feet to play, with an oval ball.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
