Team Belgium, the Belgian Barbarians will play host to Team Ireland, the Irish Wolfhounds, in Ostend, Belgium, Saturday, September 7.
These two teams faced each other a year ago at Navan RFC field in Navan, Ireland and Ireland came out on top 20-19 to mark their first ever international win. The previous game played by the Irish side before that was in 2016 when they lost a rain-shortened game 20-0 to Holland’s Dutch Lions.
The Barbarians played two international exhibition games in 2017 defeating Team Spain 18-16 in a controversial thriller, and then downing the Russian national team 7-2 in a tight defensive battle.
Since 2014, the Team Belgium has been one of the busiest national teams in Europe playing between two and four games a year. Apart from the two games in 2017, in 2016, they beat both Spain and Hungary. In 2015, they played four games including a tough loss to Holland in a European qualifier in front of almost 5,000 roaring Dutch fans.
Spencer Wood has taken over the coaching duties of Team Belgium from Lee Rosky, who stepped down last year after four years in charge of the program in Belgium. He has added All-Europe running back Jaycen Taylor as running backs coach, and Saarland Hurricanes (German Football League) head coach Joe Sturdivant as defensive coordinator.
Ireland’s head coach Ciaran O’Sullivan has guided the squad since its resurgence and was behind Ireland’s historic first win in 2018. His offensive coordinator is Andrew Dennehy and defensive coordinator is Brendan Kelliher.