Van der Velden ready for winner-takes-all "final"
Published on: 17/04/2026
Exeter Chiefs Women’s Linde van der Velden will lead the Netherlands Women as they take on Spain tomorrow.
Having beaten Belgium in the first round of the Women’s Rugby Europe Championship by 41-0 they went onto nil Portugal in the second to and scored 59 points.
With Spain also two from two, it will be round three final battle to see who takes the title.
After Spain won the title last year and denied the Netherlands from progressing to the Rugby World Cup, the women in orange will be hoping to gain supremacy in this competition.
The Netherlands’ captain Van der Velden said: “This final is very important to us. There’s been so much hard work, time, and effort put into our preparation, and now we’re ready to bring it all into the game.
“With so much young talent coming through the pathway, and the chance to play in front of an orange crowd, it makes the occasion even more special.
Netherlands v Spain game will be played at the National Rugby Center in Amsterdam tomorrow - KO 14:00 (BST).
Written By:
Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club
