Cyprus Falls Short Against Andorra in Limassol

Cyprus 19 - 28 Andorra

Saturday 5 April 2025

Tsirio Stadium, Limassol

Rugby Europe Men’s Conference

Cyprus Rugby faced a determined Andorran side at the Tsirio Stadium in a hard-fought Rugby Europe Conference encounter. Despite a spirited performance and the support of an enthusiastic home crowd, the Mighty Mouflons couldn't overcome a resilient Andorra in a fixture that entered the history books as Cyprus’ final match under the leadership of Head Coach, Andrew Binikos, and the fourth encounter between the teams. As the clock went red, the score was sealed at 19 - 28 in favour of the visitors.

Crowd fills stadium stands under a metal roof on a sunny day. Blue seating and visible sign "EXIT." Lively, packed atmosphere. — A passionate crowd gathered in Limassol to support the Mighty Mouflons

New Caps Give Cyprus an Advantage

Despite the result, there was little difference between the sides, with three tries and two conversions apiece. Discipline proved challenging across the field and saw the referee reaching for the yellow card five times – three for Cyprus and two for Andorra. In the end, three successful penalty kicks ultimately proved to be the margin of victory in the match.

The starting lineup featured the two new caps - Marcus Kay at 5 and Joseph Ridgewell at 6 - contributing to a solid Cyprus scrum; an advantage that will surely hold Cyprus in good stead going forward.

Rugby players in white uniforms gather on a sunny field with a referee in green. Visible text includes "rugby europe." Background shows stadium seats. — New caps Joseph Ridgewell (far left) and Marcus Kay (second from left)

While the result was disappointing, the Mouflons can take heart from their overall performance, which demonstrated fighting spirit and attacking capability. They will go away and analyse their mistakes and build on the positives as they look ahead to their next fixture against Israel on Saturday 26 April.