Greece defeats Turkey in European Rugby League women’s match

Greece’s women’s rugby league team made history on Sunday, September 25 by claiming their first-ever victory against Turkey 8-4 in the European Rugby League competition.

The women’s Euro B (Southern Group) match between Greece and Turkey was held at the Istanbul Technical University Stadium.

The last time the women’s teams met was in Edirne, Turkey in 2019, with Turkey claiming the win 40-4.

This year, only eight of the Greek women who played in the previous encounter were in head coach Stuart McLennan’s squad, but they showed composure and resilience to come out victorious in the end.

Velissaria (Valia) Koutsioumpa made her international debut on the day and scored two tries.

With just a few minutes left in the match and with the score tied at 4-4, Greece’s defensive strategy come to the fore and made for a great and historic game ending.

This victory comes as Greece’s men’s rugby league team also looks set to make history next month as they play in their first ever World Cup.

The 24-player Greek squad for the Rugby League World Cup 2021 is made up of five Australian NRL players, as well as some players from the Australian junior league and eight domestic players from Greece.

They will play their first match against France on October 17 this year at Eco-Power Stadium in Doncaster, UK, followed by matches against Samoa and England on October 23 and October 29 respectively.