Historic moments as Gibraltar 7s reach Semi-finals with third win out of three

Gibraltar were to play their third match against Bosnia & Herzegovina knowing that the result would help decide the semi-final line-up in the Rugby Europe Conference 2.

Having won their first two matches, and with San Marino clinching a last-second victory over Montenegro, Gibraltar were in a strong position to progress to the semi-finals as group winners — a feat few would have believed possible on their debut in Rugby Europe competition.

After decades of waiting to play international rugby, Gibraltar were proving themselves to be a cut above the opposition they had been drawn against in Conference 2.

Just 44 seconds into the match, Gibraltar led 7-0 after a breakaway from the halfway line resulted in the opening try and conversion.

Before the match had even reached its third minute, Gibraltar were already 14-0 ahead and soon added another seven points. Splitting straight through Bosnia & Herzegovina's defence, they made it 21-0.

Disciplined, confident and with the nerves of their debut tournament now settled following their first two victories, Gibraltar looked comfortable on the field.

A fourth try arrived in the fifth minute, followed by another successful conversion to make it 28-0.

Unwilling to suffer a heavy defeat, Bosnia & Herzegovina found another gear and pushed hard into Gibraltar's defensive line, but Gibraltar held firm.

On the stroke of half-time, as the hooter sounded, Gibraltar touched down beneath the posts for another try. An easy conversion made it 35-0 at the break.

It was Gibraltar who kicked off the second half and they immediately added another five points to the scoreboard. A difficult conversion was successfully added as Gibraltar extended their lead to 42-0.

There was also a moment of great sportsmanship from Bosnia & Herzegovina when one of the Gibraltar players fell to the ground with a suspected head injury. A Bosnia player stopped play himself and rushed to assist the Gibraltar player even before his own teammates or the referee became aware of the situation, despite his side having won possession.

Gibraltar found their way over for another try with ten and a half minutes played. The conversion made it 49-0, securing what was certainly Gibraltar's historic third win in Rugby Europe 7s, while a record-breaking victory of their own looked increasingly likely.

Any doubts about Gibraltar's ability to compete at this level had been emphatically dismissed as they produced a dominant performance in only their third competitive Rugby Europe 7s match. Three wins from three had been secured.

Significantly, with the ball taken over the line in the final minute, Gibraltar completed a 54-0 victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Gibraltar now head into the semi-finals as group winners.