Castilla y León Iberians
 | |||
| Full name | Castilla y León Iberians | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 | ||
| Location | Castilla y León, Spain | ||
| Ground | Estadio Nueva Balastera (Capacity: 8,100) | ||
| Coach | Raúl Pérez | ||
| League | Rugby Europe Super Cup | ||
| 2025-26 | Champions | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
 Current season | |||
The Castilla y León Iberians is a professional Spanish rugby union team based in the Castile and León region. They compete annually in the Rugby Europe Super Cup, winning the title in 2026.[1]
History
The franchise was founded in 2021 as the Spanish representative in the Rugby Europe Super Cup. The Castilla y Leon Iberians originally took players from three Castile and León teams that play in the domestic División de Honor championship: VRAC, El Salvador, and Aparejadores.[2]
The Rugby Europe Super Cup competition initially featured 8 teams separated into two conferences of four.
For the 2021–22 season, the Iberians were placed in the Western Conference alongside Brussels Devils of Belgium, Delta of the Netherlands, and Lusitanos of Portugal.
The Iberians qualified for the semifinals, losing to Georgia's Black Lion 43-40.[3]
The following season was almost identical, with the Iberians finishing second in the West Conference, only to lose to Black Lion 41-9.[4]
For the 2023 season, the team was taken over by the Spanish Rugby Federation and the selection pool was extended from local clubs to Spanish-qualified players aged 20-24 at any club.[5]
The tournament format also experienced a change, as the four best teams were grouped together in Pool A, with the top three qualifying for the semifinals. The Iberians competed against Black Lion, Tel Aviv Heat and Lusitanos. They finished third before losing to Black Lion at the semifinal stage for the third consecutive season.[6]
The Iberians had their worst season in 2024, as Tel Aviv Heat's absence meant they had to play four group games against Black Lion and Lusitanos. They lost all four and did not qualify for the semifinals for the first time.[7]
Before the 2025-26 tournament, the purpose of the Iberians was altered once again. Instead of concentrating exclusively on Spain's best young players, the club widened its focus to become a development team for Spain's national side,[8] meaning the country's best players, regardless of age, were chosen.
The Iberians' form duly improved, and they took advantage of Black Lion's withdrawal from the competition to top the new league format after three games.[9]
Home ground
The Iberians initially played at Estadio Pepe Rojo in Valladolid, the stadium shared by VRAC and El Salvador, before moving to the San Amaro Stadium, home of Aparejadores, for the 2024 season.
As of the 2025-26 season, the team plays at the Estadio Nueva Balastera in Palencia. The stadium is shared with Palencia CF, a football club competing in Spain's Tercera Federación.
Squad
The team's current squad was announced in October 2025.[10]
| Player | Club |
|---|---|
| Vicente Del Hoyo | Les Abelles |
| Raúl Calzón | VRAC |
| Pablo Miejimolle | VRAC |
| Santi Ovejero | Aparejadores |
| Cristian Moreno | Pozuelo |
| Lucas Santamaría | Liceo Francés |
| Thierry Futeu | Liceo Francés |
| Pablo Guirao | Alcobendas |
| Antonio Suárez | Alcobendas |
| Imanol Urraza | Aparejadores |
| Matt Foulds | Santboiana |
| Vicente Boronat | Aparejadores |
| Pepe Borraz | Complutense Cisneros |
| Valentino Rizzo | Complutense Cisneros |
| Álex Saleta | VRAC |
| Pablo Pérez | Barcelona |
| Estanislao Bay | Real Ciencias |
| Nico Infer | Complutense Cisneros |
| Gonzalo Vinuesa | Complutense Cisneros |
| Alvar Gimeno | Valencia |
| Yago Fernández | Alcobendas |
| Iñaki Mateu | Aparejadores |
| Martiniano Cian | VRAC |
| Beltrán Ortega | VRAC |
| Pau Aira | Barcelona |
| Egoitz García | Ordizia |
| Beau Peart | Gernika |
| Jaime Manteca | Pozuelo |
| John Wessel Bell | Hollywoodbets Harlequins |
See also
External links
- Official website (in Spanish)
References
- ^ Rugby Europe Launches The Super Cup
- ^ dpto.prensa (2021-09-16). "Castilla y León Iberians, listos para debutar en la Rugby Europe Super Cup". Real Federación Española de Rugby - FERugby - Spanish Rugby Union (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ "Match report". Rugby Europe. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
- ^ dpto.prensa (2022-12-04). "Castilla y León Iberians cede ante el vigente campeón de la RE Super Cup". Real Federación Española de Rugby - FERugby - Spanish Rugby Union (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ Velasco, Guillermo (2023-10-18). "VRAC, El Salvador y Burgos pierden el control de Castilla y León Iberians". Diario de Valladolid (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ Valladolid, El Día de (2023-12-02). "Castilla y León Iberians cae derrotado con un rotundo marcador (41-0) frente a Black Lion". El Día de Valladolid (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ "La jugarreta de edad de Portugal para ganar a España a toda costa en la RE Supercup". Relevo (in Spanish). 2024-10-21. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ dpto.prensa (2025-09-18). "Presentación oficial de la renovada e ilusionante franquicia nacional oval: Castilla y León Iberians". Real Federación Española de Rugby - FERugby - Spanish Rugby Union (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ dpto.prensa (2025-10-24). "CYL Iberians arrolla a Romanian Wolves (62-7) y sigue intratable en la Rugby Europe Super Cup". Real Federación Española de Rugby - FERugby - Spanish Rugby Union (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ "Convocatoria de CyL Iberians para su debut en la Rugby Europe Super Cup 2025/26". Real Federación Española de Rugby - FERugby - Spanish Rugby Union (in Spanish). 6 October 2025.