After the game. Eugene Gillespie poses for a photo after Luxembourg's victory against Sweden in the Rugby Europe Championship Conference 1 North game on 2 November 2019 Eugene Gillespie

After the game. Eugene Gillespie poses for a photo after Luxembourg's victory against Sweden in the Rugby Europe Championship Conference 1 North game on 2 November 2019 Eugene Gillespie

Eugene Gillespie was part of the 23-strong squad to beat Sweden 0-13 in an away game on Saturday. It was the first time Luxembourg had ever won against Sweden, a victory which pushed the national squad up the world rugby rankings from 61 to 56.

“The feeling was absolutely amazing, walking out there, hearing the national anthem, knowing we had a job to do,” he told Delano on Monday. “It was pretty much extreme joy and happy to get on the field and do what was necessary for the squad and the country.”

First taste of rugby at 6

Gillespie had his first taste of rugby at a UK boarding school at the age of 6 where he fell in love with the game. He continued playing when he joined Reed’s School in Cobham, and also played in the southern counties league and in the army. Gillespie, who currently works for Cargolux, moved to Luxembourg in 2004 where he has played and coached for Rugby Club Luxembourg, one of two clubs in the country hosting senior men’s teams.

The prop was scouted during a Bundesliga 1 game against Heidelberg, the week before. “I was over the moon”, he said of being called up.

Having already played with most of his national squad teammates at RCL and Walferdange, Gillespie said it didn’t take long for the team to gel once they reached Sweden the Thursday before.

Prior to their game, the Swedish national women’s team had played Finland. This, combined with torrential rain, left a churned-up pitch for the Luxembourg game. “It was typical rugby conditions,” the prop said, adding that the standard of playing was not so different to playing in Bundesliga 1 league for RCL first XVs. “Perhaps it’s a little faster but the hits and the tackles, it’s rugby,” he said.

When not playing rugby, Gillespie, pictured, coaches at RCL. Courtesy photo

Healthy lifestyle

The memorable first for Gillespie was helped in large part by his healthy lifestyle: he doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke and credits his good health to regularly drinking beetroot juice.

He has been running marathons for the past nine years and next year plans to compete in the Remich 70.3 Ironman. Rugby, however, remains his first love and Gillespie even spends his summers playing for a club in Brazil, where the sport is rapidly gaining in popularity.

The next national game will be in six months. Regardless of the selection, his goal is to continue playing for the RCL seniors until his two sons, Eugene Louis, 15, and Joshua, 14, are old enough to play a few seasons alongside him. Eventually the rugby player would like to apply for Luxembourg nationality. “That’s something I aspire to as well, especially now that I’ve my cap,” he said.

While 50 may seem mature for a first cap, Gillespie did not break any world records. According to the Guinness World Records, the spot for oldest first cap goes to Mark Spencer who, at the age of 57, represented Qatar in the Asian 5 Nations Competition in 2012.