15 June 2026 | Estonian Rugby Union
The Estonia Men’s 7s team finished fourth at the Rugby Europe 7s Conference 2 Championships in Istog, Kosovo. A medal slipped away in two extremely tight matches: a 14–17 semi-final defeat to Gibraltar and a 17–22 bronze medal match loss to San Marino.
Full tournament results
Day 1: Estonia 31–5 Greece | Estonia 32–10 Kosovo | Estonia 15–28 Slovakia
Day 2: Semi-final: Gibraltar 17–14 Estonia | Bronze: San Marino 22–17 Estonia
Final position: 4th out of 8 nations
Three points from the final, five from bronze
In the semi-final, Gibraltar went 17–0 up in the first 6 minutes. Estonia fought back to 7 points, then won the second half 0–7, but three points ultimately separated the team from the final. In the bronze match Estonia were level on the scoreboard before San Marino pulled away.
Estonia have now finished fourth three years running — always close to the medals, but always one step away. The margins shrink every year, and this year’s deficit was the narrowest yet.
Ardo Kuus and Rauno Liitmäe shine
Estonia scored 19 tries across the tournament — strong attacking output across five matches, with at least nine different try scorers.
- Ardo Kuus — 5 tries (among the tournament’s best scorers); outstanding speed and endurance throughout.
- Rauno Liitmäe — 3 tries on debut at the Championships. Liitmäe has been playing rugby for just 10 months; this was his first senior international tournament. Known in athletic circles as “Muhu”, he is a former Estonian decathlon team member, an NCAA All-American at the University of Missouri, and the 2025 Island Games javelin gold medallist. His athletics background — speed, strength, endurance — is ideally suited to the 7s game.
- Erich Ehte — 3 tries | Roland Kalso — 3 tries | Marvin Üürike — 1 | Tanner Saar — 1 | Guillaume Chauvet — 1
Head Coach Graham Smith
“The goal was to get a medal and we didn’t achieve it — fourth place for the second year running. The players could not have given more; every match was maximum effort. 7s is a brutal and unforgiving format — we lost the semi-final by three points and the bronze by five. Those were matches we could have won, but one missed chance or one mistake and you’re punished immediately. I am extremely proud of the players and their commitment. Our physical condition has never been better — thanks to our physiotherapist Siret Täks, all 12 players were fit and match-ready at the end of the Championships. We will work hard to be even more competitive next year.”
Final standings
- Slovakia (promoted to Conference 1)
- Gibraltar
- San Marino
- Estonia
- Montenegro
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Greece
- Kosovo
Photos: Rugby Europe Scoreplay
Support the teams
Women’s 7s: try.ragbi.ee/naised | Men’s 7s: try.ragbi.ee/mehed
Media contact: Paul Davidson | teamestonia@ragbi.ee