Ampo Ordizia Concludes Season with Defeat Against Burgos

The Goierri team was unable to overcome Burgos in the league play-off quarterfinals, falling 17-13.

Generic image of a rugby ball on grass, with blurred goalposts in the background.
IA

Generic image of a rugby ball on grass, with blurred goalposts in the background.

The Ampo Ordizia season concluded this Sunday with a respectable 17-13 defeat against Burgos in the Castilian city, during the league play-off quarterfinals.

The Goierri club could not surprise the second-placed team from the regular phase and was eliminated in the single match of the play-off quarterfinals for the league title. The team delivered a strong performance and remained competitive throughout the game, but it was not enough to defeat one of the championship contenders.
At times, the Goierri players gave their fans reasons to dream of victory. Both Ordizia and Burgos played a very even first half. The Gipuzkoan team, without pressure and with nothing to lose, responded to every score from the home side by seeking a try. With the wind against them, the Goierri squad could barely use kicks to gain ground.
Ampo narrowly avoided what could have been the first try of the match, but shortly after, the home team took the lead with a penalty kick. Ordizia tried to respond with a score and dangerously entered the opponent's 22, but failed to achieve their objective, and Burgos extended their lead with another kick (6-0). An Ordizia player narrowed the gap with a kick that the home team neutralized before halftime (9-3).
Ampo Ordizia maintained its ambition in the second half of the match, but it was Burgos who increased their score. In a quick attack by the home team, a player resisted the tackle attempts of two Ordizia players and scored a try near the sideline, making it 14-3. After an hour of play, the team scored their first try in a fast-paced attack, following a good combination among several players.
Burgos responded with a penalty kick (17-8), and Ordizia, with a numerical advantage, retaliated with another play where they moved the ball from side to side for a player to achieve the final 17-13. The team fought until the final minutes for a try that would turn the score around, without luck, and had to settle for having achieved an 8-10 partial in this second period.
At the beginning of the season, Ampo Ordizia aimed to qualify among the top six at the end of the first phase of the competition and thus re-enter the play-off for the title. After a poor start to the league, the Ordizia players fought until the eleventh round to secure that sixth place, but lost to Cisneros and fell to Group B. In the second phase of the season, the team managed to avoid the two relegation spots and, in their second opportunity, secured a place in the play-off for the title after two seasons of absence.
Beyond the results, the season has been marked by the arrival of a new coach and new ideas, as well as numerous changes in key positions within the squad. The season was plagued with new signings and injuries, but despite all these setbacks, Ampo Ordizia managed to make it to the play-offs and, above all, secured their permanence in an increasingly demanding league, which will be reduced to just ten teams next season.