THE Rascals rugby sevens side continued their growth with their debut performance at the International Amsterdam Sevens tournament.

The competition, which had teams such as Ireland sevens and Italy sevens contesting for the top prize, saw the Rascals entered in the second tier of the tournament.

Day one of qualification saw the Hale-based side unbeaten with a standout 40-0 victory over the Exiled Sharks of Rotterdam – past finalists of the competition.

Going into the second day as number two seed, the Rascals had an easy victory in the quarter-final before meeting the Dutch National sevens in the semis.

The close contest saw the Rascals score a last-minute try to get them to the final, winning 12-7.

In the final they met the Kazakhstan Olympic team – a very physical and drilled side.

After a great effort the Rascals were beaten in the second half, losing 24-7.

Despite the rugby, the primary focus was the events that had taken place in Manchester and the whole team and coaching staff were honoured to lead the entire tournament in a minute's silence before the elite final.