After an extremely exciting duel between Ireland and the Netherlands at the CHIO of Rotterdam in the Nations Cup, it was a single jumping error by the Irishman Daniel Coyle that turned the penny in the Orange direction.
In the first round Jur Vrieling, who started first with the impressively jumping Long John Silver 3 NOP, made a jumping fault. “Perhaps I should have made a slightly stronger stop after the ditch. Now I got an error on the following steep jump. In the second moto I managed to make that stop, so that we now managed to stay clear”, said Vrieling, who never rode an inch too much. That was necessary because the gray is not the fastest galloper in the field.
The second starter Leopold van Asten rode a hopeless first round with VDL Groep Iron Z. The fungus cramped above the ditch and was full of tension further into the course, resulting in three beams thrown off. In the second moto Van Asten recovered completely and they remained clear. Maikel van der Vleuten ran into a penalty twice with O’Balley van het Brouwershof. As a result, the Irish remained just one step ahead of the Orange quartet.
After Harrie Smolders remained clear for the second time in the circuit with Monaco NOP, the Irishman Daniel Coyle was asked the same for the win. That did not work and the Netherlands won in the port city with a total of six penalty points, while the Irish finished on eight.