In an exhilarating competition that went down to the wire with a sensational jump-off, Di Lampard’s reigning Olympic gold medallists, Great Britain, once again claimed top spot on a championship podium as they were crowned Longines League of Nations™ Champions for 2025. Their final score of 16 faults after the two rounds of competition saw them tied for first place with geographical neighbours Ireland, initiating a first Longines League of Nations™ jump-off.
Germany were next in the standings, their final team total of 21 faults earning them the final step on the podium in third place, just one fault ahead of Belgium in fourth on 22 faults. USA and the Netherlands both finished on 24 faults, with USA’s faster cumulative times from round two, seeing them edge ahead and claim fifth with the Netherlands in sixth. France, Italy and Spain took seventh, eighth and ninth places respectively with final team scores of 29, 31 and 32 faults.
Santiago Varela (ESP) showcased his talent and craftsmanship once again as he produced a fitting test for the nine nations coming forward to battle for the title of Longines League of Nations™ Champions.
Utilising a series of related distances with striding options galore, his track snaked around the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona making use of every inch of the magnificent arena. The Longines combination at fence 11, running adjacent to the VIP hospitality, featured a triple bar on entry, one stride to a 1.65m wide oxer at part ‘b’, before two short strides (11.30m) to a maximum height 1.60m vertical at part ‘c’. This ultimate test of scope, power, athleticism and care proved to be just that as it claimed many victims with each part falling throughout the two rounds.
Great Britain’s fifth man Adrian Whiteway, who conducted an informative live stadium course walk before the first round, accurately predicted the most influential fence on the course as fence 12. Set on a curving six or seven strides from the proceeding combination his prophecy: “It (Fence 12) will cost a lot of athletes a clear round” rang true as the delicate white plank hit the surface no fewer than 14 times across the two rounds.
Varela’s course rode as he intended with horse welfare at the forefront of every decision they make he explained the difficulty in finding the balance between testing the world’s best athletes and not over-facing their equine partners.
“Things happened the right way and as we expected. The course was fair for the horses but really complicated for the for the riders,” said Varela.
The statistics clearly demonstrate that Varela and his team delivered on this front, with faults incurred at every fence around their twelve-fence track. Over the two rounds four faults was par for the course, representing another accolade for Varela and his crew. The only jumping effort not to fall over the two rounds was the oxer at 5B, but its presence was not without consequence, as part ‘A’, a 1.58m vertical one stride before, fell with surprising regularity as combinations struggled to control and regulate the cadence and power required to successfully negotiate its successor, part ‘B’.
At the end of round one the competition was wide open. Netherlands just held the upper hand, sitting pretty at the top of the standings on just four penalties courtesy of two-foot perfect rounds from Frank Schuttert on Isis and Willem Greve and Grandorado TN.
Hot on their heels however were Italy, USA, Ireland, reining Longines League of Nations™ Champions Germany, reining Olympic champions Great Britain and France. These six teams all finishing round one on eight faults saw them poised just once fence behind the Netherlands, ratcheting up the tension for round two where just three athletes from each team were to return.
This unique Longines League of Nations™ format delivered drama in bucket-loads as the scoreboard changed with every athlete rotation. Influential clears from first-line athletes Bertram Allen (Qonquest de Rigo), Ben Maher (Enjeu de Grisien) and Antoine Ermann (Floyd des Pres) saw Ireland, Great Britain and France crank up the pressure on half time leaders the Netherlands. Conversely expensive eight fault rounds from Sophie Hinners (GER) and Bas Moerings (NED) saw Germany drop out of the top five with 17 faults and the Netherlands forgo their outright lead and join Great Britain and Ireland on 16 faults.
Only one of the second-line athletes left all the fences up, as Marcus Ehning’s single time-fault saw Germany cling on to their podium dreams. Four fault rounds from both Ireland and Great Britain’s second line athletes Sean Monaghan and Harry Charles saw the two nations inseparable once more. Frank Schuttert followed suit for the Netherlands to see the three nations commandeering the podium positions with just one athlete rotation remaining.
With tensions as high as the calibre of athlete to follow, spectators were on the edge of their seats, eager to witness how the finale of the Longines League of Nations™ 2025 season would reach its conclusion.
Ireland’s anchorman Billy Twomey with the impressive ten-year-old stallion Jumping Jack van de Kalevallei, looked set to rectify their unfortunate four-fault score from round one, but as fence ten hit the floor the door was left ajar for Great Britain.
Such was the suspense felt around the Barcelona’s Real Club de Polo, the stadium fell silent as reining European Individual and Team silver medallist Scott Brash set out to seal Great Britain’s fate with his trusty Paris Olympic partner the 16-year-old Hello Jefferson. The pair looked nailed-on to repeat their flawless performance from round one until the middle element of the combination at fence 11 fell, guaranteeing the captivated stands an enthralling jump-off.
France fell out of contention when Olivier Robert delivered an uncharacteristic round for 13 faults which left just the Netherlands with the potential to make the jump-off a three pronged affair. Unable to match his foot-perfect first round clear, Willem Greve aboard the much-admired breeding stallion Grandorado TN, lowered two fences late on in their round to deny the Dutch a top three finish and leaving Great Britain and Ireland to lock horns in the final showdown against the clock.
With just one athlete per nation coming forward to the jump-off Michael Blake (IRE) and Di Lampard both elected their anchormen Twomey and Brash to step up and carry the hopes of their nations. Twomey delivered Irish orders to the letter, setting a blistering pace around the shortened track to finish without fault in a time of 38.42 seconds to lay down the gauntlet and demand nothing but slick perfection from Brash. But Brash, already a winner of the 5* Grand Prix here on Friday with Hello Follie, thrives under pressure and set about the task with his usual ice-cool composure.
A burst of turbo-charged speed down to the remaining element of what had been the combination saw him pinch a couple of milliseconds on Twomey. A series of razor-sharp turns to the next two lines had perhaps enabled him the luxury to take check on the final turn and make sure the final fence was cleared. Brash’s innate clock wasn’t wrong, he did indeed have time to make sure the last fence was jumped as he left it intact to break the beam in 38.19 seconds clinching victory from Great Britain by the narrowest of margins.
Ireland’s valiant efforts were rewarded with second place and last years’ victors Germany took third.
Piergiorgio Bucci (ITA) and Hantano (owned by Iron Horse Farm) were named best rider and horse of the season at the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona. (FEI/Leanjo de Koster)
Di Lampard summed up the enormity of Great Britain’s Triumph as she explained: “Today means the world. To think this our third 5* (team) win on the trot is incredible and to finish the season winning Calgary, St-Tropez and now the (Longines League of Nations™) Final, is just the icing on the cake.”
Explaining Great Britain’s resurgence in the past ten years the she has been team manger she told, “There are some fantastic riders in the world but I have three of the best, and other ones coming up to join them.”
In a typically under-stated British style Brash responded to acknowledgement of his incredible run of results: “Yes, I’m having a very lucky season!” Before redirecting the praise to the team around him.
“Its down to the great team I have, great owners, great horses. We had a couple of years where we were rebuilding. It happens in every rider’s career. Thankfully we have come back very strong.”
Remarkably today’s final marks Brash’s first participation in a Longines League of Nations™ competition but having witnessed first-hand the additional excitement and pressure presented by the three-athlete format in round two, he is a new -found fan of the series and will undoubtedly return in 2026.
“I wasn’t quite sure when they first brought out the format, but I must say its really exciting. It keeps the sport super entertaining and I think that’s really important for the sport. We have to keep things really entertaining for the crowd and I think this format really delivers that.”
A sentiment that was echoed around Barcelona’s Real Club de Polo as athletes, connections, delegates and spectators alike were unanimous in their praise for the level of tension and excitement delivered by the second staging of the Longines League of Nations™ Final. The series’ own unique format brings the tradition of nations cup into the twenty-first century with a modern and dynamic twist that appeals to a contemporary audience.
Athletes and fans alike eagerly await the return of this much-welcomed concept in 2026. Today’s victory means Great Britain have already cemented their place in the next edition of the Longines League of Nations™ series, whilst the remaining nine eligible nations remain to be announced with the release of the next Longines League of Nations™ Rankings in November. The top nine-ranked Jumping nations on this list, disregarding Great Britain, will earn the much-coveted privilege of participating in the third running of the Longines League of Nations™ series in 2026. It’s now a proven success and the action is guaranteed to have everyone on the edge of their seats!
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