Text © World of Showjumping

After two exciting rounds, the Dutch team took a popular home win in Friday’s CSIO5* Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of the Netherlands at CHIO Rotterdam. 

With stellar performances from Maikel van der Vleuten on Beauville Z (Bustique x Jumpy des Fontaines), Sanne Thjissen on Con Quidam RB (Quinar R x Cardino 5), Willem Greve on Grandorado TN (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Carolus II) and Harrie Smolders on Monaco (Cassini II x Contender) – leaving the home team's total score on zero – Dutch Chef d'Equipe Jos Lansink could celebrate the first five-star Nations Cup win in his new role. "I am very happy, I have won a Nations Cup as a Dutch rider and as a Belgian rider, but this is my first win as a Chef d'Equipe," Lansink said. "The riders did a great job, and the atmosphere was great. I am very happy that all the horses showed that they are fit, that is important in this case – on the way to Herning." 

Led by Henk Nooren – another Dutch former top rider – the French team consisting of Simon Delestre on Cayman Jolly Jumper (Hickstead x Quaprice Boimargot Quincy), Gregory Cottard on Bibici (Norman Pre Noir x Nelfo du Mesnil), Roger Yves Bost on Cassius Clay VDV Z (Calvino Z x Wolfgang) and Kevin Staut on Scuderia 1918 Viking d'La Rousserie (Quaprice Bois Margot x Apache), finished second with a total score of eight, ahead in time of the Irish who also picked up eight penalties. Ireland's Daniel Coyle on Legacy (Chippendale Z x Bon Ami) and Shane Sweetnam on James Kann Cruz (Kannan x Cruising) both posted double clear rounds for the Irish, while a pole down in both rounds from Denis Lynch on Brooklyn Heights (Nabab de Reve x For Pleasure) and Trevor Breen on Highland President (Clinton x Kannan) left the team led by Michael Blake in third position. 

The Dutch team impressed from start to finish, with van der Vleuten, Thijssen and Greve posting clears in the first round. After clear rounds from Delestre and Staut, France entered the second round on only four faults – hot on the heels of the home team – as did Sweden, Ireland and Germany, sitting third, fourth and fifth. 

The course set by Quintin Maertens (NED) and Louis Konickx (NED) counted 12 obstacles and 15 efforts, and while the open water at fence number five and the last white vertical-oxer double caused most faults in round one, the second round saw faults spreading out.

While the winners were in a league of their own, the second and third placed teams showed great fighting spirit: The French only had three riders jumping in round two, while the Irish climbed up from fourth to end the day as third on the podium. 

With Delestre – former world number one – in the saddle, the feisty Cayman Jolly Jumper jumped double clear for the French. As Cottard and Bibici had a foot in the open water in both rounds, and Bost's Cassius Clay VDV Z was withdrawn from the second round after sustaining an injury in round one, the pressure was on their anchor Staut. Riding the 13-year-old Scuderia 1918 Viking d'La Rousserie, Staut kept his cool though and jumped double clear – keeping the total score for the French on eight, eventually securing them the runner-up position behind the Dutch.

With double clears from Coyle and Sweetnam, the Irish climbed up to finish third on eight penalties, followed by Germany with a total of 16 and Sweden with 20.

When the last pair of the afternoon – Harrie Smolders on Monaco – entered the ring at the fully seated Kralingse Bos, the Dutch had an advantage of eight penalties. Anything less would result in a victory, and as Smolders cleared the track with ease, the Dutch could celebrate a home win with a clean sheet. 

"I think we saw fantastic sport here today," Harrie Smolders said afterwards. "It is a privilege for me to be in this position with such a reliable horse and then to finish the job – it is an amazing feeling. The pressure – and like I said, it is a privilege to be in that position, because it means something to be there together with your horse – if you can finish the job, it gives the best feeling in the world." 

"This was my first Nations Cup after the Olympic Games in Tokyo and gave me a good feeling, with all my colleagues, Jos and the good atmosphere," Maikel van der Vleuten said. "Especially today, I think we had a great afternoon with a lot of people and to give this result back to everybody, gives a great feeling. This was a good test for me on how the feeling is with Beauville at the moment, and I think we are on a good way."