Russia set high hopes under Saurel

[Burgs]

Russia set high hopes under Saurel

13 JULY 2007 irb.com

Since its launch in 2002, the FIRA European Sevens circuit has gone from strength to strength and, in taking the title on home soil in the sixth edition, Russia proved that the competitiveness being seen on a global scale in the IRB Sevens World Series is also very much in evidence at a regional level.

Under new coach, Frenchman Claude Saurel, the Russians won all seven of their matches, twice beating France en route to claiming the title.

"We're happy here. The Russians are very happy because they've won a tournament that they set their sights on winning," Saurel told Total Rugby.

IRB Regional Development Manager for Europe, Michel Arpaillange, was Tournament Director in Moscow and he too could see the tangible benefits from Russia winning on home soil.

"The defending champions Portugal didn't qualify for the final tournament, which was a shame, but it was a great opportunity for Russia as the home side to win and show their public that the sport is getting bigger and bigger there, " he said.

Saurel does still have a mountain to climb if he is to satisfy the expectations of his employers at the Russian union and qualify for the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai. However, his former exploits go to prove that he has the pedigree and acumen to succeed.

Having taken Morocco's rugby to new heights in the early 1990s, Saurel guided Georgia to the fifteen-a-side Rugby World Cup in 2003 before turning his attention to Tunisia.

Although a talented crop of players, the North Africans were limited in both experience and tactical know-how, but Saurel moulded them into a Sevens side that went on to qualify for the World Cup in Hong Kong in 2005, beating South Africa on day one, and produce consistently strong performances in the IRB Sevens World Series.

"All I'm trying to do is show that, wherever you go in the world, there are talented rugby players who want to work really hard to become as good as they can," he said.

"I just want to prove that talent exists everywhere, and that more still needs to be done to develop our global game of rugby."

Developing the game

Arpaillange is also in constant contact with the region's so-called minnow nations and takes huge positives from the performances of the likes of Moldova, who finished third in Moscow.

With developing nations able to be competitive far quicker in the Sevens code, the sport can play a key role in their ability to build for the long term, while at the same time enjoying short term success.

"It's important for the development of European rugby that we get the big rugby nations competing with the smaller nations so to see France in Moscow, albeit with a young side, to see Italy in Moscow, is very positive," Arpaillange said.

"Next year the tournament will also be the qualifying event for the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai so I hope that we'll see Ireland, Wales and other countries like that competing on this stage because for the picture of rugby all over Europe it's very important."

The possibility of the code being exposed on the biggest sporting arena of them all, though, remains the ultimate driving force for many.

"There is a huge motivating factor for the countries competing - and particularly the Eastern European countries - in that rugby sevens might get back into the Olympic Games at some time in the future. With that in mind they want to improve their playing standards all the time and are always very keen to play in these events."

[Burgs]

Russia:

www.rugby.ru

iRB Ranking 3/07/2007- 19th

Founded: 1936

No of Registered Players: 13020

No of Referees: 66

Pre-teen Male Players: 6500

Pre-teen Female Players: 210

Teen Male Players: 3100

Teen Female Players: 180

Senior Male Players: 2700 (Romania-1357, Namibia-1200, Portugal-1063, Uruguay-892, Georgia-560)

Senior Female Players: 330

Total Male Players: 12300

Total Female Players: 720

Look out NZ, the Russians are coming

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Russian rugby has come a long way since the Stalinist dark days when the former Soviet dictator banned it for being too bourgeois.

Now with a French coach in charge and with a marketing guru also in place, the Russian federation is aiming to qualify for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

"Rugby is on the rise in Russia now," Russia's Rugby Union (RRU) chief Vyacheslav Kopyov told AFP.

"We were just one step away from a place in this year's World Cup finals and I believe we will be capable of winning a place in the New Zealand finals four years from now."

In April, the RRU hired 58-year-old coach Claude Sorel.

The Frenchman, who has previously coached Georgia, Morocco and Tunisia, is considered one of the most experienced managers in the rugby world.

"He's very experienced and we are counting on him," Kopyov said.

"And most importantly, he has a lot of winning experience."

The RRU has also hired marketing guru Howard Thomas, a former executive director of the English Premiership as an adviser.

Thomas has promised to develop a strategy for turning the recently-created Professional Rugby League into a money-making venture that would attract plenty of potential advertisers.

"Russia still has huge potential. Just remember how strong was the Soviet national side!" Thomas said.

"I believe it's possible to raise the Russian league up to the standards of the English Premiership. Otherwise I would never have accepted the RRU proposal."

Rugby has a longer history in Russia than one might think.

The first official match took place in Moscow in 1923 while the first official championship of the Soviet Union was won by Dynamo Moscow in 1936.

But efforts to revive the game after World War II were doomed.

In 1948, Stalin labelled rugby a past-time for capitalists and introduced a complete ban for almost a decade.

There was a thaw under Krushchev when it was one of the sports played at the International Festival of Youth and Students in 1957.

That match aroused tremendous public interest, but it was not until 1966 that a national federation was re-established and the national championship was re-launched.

However, rugby was still slow to develop, reflecting the difficulties of other sports, which were not a part of the Olympic movement - the sphere of the Soviets' main interest.

The game suffered from lack of official attention and constantly poor funding.

Nonetheless in 1975 the Soviet rugby ruling body joined the International Amateur Rugby Federation and the national team began to participate at European championships.

While never winning the European title, the Soviet squad did manage to clinch three bronze medals (1978, 1981, 1983) and several silver (1985-87, 1989, 1990) at the championships.

This steady progress was rewarded with an invitation to the first World Cup in 1987 - held in New Zealand and Australia - but this incentive was rejected by the Soviet authorities, who refused to let their team travel to the event for political reasons.

The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 did not mean a rapid rise of the game in Russia as the domestic league suffered seriously from the departure of strong players from other ex-Soviet states, notably Georgia and Ukraine.

But today's Russian league looks increasingly confident.

Seven clubs are currently competing for the title of national champion, while the national side has just re-entered the top division in the European championships.

Sorel, who is on a tour of inspection of the country's clubs and players, said he was surprised by the strong physical condition of Russia's players, although he noted that they still fall short in the areas of tactics and team spirit.

Sorel has not been wasting his time however.

He has already achieved his first goal, leading the Russian squad to victory at the European sevens Cup earlier this month.

AFP

Interesting footnote, Firepower is a sponsor on their webpage.

[brokendown gunfighter]

firepower do a lot of their business in Russia

[James]

I think its great that RRFU want to pump up the profile and achievements in Russian rugby. I'm sure most of you already know but word is that after the Force's impressive development from nothing to a highly competitive S14 team Russia wants to hold coaching and player clinics in Perth and use us as a stepping board to their goal of making the World Cup. It's more money into the WA economy if nothing else. Its always nice to see 'non' rugby nations do well in things like rugby 7s (which is becoming almost as global as soccer) and see them want to improve their union sides.

I love Russians they are always very jolly.

Mind you thats probably because the only ones that I meet don't have to deal with the massive social and economical problems in Russia.

[Burgs]

Probably something to do with them being three sheets to the wind too

I had heard rumours about it James, I think that is a great idea and very pro-active on both sides.
I have never seen Russia play 15 side but I imagine they would have a similar grinding Forwards style as Georgia?