RWC Sevens 2013 to herald new era in Russia
By Chris Thau
From Moscow
Although the arrival of the participating teams in the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy is now the main talking point among the Russian rugby community, the news that the IRB Council had awarded Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 to Russia still reverberates among players and aficionados.
Naturally the players themselves are thrilled at the prospect of playing on home soil, the Russian Sevens captains Alexander Yanyushkin and Anastasiya Mukharyamova predicting that RWC Sevens 2013 will be a memorable event and a dream come true.
"It is just cool that the 2013 Sevens World Cup will be held in Russia," enthused Yanyushkin, who played a key role in Russia's qualification for their first ever Rugby World Cup as the Europe 2 side in Pool C at New Zealand 2011.
"I played for our team in the 2005 World Cup in Hong Kong and it was magic. The tribunes were overflowing with supporters and the excitement of matches and the public was fantastic.
"A dream come true"
"It is tremendous that our players and fans will be able to enjoy all that in Moscow.
"Moscow hosted a couple of time the finals of the European Sevens championship, and the quality of the tournament had impressed everybody. I'm sure that the RWC Sevens 2013 will be a memorable event too."
Mukharyamova received the news in France, where she is currently playing in the Women's European Trophy with the Russian national team, who picked up their first win in the tournament on Wednesday, the day the RWC Sevens 2013 announcement was made.
"What can I say, it is just super news! I was a member of the team that made the presentation of our bid to the IRB, and I have to say that I was desperately worried that we might fail. Now, that the news is out, the girls and I are really overflowing with pride for our country.
"RWC Sevens 2009 in Dubai was a really remarkable tournament, but the 2013 tournament in Moscow, I am sure, will be even better. Playing in a tournament of such standard in front of our own public is a dream that comes true for all of us."
The next step
The news is yet to filter through the Russian public at large, but that is the next step in the Rugby Union of Russia's strategy to increase the profile of the Game in the country, according to Vice President Howard Thomas.
"In order to help rugby grow in stature and make progress in Russia one needs to convince first the Government and then the public. We have the Government support and the second step will be to expand the concept to the public," explained Thomas.
"We felt that Sevens was ideally suited to help us attract the public and generate interest. It is much simpler than 15-a-side rugby, easy to educate, easier to explain and has been accepted into the Olympics, which is immensely significant in countries like Russia."
Thomas has extensive experience in rugby management, having previously been Chief Executive of the English Premiership club Sales Sharks, Chief Executive of Premier Rugby, as well as a member of the ERC Board.
He now spends up to two weeks a month in Moscow to coordinate the implementation of the project in his role with the Rugby Union of Russia. The process began with an unsuccessful bid to host RWC Sevens 2009, which Thomas explains formed the backbone of this latest, ultimately successful, bid.
Perseverance pays off
"We received a lot of encouragement from the IRB, in fact our bid, though rejected, was commended for its quality and we were urged to apply again," revealed Thomas. "So we decided to persevere, and took the strategic decision to stick with Sevens, having understood that we have to convince the world that we can do it and do it well.
"The theme of our bid was 'A Perfect Wave' with the hosting rights for 2013 following the admission of Sevens into the Olympics and the qualification of the Russian team for the first time to the RWC finals in 2011.
"Both the City of Moscow and the National Government supported us in 2009 and have given us full support for the 2013 tournament as well. Their support is key to everything we are trying to achieve. We have already expanded into schools and have 110 dedicated schools where rugby is an accepted after school activity."
Vladislav Korshunov, the Russian national 15-a-side team captain, added: "I can not express what I feel … simply, I am over the moon. All of us are so glad!
"This will enable many people in our country who will watch this grandiose show, to fall in love with rugby forever. This tournament will give the great push to the further development of Rugby in Russia."
Additional reporting by Sergey Markov.
