Could Russia one day be a major player in world rugby? The national team have qualified for the World Cup for just the second time in their history and a new coach says that the country is full of potential.
“You’d be surprised how much promise there is in Russia,” said Lyn Jones, a former Welsh international who was brought in to oversee Russia in August last year.
When the 54-year-old ex-flanker began talks with the Russian Federation, there was little question of participation in the World Cup to be held in Japan this autumn.
Photo: AFP
However, after Spain, Romania and Belgium were disqualified for using ineligible players at the qualification stages, little-tried Russia found themselves thrust into the international spotlight.
Jones, who capped five times for Wales, said that the qualification was unexpected, but that Russia “can get to a standard which will be competitive and respectable.”
Since arriving in Russia, Jones has been traveling the country to meet local coaches and watch matches with a view to regenerating the national team. His task presents challenges. The league contains just eight clubs, who are spread across the world’s largest country.
The top two, Yenisey-STM and Krasny Yar, are in Krasnoyarsk, a Siberian city about 3,400km east of Moscow. And Russia’s harsh winter forces play to stop for a large part of the year.
Nonetheless, Jones remains satisfied with what he has seen.
“They don’t realize how good they are,” he said as he watched a training session in Sochi, a Black Sea town where Russia are preparing for the Europe International Championships.
“With belief and more understanding, then they can achieve such great things,” the coach said, adding that he has found three areas that need work.
“Fitness is a problem, some concentration and playing under pressure are three things we’re looking towards improving,” he said.
In Japan, where the World Cup is to run from Sept. 20 until Nov. 2, the goal is to win at least one match.
A near-impossible mission in the face of Ireland or Scotland, but Russia fancy their chances against hosts Japan, or Samoa. However, the task given to Jones extends well beyond the tournament.
“There’s a very real feeling that our team have not yet reached their limits, that we can improve them,” team official Sergei Markov said.
Russia have high-quality infrastructure in Sochi, where the men’s and women’s teams train in the same venues. However, schools that play rugby are thin on the ground and travel between them for matches is often impossible, because of the size of the country. As a result, many young people give up on training, or lack certain skills.
“We need a real system to prepare young people ... so that they have the necessary techniques and arrive in the national team already prepared,” Markov added.
Sitting on the roof of the stadium for a clear view of his players, Jones is optimistic about Russia’s chances in the autumn tournament and beyond.
“With a plan ... anything is possible,” he said.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
CUNNINGHAM CONNECTS: In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons snapped their record 15-game playoff losing streak by beating the Knicks to level their series at 1-1 Kawhi Leonard on Monday scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver. “It feels like he didn’t miss a shot,” James Harden said. “His shot-making ability is elite.” Good thing, too, because his teammates were a combined 26 of 66 for a 39 percent clip. “I made shots tonight,” Leonard said. “I just keep playing, try to stay in the zone no matter if I’m making or missing shots.” The fifth-seeded Clippers needed every bit of his brilliance to snatch the homecourt advantage in the series
RSS