7SWGPS 2018: medalists unveiled in Kazan - Russia, France and Scotland
The Kazan leg of the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Grand Prix Series wrapped up tonight. Supported by the home stands, Team Russia won the gold medals of the tournament. Team France was defeated in the final match and became silver medallists. The rugby players from Scotland took the third place.
The decisive matches of the Kazan leg of the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Grand Prix Series started with the contest of Spain vs Belgium for the seventh position of the tally. By the middle of the second half each team scored one try, but the Belgian players were able to mount a successful attack and pull off the win. The girls from Team Belgium burst into tears of joy with the final whistle as it was a worthy result for the country. Ireland and Italy competed for the fifth place. The Italians were first to score, but soon the Irish took control of the game, so the winner was not questioned by the middle of the second half. In the end, Team Ireland won with a ten-point lead and finished fifth in the Kazan leg of the Grand Prix Series.
Poland and Scotland contested for the bronze medals. The Kazan stands gave a very warm welcome to both teams, yet cheered the Polish side more actively. During the first minutes of the match the Polish girls made a try and earned five points. A few minutes later, Team Scotland counterattacked, what’s more, a well executed conversion gave the team a lead. In the second period the team from Scotland initiated an attack and increased the gap. The Polish did not give up, as the scoreboard showed 14-12 in favour of Scotland just half a minute before the whistle. It was enough time for the Scottish players to score a winner.
The final match was the highlight of the Kazan leg of the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Grand Prix Series – Russia vs France as in the Marcoussis leg. Squeezed between the two opponents, the captain of the Russian squad Alyona Mikhaltsova earned five points for a try in the first minute of the match. It was obviously felt in the air that the Russians were very serious about the game. Soon two more attacks increased the gap up to 17 points. In the second half the hosts continued a winning streak – three tries in a row made the score unbelievable (0-34). The French scored their first points in the last seconds, but could not make a big difference. A confident win brings Andrey Kuzin’s powerhouse the gold medals of the Kazan leg of the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Grand Prix Series.