Russian women’s national rugby sevens team came to Kazan to show its best performance, head coach says

The Russian women’s national rugby sevens team is determined to show its best performance at the Kazan leg of the Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series. This was announced by head coach of the Russian national squad, Pavel Baranovsky, at the tournament kickoff press conference today. The meeting with journalists took place on the threshold of a major rugby sevens competition due to unfold this weekend at the Central Stadium as part of the Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series.

The Kazan leg will be a final test for the Russian women’s national rugby sevens team in the lead-up to the tournament in Dublin (IRL) where they will compete for the last berth into the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (BRA). 12 national squads will clash for the European title: Russia, France, Ireland, Great Britain 1, Great Britain 2, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Netherlands, Ukraine. The Russian national team will play in Group B against Ireland, Italy and Belgium. 

Present at the press conference also were John Douglas, Tournament Director; Rifkat Sattarov, Chairman of the Rugby Sevens Development Committee; and Azat Kadyrov, Director General of the Directorate for Sports and Social Projects.

Rifkat Sattarov reminded that last year Kazan successfully hosted one of the legs of the Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series and this year the honour of hosting this prestigious tournament was once again entrusted to the capital of Tatarstan. “We hope that everything will be held to a high standard. This time Kazan hosts the tournament at the Central Stadium. We hope that the event and its extensive entertainment programme will attract as many spectators as possible,” he said.

According to Rifkat Sattarov, in the next 5-7 years Kazan can also count on hosting the Rugby Europe Men's Sevens Grand Prix Series. “We consider the option of staging the Rugby Europe Men's Sevens Grand Prix Series in Kazan. The men’s national squad, just as the women’s team, is now among the global rugby sevens elite. And in prospect, we consider the option of hosting one of the legs of the Grand Prix Series in Kazan,” he added.

Rifkat Sattarov mentioned that the level of international competition management in Kazan is very high. “And taking into account the Republican leaders and Tatarstan Sports Ministry’s attitude, we look forward to bringing the Men's Sevens Grand Prix Series to Russia,” the Chairman of the Rugby Sevens Development Committee said.

For his part, Azat Kadyrov informed that spectators who will come to watch live rugby sevens action at the Central Stadium on June 12 will have the opportunity to win a car and to watch a live gig by popular Russian singers. “All the teams arrived and are having training sessions at the moment. We hope to see spectacular and action-packed matches at the Central Stadium. We count on spectators who will come to support the teams. All of them will have the opportunity to participate in the prize draw organised by the Russian Rugby Union and win balls signed by Russian rugby sevens players, smart phones and even a car. Besides, on June 12 spectators will be able to attend a gig by popular singers Khanna and Natan,” he stated.

“We believe that our team will show a good performance, and Kazan will be a good test for the Russian team ahead of the Olympic qualification event in Dublin,” Azat Kadyrov stressed and reminded that this sport will make its debut at the Rio Olympic Games. According to him, Tatarstan rugby, which is going to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, has a rich history filled with victories.

Tournament Director, John Douglas, expressed his warmest thanks to the organisers for a perfect delivery of the event and preparation of such a great stadium with perfect turfgrass. “Rugby sevens is a sport that is rapidly developing all around the world. And this development was boosted by its inclusion in the Olympic programme. Rugby sevens is being strongly promoted in Russia, and among other things this happens thanks to the Russian men’s and women’s teams' success,” he said.

Pavel Baranovsky, head coach of the Russian women’s national team, also stated that his squad arrived in Kazan and already had its training session. “Since the very beginning of our teamwork during the Summer Universiade, Kazan has been known for its top-class event management. Teams are going to play on perfect turfgrass, in a great stadium,” he added.

According to the head coach, the Russian team is fully ready for the tournament, which is seen as one of the major events of the season. “We brought our strongest team to Kazan. Of course, we have some issues; some of our players are injured. But we view the Kazan tournament as the preparation for Dublin. The Kazan leg of the Grand Prix Series is one of the major events of the year. We must win. Because it’s for our fans and the country that we play rugby and train. We want to see people come and enjoy our game; we want to see our sport develop,” he concluded.