The successful performance of the debutant of the Premier League of the Ukrainian Rugby Championship of the team "KSK-CYSS Irpin" was an unexpected discovery for the rugby community of Ukraine: among the veterans of this tournament, our young players did not look like underdogs. But they looked at us with a smile, saying, now we will check you for strength both literally and figuratively!
The first impression was our appearance. The well-equipped team looked very presentable! The youth rushed into battle so stubbornly that in the rush we sometimes acted on the brink of breaking the rules. The judges sent hot heads for a 2-minute break. Of course, this is a violation of game discipline. After all, the players who remained on the field had to work for two. But all this is a game experience, which, unfortunately, we lacked. Pandemic restrictions, lack of sparring, remote training... The year was, of course, difficult and unusual for everyone.
The winter training period in the gym on the basis of Irpin CYSS brought some success in the physical training of players.
Spring training on the playing field allowed to improve the tactical preparation of the team, to practice technical combinations, to create the coordinated team.
Last year's second place in the First League of the Ukrainian Rugby 7 Championship encouraged rugby players of KSK CYSS Irpin.
It was decided to play in the Premier League, and fight for prizes there. Good ambitions with good attendance of trainings, increase of loadings, and excellent team coordination.
The first round of the Championship of Ukraine
In the first round of the Championship of Ukraine in Odessa on April 18, we went to fight in each game, using our achievements in preparation.
Seven teams from Ukraine competed in the open tournament of the first round of the Premier League: the representative team of Odessa, Dnipro, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, KSK-CYSS Irpin and the team from Chisinau (Moldova).
Our first rivals in the draw were the Stanislaviv team from Ivano-Frankivsk, a veteran of the Premier League. Our victory with a score of 38:7 was convincing.
The second game with the experienced Dnipro team also brought us a well-deserved 36:14 victory. The team from Moldova hoped to punish us for audacity. The game was tough, many guys were sent off from the field. At one point, only 5 of our players remained on the field !!! We had to really work hard. That's what it means to properly organize the game without violations. This is, of course, a useful lesson for the future! But the fighting spirit of the team brought us a well-deserved success with a score of 29:0.
Now the coaching staff had a difficult task to bring the winners down to earth pointing out the tactical and technical mistakes of some players and the team as a whole. The emphasis was placed on the strict implementation of the settings for the game, and adherence to discipline. Often, after victories, you get dizzy with success, and you need to calm down and play your game.
In the final we met with the most experienced team of the tournament - the representative team of Odessa.
We had some friendly envy: the Rugby Academy has been successfully operating in Odessa for many years, where generations of rugby players have been brought up from the age of 7. There are a lot of players to choose from. Rugby lessons have been introduced in the city schools, 15 coaches work with the reserve team of the professional team "Credo-63". A wonderful training and playing base (two grass fields) is a dream!
However, away with the authorities! We came to the game fully prepared. First half, the score was 17:7. The guys really wanted to try hard. Everyone was stressed, many players from both teams were sent off the field. The second half was like a storm. Despite our mistakes, we defeated the rivals with the score 44:7. We won the tournament! The team of KSK-CYSS Irpin is ready to play attacking rugby. This is evidenced by the ratio of attempts made and missed (25:4), and the fact that of the 13 players, 11 people successfully completed our attacks!
We will keep working and increasing the pace. There is something to think about and analyze about the previous games. In autumn, there will be the second final round. Ahead of us is a training camp (the most fruitful stage of team preparation). Thanks to EVERYONE who takes an active part in the life of the team and contributes to its success. We will try not to let you down!!!