A short summer break in rugby tournaments was filled with the preparation of the national team of Ukraine U-18 in rugby-7 for the upcoming European Championship in Riga (Latvia).
In Odessa, from June 29 to July 3, the second training camp was held for the candidates for the national team. Six players from our team were recommended:
Konstantin Kovgan;
Alexander Dovgal;
Konstantin Lola;
Alexey Bengardt;
Ivan Gorbach;
Daniil Leshchenko.
An obvious contender for the place in the team, Gorbach, received an injury - this is a sport!
Based on the results of the training camp, the most prepared players were selected: K. Kovgan (chosen to be the team captain), A. Dovgal and D. Leshchenko.
In the European Championship, the team performed very well and became the European Champion in 2021, beating all contenders for medals. The guys of the KSK-CYSS Irpen team were recognized as the best, having played six difficult games against the national teams of 12 European countries. And D. Leshchenko brought the most points to the national team, having scored a goal eight times! We are proud of these achievements and congratulate the boys on their victory! The anthem of our country sounded and made all friends of Ukraine happy!
After a very short rest, on August 2, the whole team of KSK-CYSS Irpen - 22 players - went to the 11-day summer camp in the city of Kremenets, Ternopil region, where it continued preparations for the second round of the Top League of the Ukrainian Rugby-7 Championship at a beautiful stadium. The round will take place on September 18-19 in Irpin.
There were different types of training: daily crosses (fortunately, Castle Hill was nearby!), tactical training on the beautiful grassy field of the central stadium of the city, theoretical training with viewing records of previous games and analyzing mistakes, as well as the games of the leading teams of the world and Europe, as a worthy example to follow.
The number of players who participated in the training camp made it possible to conduct daily sparring trainings. Much attention was paid to individual and collective technique. Speed-strength work was not forgotten either. The players significantly improved their weak points, played well together and felt a friend's shoulder.
The training camp was active and fruitful, which gives hope for the team's successful performance in the second round of the Top League of the Ukrainian Rugby-7 Championship.
We are rooting for our guys at the finals on September 18-19 at the Champion stadium in Irpen!!