Defeated, but Ukraine show grit and pride
SWITZERLAND was always going to be Ukraine’s toughest match of this three Test series and so it proved. Three injuries from Ukraine’s previous match versus Sweden plus not being able to select top fly-half, Vladyslav Adazhynyk, due to club play-off matches in France, did not make things any easier. Ukraine had only 21 fit players for the match.
Switzerland have been the strongest team in this league all season. In front of over 2,000 spectators and in 23 degree heat they started fast and kept their foot down for the entire first half. Six tries were scored giving them a 40-0 half-time lead with two tries from winger Cyril Fluckiger among the best. Ukraine lost influential lock Oleksandr Shevchenko after 15 minutes which did not help.
The second half could have been a rout but the Ukrainians dug in, especially in the scrum where props Illia Voda and Volodymyr Fedorets had fine games. Switzerland were frustrated by some great defending especially by Ukraine man of the match Davyd Vivcharyk and openside Maksym Dulia. However the hosts secured four more tries, including a hat-trick try for Fluckiger to secure a 68-0 win. Celebrations were huge at the final whistle as this victory sees Switzerland promoted into the European Rugby Championship for the first time where next season they will face the likes of Georgia and Portugal.
Sadly for Ukraine relegation into the Conference beckons with opponents yet to be finalised. Having to play all their matches away from home with the associated travel challenges and costs certainly did not help, let alone the situation back home which meant the majority had not played rugby since last December.
One cannot but admire the sheer grit and determination these players displayed both on and off the pitch. At no time did a single player complain about the circumstances in which they found themselves – they were just incredibly proud to be representing their country at this most difficult of times.
Saying goodbye to this squad at Zurich airport as they began their 22 hour journey back to Kyiv I was not really sure how to feel. The experience over the last month has been a mixture of humbling, exciting, unnerving, scary and wonderful. I can only try to imagine what it must feel like to be traveling home from a rugby match knowing your home could be targeted by Russian missiles at any time.
Last Thursday’s lunch conversation was dominated by the night before bombing of Kyiv and Odessa – where the majority of the squad hail from. Most of this squad are under 27 years old, the previous age level for compulsory conscription. This level reduces soon to 25 years of age. A number of the players here could now be called up to fight immediately, or much sooner than they had anticipated. Where in this/their thinking does seeking to improve passing off your left hand or your side on tackle technique fit? My grandfather fought at the Somme, whilst my father did national service in Egypt at the time of Nasser, but my generation and those of my children have never really been that close to war. And for that we must be extremely grateful. These Ukrainian players love their rugby, they also love their country.
The Ukraine assistant coach from Georgia, Dimitri Basilaia, tells me Ukraine has as much, if not more, potential to develop as a rugby nation as Georgia had – and we can see where Georgia currently sit. To think this will now likely be lost and that even some of these players lost is horrific. They are determined to continue playing when they get back to their clubs. The sevens season is upon them and they are hoping that actual fixtures between clubs could potentially happen.
The national XVs team will now be relegated but they are all determined that a team is put together to play next season’s international fixtures. It is my fervent wish that, when asked, the international rugby family will come together to make things a little easier for these incredible players.