Olympic Sevens claims its first league victim
Roar Guru By Harry Kimble, 12 Dec 2009 Harry Kimble is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Kazan Arrows, Olympic Games, Rugby League, Rugby sevens, Russian Rugby League, Russian Rugby Union
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The inclusion of Rugby Sevens in the Olympics may have claimed league’s first casualty with Russia’s premier league side, the Moscow –based Locomotive club, asking to switch back to rugby for the 2010 season.
Locomotive switched from rugby to league in 1991 because the players wanted to be paid, and as rugby was then amateur, could not remain in the code.
So they joined a newly formed six team Russian Rugby League, formed by the sports journalist, Igor Taturian.
Since 2003, Locomotive, has been virtually unbeatable and has won every year from 2003 to 2009. They have either been undefeated or lost only one game each season. The only other club which threatens them is Kazan Arrows. These two clubs are the only league clubs in Russia where players are actually paid
Because of the Olympics, Locomotive approached the Russian Rugby Union and asked to be included in the national Sevens competition. However, the Russian RU said that it could only happen if Locomotive also played in the 15- aside competition.
The CEO of Locomotive, Eugene Klebanov, said in the Russian paper, Soviet Sport, of the switch back to rugby after 18 years: “The best will play in the rugby-7. Our youth team will continue to play in in the championship of Russia of ‘Regbilig’’. Another group will play in a National Championship Rugby-15.”
The Chairman of Locomotive, Alexander Popov who is well known to Australians for his time as a swimmer at the AIS, welcomed the switch. So far, no comment has been made by the Rugby Union of Russia.
How long will it be before the Arrows switch codes and also Locomotive juniors?
Russian league withdrew earlier this year from a European competition and this switch could prove to be the beginning of the end of the league experiment in Russia.
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December 12th 2009 @ 6:15am
Hobart said | December 12th 2009 @ 6:15am | Report comment
Interesting stuff, Harry. It brings up a point Spiro made yesterday about qualifications for the Olympic Sevens. Are we certain the rugby unions will have any say in who gets to play and who does not? Maybe the IOC will stipulate that you can play Sevens for a country if you’re a citizen of that country, and it doesn’t need the imprimatur of any national rugby org.
It’d certainly be nice to get out from under the blazers.
December 12th 2009 @ 9:15am
Nam Turk said | December 12th 2009 @ 9:15am | Report comment
I think it should be the decision of a nation’s olympic body, not the local rugby union. The IRB is not staging the Olympics, the IOC is. Given their history of inflated self-importance, I can’t imagine the IOC not coming down with their own ruling giving themselves the power here.
December 12th 2009 @ 10:38am
rugbyfuture said | December 12th 2009 @ 10:38am | Report comment
yes but every other sport uses the apprpriate bodies to stage events, swimming, football (soccer) and athletics included
December 12th 2009 @ 10:27am
Igor Raspin said | December 12th 2009 @ 10:27am | Report comment
This is the best thing that could have happened to rugby league in Russia. Lokomotive has run the league to its whims, and has hampered growth to a massive extent. If they fade to become a bit player, they will leave the door open to the number of other suitors the game there has seen previously, including a certain casino owning billionaire with ties to the Dynamo family of clubs, along with the Russian government and military.
December 12th 2009 @ 10:39am
rugbyfuture said | December 12th 2009 @ 10:39am | Report comment
Also, the russian government have made Rugby an official university sport of the country, so that funding can begin for it, this is also eclipsing league’s status
December 12th 2009 @ 3:37pm
John Ryan said | December 12th 2009 @ 3:37pm | Report comment
And I think that is where the answer to this lays,it has nothing to do with RU 7s at the Olympics,it has more to do with Putin and the slow but sure return of central control in the old USSR,if the Govt says do something you don’t disobey.
December 12th 2009 @ 4:45pm
Working Class Rugger said | December 12th 2009 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
Complete load of BS. Locomotive wanted in the 7s Comp. The Russian Rugby Union said not unless you play 15s/ Locomotive chose to do so. The Govt isn’t mandating that RL must convert to Rugby. It has just recognised the growth of Rugby in Russia and its Olympic status and are getting behind that.
December 12th 2009 @ 5:05pm
rugbyfuture said | December 12th 2009 @ 5:05pm | Report comment
“the USSR, but i thought you guys broke up?”
“thats what we wanted you to think!”
December 12th 2009 @ 10:43am
Rod said | December 12th 2009 @ 10:43am | Report comment
Does it makes you guys happy, be truthful?
December 12th 2009 @ 11:27am
Working Class Rugger said | December 12th 2009 @ 11:27am | Report comment
The Kasan Arrows are also reportedly in talks with the RRFU to make the switch. And from what I have been able to gather these two are the real class in the Russian Rugby League world. The loss of either club if not both would seriously damage Russian RL.
December 12th 2009 @ 11:41am
King of the Gorganites said | December 12th 2009 @ 11:41am | Report comment
great news for rugby! this has made my morning.
it shows how important the inclusion of rugby into the olympics has been and will continue to be. in countries such as Russia where RL is extremely minor (a lot smaller then RU) RL will quickly die. clubs will realise that RU is the way forward. RU is funded by the government and has a truly international aspect. accordingly, why would clubs stay with RL? they wont. in 5 years the only places playing RL will be the traditional heartlands
great story harry. well done on bringing it to our attention.
January 17th 2010 @ 9:07am
Sth Auckland First XV said | January 17th 2010 @ 9:07am | Report comment
Excellent story. Thank God for the Roar in bringing real truth to the League – Union divide. With News Limited so closely alighned with League you never get the truth about how poor league is on the international scale. It’s only a matter of time (say 10 or 20years) before some major league clubs in the UK and Australia will switch back to Union – it’s the law of economies – the largest always swallow up the smaller fish.
December 12th 2009 @ 12:21pm
Rod said | December 12th 2009 @ 12:21pm | Report comment
You guys sound like a nice bunch of fellows, actually, you make me fell sick.
Russian RL will survive, if the code hasn’t died already because of the idiot running the comp, nothing will kill it.
December 12th 2009 @ 12:41pm
mattamkII said | December 12th 2009 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
havn’t league die hards got short memories?
December 12th 2009 @ 12:47pm
King of the Gorganites said | December 12th 2009 @ 12:47pm | Report comment
ha they have very short memories. the tide has turn. there game is dieing on the international stage.
its great for Russian rugby. the 20K players they currently have will increase once league dies and we get there couple of thousand leaguies in russia. russia is 16th in the world. on track to qualify for world cup. this will really strength the dmoestic game.
December 12th 2009 @ 12:51pm
M1tch said | December 12th 2009 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
to lose the biggest club isnt great, will be interesting to see if any others follow, without proper funding no sport can survive.
December 12th 2009 @ 12:55pm
rugbyfuture said | December 12th 2009 @ 12:55pm | Report comment
and they lost the head of their Rugby league due to internal conflicts, he was also one of those russian billionaires who funnelled his money into league, when he got kicked he took a club with him to rugby union
December 12th 2009 @ 12:57pm
M1tch said | December 12th 2009 @ 12:57pm | Report comment
Hmm concerning, can see a backflip now with him taking all clubs to RU, really disappointing the potential growth was there a few years back but politics in RL where ever it is always comes in
December 12th 2009 @ 3:58pm
Corey said | December 12th 2009 @ 3:58pm | Report comment
Well Kevin Rudd (of the RLIF, not the prime minister) said he promises Russia will be back in the European Cup so there must be some work in there trying to get a funding for the game.