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I saw an interesting game on the internet last night. It was a RWC2011 qualifier between Ukraine and Belgium, played in Kiev.
Ukraine won, 13-11, scoring the winning try in the last minute of play. This was despite Ukraine having 90% of possession and territory. Belgium actually led 11-6 until near the end having scored a try against the run of play in the mid first half.
Ukraine used the wrong tactics.
Whenever Belgium got possession, they kicked deep into Ukraine’s half. The strong and fast backs easily ran the ball up to Belgium’s 22 metre line then gave it to the forwards to bash and barge to the tryline.
The Belgian defence played well to hold them out. Ukraine had four tries disallowed for being held up over the line and one for knocking-on over the line. A few knock-ons also relieved pressure on Belgium.
Eventually, from eight metres out on the left side, the flyhalf kicked left footed across the field to the right winger who scored and the conversion won the game for Ukraine.
Both teams had a lock over two metres tall. The game was very clean and very few penalties were awarded. The referee was Laurent Valin from France. The standard of the game was a little below Super 14 level.
Rugby in Ukraine has taken a step up with the formation of the Professional Rugby League which controls the national Rugby competition of four teams from Ukraine and two from Tiraspol, the capital of the breakaway Moldovian province of Transnistria.
The Ukrainian authorities said rugby would die in the country if it did not go professional. The competition is well supported. The crowd at the game was about 3,000 but how professional was it to put the match on at the same time that Ukraine was playing England in soccer?
Also in Europe, Bosnia-Herzegovina was leading Monaco 23-8 when an all-in brawl began and the referee abandoned the game. The referee was from Moldova. Also Slovakia has withdrawn, stating they “will not be able to continue in the competition”. Because of this, all games and points awarded in the 2008-09 series have been cancelled. It appears the Slovakian players prefer to be part of the Czech competition.
In the two other games played over the weekend, Lithuania 40 beat Andorra 8 in a RWC2011 qualifier to extend their winning streak to 12. In a non World Cup match, Hungary beat Slovenia, 17-11, both games were played at the winner’s home. Virtually all of Lithuania’s side was from the one club, Siauliai, the town where the game was played.
The 2009-10 season is the second leg of FIRA’s competition and the series are part of the RWC2011 qualifiers.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.