“Strela-Ak Bars” crushed “Slava MAR” in the last match of the regular season

From “Krasnye Vorota” to “Solnechny Gorod”

The new stadium did not change the address and disposition of the rugby “Strela-Ak Bars” much. In everyday terms this can be compared to extensions that usually do not even have their own numbering, being designated by the letters A, B and so on. Thereby the strategy of making the Volga district of Kazan a rugby center, transferred during the 2013 Universiade from the Kirovsky district, continues to work. There rugby was originally born, there the “Strela” sports complex still functions in the area of “Krasnye Vorota” and Petrov Park, which ex-Ak Bars forward Kirill Petrov called his own, but now rugby is, we repeat, the Volga district.

The plan to promote tennis in the “Solnechny Gorod” microdistrict, where the Tennis Academy is located nearby, can be considered unfeasible. Volleyball, both men's and women's, develops by its own laws and rules, regardless of the location of the Volleyball Center. And rugby can become a priority for the residents of the “Solnechny Gorod” microdistrict and the coastal settlements, as, say, badminton for those who do not like team game sports.

And the rugby players of “Strela-Ak Bars” in the future can become real legends for local boys, and maybe girls. If Kobus Marais played his hundredth match for the Kazan team this Sunday over a five-year period, Nika Kazalikashvili looped his own hundred, beginning its confrontation with the match against “Slava MAR," JP Neil remains the same media figure as he has been throughout his stay in Kazan, then what else is needed for the stands to be filled with loyal fans, and rugby sections with new participants.

The teams came out for the game in traditional green (“Strela-Ak Bars”) and yellow (“Slava MAR”) colors. The match, besides the function of opening the new stadium, had no tournament significance. The Kazan team had already taken third place in the regular championship and is now preparing for the semifinal of the country's championship with Krasnoyarsk's “Yenisey-STM” in a lighter mode. Krasnoyarsk, on the contrary, is in tension, since next Sunday it will play in the away final of the Russian Cup with Moscow's “Dynamo.”

The hundredth matches of Kobus and Kazalikashvili, the first points in the history of Davydov Stadium

To the legendary Marais and Kazalikashvili, who began to be honored even before the game, as it developed German Davydov, the captain of the “strelki," and Omari Grinyaev, the coffee lover of the “ak bars," added legendary status. Davydov brought the first five points in the history of the new stadium, approximately as in hockey or football, something like a follow-up. When Eddie Ludik carried and carried the “melon” into the opponents' in-goal area but did not carry it, German Davydov did it for the South African — 5:0. After which Johannes Tromp, who ran almost half the field, added his five to these points. The score became 10:0, more usual when a team scores a try with a conversion and kicks a penalty. But in our case it was about two unconverted tries, after which Kobus Marais missed from the spot. Maybe he has not yet sighted in at the new stadium, maybe it was hindered by the fact that a boot flew off Marais in the heat of the struggle. The same problem with equipment happened to the player of the “Slavs," Georgy Skhirtladze, which was remembered, as was the conversion of a penalty by the Muscovite Boris Kantselidze, who used his only chance to score points from a penalty — 10:3.

After which the Kazan team scored two tries in one minute — by Stepan Khokhlov and Franck Nodier. In the case of Khokhlov, let us note that it was he who on advertising banners invited Kazan residents to the game of his former and current teams, and it was his try that Marais finally converted. And Nodier scored a try immediately after the kickoff of the “Slavs.” They put the ball into play, Davydov caught it, gave a pass to Nodier, sending him on a straight run to the opponents' in-goal area. Marais again converted the try, setting the score at 24:3, and these were his last points in the game. Although it is worth noting one more kick into the 22-50 zone.

Meanwhile the partners did this regularly. Omari Grinyaev scored a try at the end of the first half, after a pass from Davydov. Already in the second half Eddie Ludik scored after a pass from Khokhlov, and then made a double, finishing an attack begun from his own half of the field by a kick from Tromp — 39:3. At the end of the game Rikert Korff scored a try, converted by Marais, but the match referee Umar Khamidov, after viewing a video replay, cancelled both scoring actions of the Kazan team, which did not affect anything at all.

Marais — “Slava MAR” — 4:3

Victory — 39:3, and even with five unconverted tries, Kobus alone brought his team more points than the entire “Slavs” squad: Marais — “Slava MAR” — 4:3. Curious changes took place in the team rosters, which may influence the decisive distribution of places at the end of the seasons in classical rugby and in the “sevens.”

The 22-year-old rugby player Alexey Konnov joined the roster of “Strela-Ak Bars.” He is a graduate of the Sports School of Olympic Reserve for game sports of Moscow Oblast. He played for the Sports School of Olympic Reserve for game sports, “VVA-Podmoskovye," the French “Castres” and “Albi.” He also played for the junior and youth national teams of Russia. The Georgian forward Tornike Akubardia signed a contract with Moscow's “Dynamo.” Akubardia has experience playing for Georgia XV, games in the Currie Cup and for the Georgian rugby sevens national team. Besides, Tornike played for “Black Lion” in the first season of the European Super Cup and took the field against “Yenisey-STM” and “Lokomotiv.” Egor Zykov, who played for Kazan as recently as last season, left the roster of Penza's “Lokomotiv," as did the South African Ryan Smith. Instead of him (by quota, but not by position) the Penza club was joined by Stefan Grundling, a 30-year-old forward who previously played for CSKA and “VVA-Podmoskovye.” As for Zykov, he joined the roster of “Slava MAR” and returned to Kazan to play here at the new stadium.

The South African prop Mhleli Dlamini moved to “Krasny Yar.” The 32-year-old Dlamini played for the “Blue Bulls” in the Currie Cup and the Israeli “Tel Aviv Heat” in the European Super Cup. As part of the Israeli team the South African reached the final of the tournament.

See you at the “sevens”

If we talk about the results of the regular championship, it is necessary to note that the 2023 champion of the country — Penza's “Lokomotiv” — rapidly left the number of favorites of Russian rugby. Penza is building a new team, apparently, as the current season goes on, whose peak it could consider the victory in the quarterfinal of the country's Cup over “Strela-Ak Bars” — 23:17, after the Kazan team's failed first half — 5:16. After which the Penza team flew out of the Cup draw, meekly losing to Moscow's “Dynamo.” The picture is not very pleasant either based on the results of the first half of the country's rugby sevens championship, where the Penza team is currently fifth, in fact, as in the “fifteen.”

In sixth place is “VVA-Podmoskovye," whose players can remember how they became second based on the results of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of Russia and were stronger in the confrontation with Penza. Plus they have opened a new stadium, which has already become the venue for the Russian Super Cup.

In last place in the memory of the players of the “Slava MAR” team will be the fact that the “Slavs” beat “VVA-Podmoskovye” and were participants in the opening match of the stadium in Kazan.

However, the personal feat of “Slava” can be considered the result of the match with “Strela-Ak Bars” in the final round of the first circle. 7:21, with a drawn result of the first half 7:7, when the “Slavs” scored a try while playing shorthanded, is a result giving moral satisfaction, not recorded in the tournament table. Only in the memory of the participants of the confrontation will remain a very hard game, in rainy weather, on a field resembling a swamp. The Kazan team still has a chance to play with these teams at the finish of the season, when they will complete the championship in rugby sevens.

Third place of the Kazan team — stability, not quite pleasing

Rising up the tournament table, we will see “Krasny Yar.” The Krasnoyarsk team in the last round of the first circle played a “fiery” match with Moscow's “Dynamo," minimally losing — 24:25. Moreover, the Krasnoyarsk team could have left the field as winners, but their player Jason Taumalolo missed while kicking a penalty. Also, by the way, in the rain; at the end of June precipitation fell everywhere, from Moscow to the very outskirts, including Krasnoyarsk, where the game took place, and Kazan, from where rugby was watched on television.

By the way, in the correspondence confrontation rugby beats football hands down. The rain did not stop a single rugby game, while the World Championship match between France and Iraq was interrupted for two hours, and two years earlier, at the European Championship, the break fell on the playoffs, stretching the time of the duel between Germany and Denmark.

Giving a brief assessment of the Kazan team's performance in the season, let us note that under the flag of the Tatarstan national team it finished third in the Spartakiad of the Peoples of Russia and in the regular championship in classical rugby. Fourth in the table of the Russian rugby sevens championship, where the situation can be corrected, but we no longer contend for gold. But objectively it must be admitted that the country's championship in the “fifteen” is the only tournament based on the results of which the Kazan team this season can fight for gold medals, though for this it will have to try very hard.