Russian Rugby Cup for the Yenisei-STM team

At the stadium named after Lev Yashin on his birthday (would have been 93 years old), the final match for the trophy in one of the “toughest” team sports took place. The organization of the game for the trophy met the high standards of sports action.

Russian Rugby Cup. The final. “VVA-Podmoskovye” – “Yenisei-STM” – 10:22 (7:10).

Attempts: Malherbe (38) – Budychenko (22), Meskhi (29), Uzunov (59), Esterhuizen (67);
Realizations: Abdulkadirov (39) – Gaysin (59);
Penalties: Abdulkadirov (48) – no.

Watching live, and even from the edge, such a “male” power game was incredibly interesting. Thirty stately, powerful, athletic men literally “teared” each other not only “melon” (as the rugby ball is called), but also body parts. Fortunately, everyone remained at their human “parameters”. And the first symbolic blow to this very “melon” was made by the legendary football player Andrei Tikhonov, who celebrated his birthday a few days ago.

As such, the struggle, not athletic – this was enough, but the sport (in terms of results) did not work out. “Heavy machine” from Krasnoyarsk in the first half was a little like itself, but in the second compensated for everything in full. The Monints “woke up” only twice – at the end of the first segment of the match and at the beginning of the second half. The rest of the playing time only “fought off” the attacks of harsh men from the banks of the Yenisei.

Enisey and VVA-Podmoskovye met in the final of the Russian Rugby Cup for the second season in a row. Last year, the Krasnoyarsk team won, so the “military aircraft” (as the team from the Moscow region is called) wanted to take revenge. None of this worked out for them – they won the Yenisei-STM trophy and became the nine-time winner of the National Cup. The Monints still have eight trophies left in the club museum.

This season on the way to the final, Enisey left no stone unturned against Slava (41:5) and Lokomotiv-Penza (52:17). VVA-Podmoskovye beat Dynamo Moscow (33:23) and Krasny Yar (13:12) in succession.

Enisey-STM started as a true favorite: it had the advantage, but without real chances to make a skid. For the rugby players of the Moscow Region, Islam Abdulkadyrov could have scored the first points in the 18th minute, but he shot from a free kick a little to the left of the target. And only after that the Krasnoyarsk team were able to realize the advantage – Alexander Budychenko scored a try. Ramil Gaisin didn’t score a conversion — 5:0. In the 29th minute, the Krasnoyarsk club again “broke” – Davit Meskhi, and again without conversion – 10:0.

Just before the WVA break, thanks to Arnout, Malherbe scored five points for a breakthrough through the center, and then Islam Abdulkadyrov added two more points for a conversion. At the beginning of the second half, Monintsy leveled the score thanks to the accuracy of Abdulkadyrov, who scored from a free kick – 10:10. After that, one team remained on the field – from Eastern Siberia. Neither substitutions nor efforts helped the Monints to impose a fight on the favorite.

In the 59th minute, Enisey went into the lead – Konstantin Uzunov brought the ball into the end zone (albeit after watching the “TV” by the referee of the match) + Gaisin clearly executed the conversion – 17:10. And seven minutes later, the Krasnoyarsk team was already celebrating the victory, “breaking through” someone else’s defense with a maul (a maul is formed when the player with the ball is held by one or more opponents, and one or more teammates of the player with the ball wrap around him).

For the rest of the time, the guys from VVA-Podmoskovye could not show anything to the Krasnoyarsk residents, who made several hundred of their loyal fans happy.

Cup, gold medals, salute from the “golden ribbons” and numerous selfies with relatives and fans – this is how the final match ended at the stadium that bears the name of the only goalkeeper of the Golden Ball winner – Lev Ivanovich Yashin in Petrovsky Park.

Vladimir Sabadash.

Photo – Vladimir Golikov.