On June 19-20, Moscow welcomed the European Rugby 7 Series Tour, which happened to be the first event of its kind in the Russian rugby history and part of the 2005 World Cup Qualification. The Tour was held under the auspices of the European Rugby Association (FIRA-AER). Lord Frederic Windsor, he of the English royal family, kindly attended the competitions. The Russian team, sponsored by MERLION, was among the prize-winners.
On 19-20, Moscow saw ten Rugby 7 teams (Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Scotland, Israel, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Latvia), mixing it up on the Luzhniki Stadium. Following the triumph against the German national, Russia ended among the prize-winners, thereby justifying its place in the European Top 16 Rugby 7 teams. Scotland national team won the Tour.
This Series has already seen tours in Sopot (Poland), where Russia was the runner-up, superseded only by the Irish national, and also in Split (Croatia), Lunel (France) and Tbilisi (Georgia).
The final tour of the European Series will be held on July 16 - 17 in Spain, where Russia will contend the European championship and the right to participate in the 2005 Rugby World Cup 7.
As the story goes, rugby has originated in the United Kingdom and is currently under the patronage of the royal family. The imperial persons try to attend the most significant tournaments. In Moscow, the competitive spirit of the rugby players was bolstered by Lord Frederic Windsor, son of Michael, Prince of Kent. The very presence of the regal person boosted the players' fervor.
The International Olympic Committee is currently considering the admissibility of Rugby 7 to the Olympic program. However, the Russian athletes are already greatly supported by MERLION, the leading distributor of computer technologies in Russia.
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
) |
