08.04.2013 NovSU rugby club “Varyag” represents Novgorod region at the tournament in Saint-Petersburg On 7April, two Novgorod rugby teams departed to Saint-Petersburg to participate in the “In Memoriam of Alexander Zakharov” rugby tournament. Veliky Novgorod was represented by a recently formed “NovHIT” team and the Novgorod region was represented by the university rugby club “Varyag”. Two teams had different objectives, while it was a success for inexperienced “NovHITs” to qualify from their group, “Varyag”, the leading regional rugby team, aimed for the first place only. Apart from two Novgorod teams, twelve teams from other cities of Russia participated in the tournament. Teams were expected to play a group phase first and then playoff series. The Novgorod Region Rugby Federation president explains: “Initially, we intended to put up four teams for the tournament in Saint-Petersburg and give an opportunity to gain game practice for all the lads, but organizers decided otherwise by admitting only two teams of four declared. In this regard, we altered the initial goal of getting some field experience for our teams into performing their best. “NovHIT” was allotted strong but manageable opponents in a draw ceremony. While “Varyag”, provided the right pulse beat, has a chance of meeting its eternal adversary “Narvskaya Zastava” team as early as in semifinal what would be pretty much a final competition for both teams.” English |