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'My 13-year-old daughter asked to leave because she was terrified'
“The last three months have been surreal. I have just arrived back in Kyiv after three months in Spain. I’m not sure if it’s a good decision, but it’s made. I really hope the war will stop soon.”
Rugby likes to use wartime phrases to convey its combative nature, talk about ‘fighting for every inch’ and being ready to ‘go into battle’ when discussing an opponent are cliches that pepper pre-match lexicon, but those similes feel trite when hearing, first-hand, the day-t0-day life-or-death situations involving with the Ukrainian Rugby Union (URU).
Iryna Arkhytska, the secretary general of URU, despite impeccable English, is struggling to find the right words to the fact her beloved country was invaded by Russian forces on Feb 24, in the depths of winter.
Now bathed in sunshine, she prays for better days ahead.
“For first two or three weeks we were confused, lost and terrified but then we started to think about our possessions and how to keep ourselves alive.” She pauses, “mentally.”
Arkhytska started working for the Ukrainian Rugby Union six years ago and only tried playing a game of touch in Madrid, laughing that she now understands, ‘how tough it is for your body and soul.’
Responsible for international documentation, over the years, she got to understand how a governing body works, regularly liaising with Rugby Europe, World Rugby and the Olympic Committee before assuming her current title. It was experience that has served her well in recent months.
On the day of invasion, Arkhytska was Kharkyiv-bound on the train when she heard the Russian Army had crossed the border. “I was a long way away from my family and it was a huge shock. My first thoughts were that I needed to get back to Kyiv. Not for a moment did I think about leaving the country permanently. My husband decided he couldn’t leave his heartland while it was under attack and I wanted to stay with him. However, those first three weeks were very intense and my 13-year-old daughter asked to leave because she was terrified.”
Like millions of families, heart-wrenching conversations were had and it was decided mother and daughter head West to the city of Lviv, in close proximity to the airport. “Lviv was a shelter for people trying to escape the relentless bombing. The local government organised a refugee response along with Lviv Rugby Union who organised a camp at the local university rugby stadium pitch. I worked in the same food kitchen as the Ukrainian Rugby team, where we were cooked for refugees and military forces from the moment we woke up. The boys were exhausted but they kept going, I was so proud of them.”
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Defending his native #Ukraine, Vladislav Oleksiyovych Gorbunov, a player of the #Donetsk regional rugby team, was killed during combat missions. He was only 22 years old …@rugby_europe #stopwar #StopPutinNOW #UkraineWar @WorldRugby #StopRussia #StopRussianAggression pic.twitter.com/wtuzsVa5xT
— Ukraine Rugby (@RugbyUkraine) June 23, 2022
When word reached them that Russian forces were advancing it was decided to move to Poland. It was then the global rugby network kicked in. “We knew some Ukrainian players who played there, and they promised us accommodation in Katowice. We crossed the border on foot where we were provided with hot food and SIM cards and then we went to Warsaw. Honestly, we couldn’t believe how supportive the Polish were.”
Now in relative safety, Arkhytska began making plans to pull a disparate Ukrainian Rugby together. “The URU is a family and I started to collect information from the clubs via personal messages. I must say, from the first day of war we were well supported by Rugby Europe and World Rugby. They offered us shelter in their countries. By day three, World Rugby announced a support package, which was fundamental to us surviving as a governing body in those early days.”
When in Poland Arkhytska started to work with the game’s administrators more closely and it was proposed she move to Spain where she could communicate more freely. Transport was arranged and within a fortnight she was in Madrid, as a guest of the Spanish Rugby Union. “In the first three weeks or war, we withdrew all our sides from competitions, but after consultation, we decided to apply for U18 boys and girls participation, which Rugby Europe accepted. Then we looked for private financial support because government funding was blocked for obvious reasons.”
Rugby Europe launched a fundraiser which Arkhytska says continues to be a massive help and training camps were organised to enable Ukraine to compete at the forthcoming European Championships.
Not every one of the country’s 3,000 male and female players will be present, however. “Some of our representatives have joined the military operation, joining territorial protection groups, volunteering to help with humanitarian aid. Many of our members go into the red zones to help people with food and medicine.”
Athletes of the LEGION XIII rugby club at the #Dynamo Stadium in #Kharkiv.
In July 2019, the matches of the second round of the European Grand Prix in rugby 7 among women took place here. 12 teams took part in the tournament, including the#Russian national team.#rugbyeurope #war pic.twitter.com/gIM3rk48N9— Ukraine Rugby (@RugbyUkraine) June 20, 2022
The plight of the URU was brought to the attention of the Olympic Committee and Olympic Solidarity support has been applied for to cover training expenses in the short-term.
Arkhytska says Octavian Moriariu, the head of Rugby Europe has been particularly supportive. “In the first week of war, we were hiding in the bathroom as a family due to heavy bombing when the President of the Ukrainian Rugby Union called me to ask me to translate the conversations between him and Octavian. There was heavy shelling outside, so it was a crazy situation!”
Offers for support have come from far and wide. “Amazingly, one of the Pennsylvania State University representatives contacted me and said they’d like to organise a charity dinner. They asked for our national shirt, which they said they would hang in the Hall of Fame to raise money. We are also liaising with a British company about producing rugby kits with our logo to help our profile. It’s amazing how many people want to help us.”
Currently No 34 in the world, Ukraine has a passionate, committed player base, having beaten Romania previously and there was hope that they could move up the world rankings before war hit.
“No one is hiding from this reality. Take Oleg Kosariev, the captain of our Ukrainian 15-a-side and 7-a-side sides. He has not been able to train properly. He is just running in his back yard or using public equipment at night because his he has been protecting Ukraine as a volunteer. If we play in any competitions next year, there are concerns because so many of our players haven’t been able to train properly. With a lack of money, if we miss games, it complicates matters.”
Keeping the administrative wheels turning when on a war footing is a challenge for even the most talented administrators, says Arkhytska. “The executive director of Ukraine Rugby joined the military in special ops. He can’t share where he is or who is he working with most of the time. He has made the decision to help his country, which makes communication sporadic.”
The long-awaited event for young rugby players took place at the #Odessa Sports Academy Stadium – for the first time during the full-scale #WarInUkraine they had the opportunity to play training matches against their rival friends from Odessa schools.#rugbyukraine #rugbyeurope pic.twitter.com/vjHeflb917
— Ukraine Rugby (@RugbyUkraine) June 19, 2022
As for the future, Arkhytska says it is unclear, but the kindness and warmth shown by the rugby community has been overwhelming. “We’ve been so amazed by the global rugby family support and solidarity. It’s difficult to express my feelings. They have proposed to help us with accommodation, to shelter our players, because at the start we didn’t really know what we wanted or needed, but slowly the system kicked into place. Our male and female players were left with a choice which country they wanted to go to, so we liaised with different unions, and they’ve all been incredible.”
Arkhytska says with all the support and help, there is hope the Ukrainian Rugby Union can survive this critical emergency. “We have to believe that. The patriotic unity of Ukrainians gives us hope. We are desperate that the world doesn’t forget out Ukraine and keeps reporting what is happening here. We have been thrilled that organisations like RugbyPass have raised money for our and it is hugely appreciated. We cannot thank you enough.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Jake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
11 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
11 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
11 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to comments