Tervetuloa takaisin! 2013 promises to be a bigger, better and more competitive season of Finnish rugby than ever before and Ruck Tales will be here to keep you updated on what's going on, who beat who and of course, who scored the points.
It's difficult to talk about the off-season without focusing on the National Team. Two European Nations Cup (ENC) games have been played this year already, with Finland taking a much-needed (and much-deserved) away with in Athens, followed by a heart-breaking defeat to Bosnia in Zenica. You can download the games from the SRL website:
http://rugby.fi/federation/media/internationalgames/finland-international-games-for-download/The result is that at the mid-way point, Finland are once again at the bottom of Division 2D - but the cloud has a silver lining. Between those two games, the two winter training camps held at Kisakallio urheilupuisto and the first outing for the Finland A side against the Stockholm Exiles Barbarians (2nd) team, we have seen the emergence of many players who have laid the cards on the table and shown they can both ready and capable of stepping up to national level rugby. What's more, the 3-year residence rule is beginning to bear fruit, with several ex-pat players soon to become eligible for competing for a Finland jersey. Even if they don't make the cut, their experience in and around the squads will make them valuable assets in helping others to develop.
And so to the domestic season: the ladies have already been busy during the winter with their 7s league. Three tournaments were played in Pori, Vaasa and Turku, with Warriors' ladies taking the grand slam to finish top, JRC's ladies coming in second and Helsinki's ladies taking the bronze. In a series of simply dominant performances, Warriors ran in over 500 points across the three competitions, nearly double to number of their nearest rivals, while conceding fewer than 50 points in total! Here are some photos from the Turku tournament (copyright to Rod McCracken):
http://riafin.galleria.fi/kuvat/Rugby/Ladies+7s+Turku/
The women will kick off their 15s season ahead of the men, with games this weekend for Tampere hosting Helsinki, while JRC travel to Pori.
This weekend also sees the start of the men's Division 1 competition, with Helsinki hosting the first D1 South mini-tournament. Helsinki's 2nd team, Warriors 2nds, Porvoo, Kotka and Turku Eagles' 2nds are set to play a mix of 10s and 12s at Myllypuro and set the standard for the two teams who have byes for this tournament: Linna and Joensuu. Following a set of strong performances which took Helsinki's 2nds to the semi-final last season, they have to be regarded as the favourites, but Porvoo showed in their warm-up match against Warriors that they are not to be taken lightly.
New rules for Division 1 teams will take effect this season: if a competing team is a 2nd team of a club in the Championship, then a player will be ineligible to play in Division 1 if they have played in the national 1st team within the past two calendar years. Players who have only represented Finland A are still eligible and it has been agreed that exceptions may be agreed on between teams in the case of players returning from long-term injuries. The idea is to keep Division 1 as a competition for encouraging the development of less experienced players and preventing teams from effectively loading the dice.
Division 1 North will not start until 25.05. when Pori Bombers will host Kuopio, but we recommend that you pay attention to the northern section of Finland's second league, as we predict that Division 1's champion will almost certainly come from there. Pori made a impression last season and gained a reputation for fast, aggressive rugby. They made the decision to join D1 North in the hope of playing regular 15s instead of the default 10s and Kuopio, Vaasa and last year's champions OYUS (Oulu) will gladly accept the added competition. It's hard to predict how Oulu will follow on from their success last season but the player base has been consistent for years and team coordination will count for a lot. Vaasa will have been disappointed with last season's results but on paper they should be able to cause a lot of damage: four of their players represent Finland A versus Stockholm and they have a front row that all have national level experience. Kuopio is another team that is going from strength to strength, building on close ties with it's link club, Jv
äskylä. Two warm-up games will put them in a good position fitness-wise and with several very experienced players coaching the squad they will not be easy for any side.
All to play for: OYUS won Division 1 last year but the North will be a battleground (photo by Rod McCracken)
Finnish rugby must deal with two notable and sad absences this year. Rauma Ice Pack (RIP) have become known over the years for both their dominant performances in Division 1 and their memorably lively 3rd halves. It's a cruel twist of fate that just as they were due to take their place in the Championship this year, many of their players were informed that employment contracts were being cut and they would have to return to their home countries. We never thought we would say this, but we will miss the added French-ness that RIP brought to any competition! The remaining players from RIP are due to split between Turku Eagles and Pori Bombers.
At the end of last season we also said goodbye to Galen Rangiawha, who made the move with his family to Brisbane, Australia. Galen was universally popular in Finnish rugby for his enthusiasm for the game and his friendly and encouraging attitude towards others. Capped many times by Finland in the centres, Galen played for Turku but pulled on nearly every team's jersey at one time or another at Midnight Rugby or friendly games. We wish him and his family all the best and expect a visit soon!
Goodbye Galen and R.I.P. RIP!: a vibrant part of Finnish rugby is gone (photo by Galen Rangiawha)
Looking ahead, the Championship kicks off on 25.05.13 with 5-times champions Warriors heading up to Jyväskylä, while Tampere host the other finalists from last year, Turku Eagles. All teams have undergone a certain amount of change since last season, with players moving, returning from injuries and finally hanging up their boots.
Warriors will be bolstered by the return of Johnathan Cozzi, as well as the rather sizeable addition of National Team number 8, Petri Virrankoski. Add to this Kosti Eskola's recent successful graduation into the national 1st side in Bosnia and Warriors will not be short on forward power this year. Last season's top points scorer, Tumppi Finell, spent the winter playing with recently-crowned Dutch champions RC 't Gooi, while former National Team wing Matt Jordan has returned to Finland and will go some way towards filling the void left by French flyer, Jim Rhoné.
Eagles were the surprise package of last season, reaching both the semi-final and final for the first time in their 10th anniversary year. Forwards Tatu Rantakokko and Kalle Salminen earned National Team places on the backs of last season's performances, while Joonas Manni is set to fill the massive hole left by Galen Rangiawha. Eagles will benefit from the few remaining ex-RIP players but are also bolstered by the return of hard-tackling Pieter Le Roux from injury and the arrival of NT back Elias Korhonen from JRC, as well as some seriously fast wings.
Tampere will be feeling the loss of the talismanic Virrankoski, and more so with flanker Jani Lehtinen away on a sports tour in New Zealand, but TRC have built a strong player base and with NT locks Dawie Van Der Walt and Fred Harrison still very much around, combined with influential backs in Mikko Luopio and Jussi Viljanen, there's certainly no need to panic. Prop Jesse Metsänen and utility back Christiaan Freeman both impressed for Finland A, and TRC's link with Linna RC will give them access to bulldozing centre Avea Avea and speedman Henrico Harnoster.
Jyäskylä will be very happy to see openside Rob Hussey back from injury - watch out for jackaling at each and every ruck. Utility forwards Aaro Katainen and Mauno Konttila spent the winter playing with Dover Rugby Club in England and the added experience will doubtless show early on. Keep an eye out for Teemu Elomaa in the backs: a display of strong running and good decision making at national team camps earned him a spot in the Finland A side. JRC have the bonus of a link with the ever-improving Kuopio RC, home to in-form back row Ari Tikkanen and several other promising players.
All accounts tell us that Helsinki have been training like mad to bounce back from the disappointment of last season. They will have to start the season with Finland captain Drew Myrie side-lined following a nasty injury in Greece, but powerhouse forward Andras Devenyi is in excellent form and NT veteran Stephen Whittaker will be looking to make a nuisance of himself in the rucks. Jared Gregory has an impressive run for Finland A at fullback, while the club can call on a dynamic centre pairing in Juhani Majanen and Estonian international Karl-Henry Korjus. Keep an eye out for hard-working Finland A prop Mikko Aalto as well - 135kg is no joke when it's running at you.
We're looking forward to a great season, and you can help us out by sending us your photos, video links and results. Look for us on Facebook or email us at Ronald.ruck@hotmail.com!
