Khamova staying positive

Anastassiya Khamova, back-row for Kazakhstan talks to Lúcás Ó'Ceallacháin for Scrumqueens.com about today's challenge against the USA after a very tough opening loss to New Zealand.

Published by Alison Donnelly, August 5th, 2014

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Khamova staying positive

How is the mood in the camp ahead of the game with USA?We feel good. We were a little surprised with the performance of Ireland vs USA as we thought USA would be stronger. They will still be a big challenge for us but we are looking forward to it. Just competing at this level is tough for us but we are staying positive.

Are there any injuries to report after the first game?Yes, we have 3 injuries who were all replaced including one concussion. They are still being assessed by our medical team so it’s too early to say but today there are several changes in the team as a result.

In the first game you faced the Haka and the world champions New Zealand. How was it for you?Our coach Adam is from New Zealand and he gave us advice on how to respect the Haka. We stood at a distance and clapped afterwards – it’s a unique experience for us. Of course we were disappointed with our performance but happy that we could show some of our skills in patches. Scoring against the world champions is something to be proud of and we have to take the positives out of the game. The support from the crowd really gave us a lift.

How much of an influence has new coach Adam MacDonald been on the team?He’s such a positive talker – always encouraging us – and that’s just what we need. We’ve only been together a short time, about six months. He saw us through qualification which was important – every team in Asia wants to beat us to the qualification spot, so we were pleased. He makes an effort to learn Russian too and we appreciate that. When he speaks it is always with something useful and he has tried to put more structure on our game.

Looking forward to your match with Ireland this weekend what can you expect?We have played Ireland and USA in the past but the teams have changed significantly in this period. It’s hard to judge when you only see them every four years. That said, we can see that the Irish pack and scrum is very solid and that they have developed a good kicking game. They have runners out wide that can do damage if they get possession. Every game here is a challenge for us, but just like against New Zealand, we won’t give up. We will keep going all day.

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