Czechs aim to prove value of 15s
The Czechs will be the outsiders in the European Championship in Madrid next week, but coach Richard Krützner explains that the future of their national fifteens team may be at stake,
Published by John Birch, September 30th, 2016
4 minute read
Photo: Czech team at last year's European Trophy (Czech Women's Rugby)
“Our rugby in the Czech Republic is more focused on sevens rugby”, Czech women’s fifteens coach Richard Krützner told us when we spoke to him about next week’s tournament.
“Our rugby sevens league has three divisions: the first division has six teams, there are six more teams in the second Division, and the third division has 5-7 teams.
“The season is then divided into two. Sevens takes place between August to mid-October, then the fifteens teams played a couple of matches before a winter break. After that in the spring we have a couple more fifteens games after which its sevens from mid-March to June.
“We have been playing international fifteens test matches for about three years. So far only we have only collected experience, and we are grateful for every match.
“But the big problem is the absolute ignorance of our Executive Committee, who argue that fifteens rugby is not a promising format for the women's game. For the European Championships in Madrid they have funded us with a grant of €3,000.
“But for a tournament like this we have problems getting enough quality players as they have to take time off work and still have to pay some of the costs from their own pockets.
“So next week at this tournament we are missed three of our best fly halves and three very good players from the back row.
“Despite this, we hope to play well and we will bring home new knowledge and experience.
“But looking ahead, I fear that in the future the executive committee will want to stifle our fifteens team. Unfortunately, they do not understand that for some of our women and girls fifteens rugby is a more appropriate game than sevens. We are not developing quality scrum halves and wings in sevens.
“Yet I hope in a better tomorrow.”
Czechia squad
1 Aneta Šmejdová, club RC Sparta Praha (4 caps)
2 Jenny Anna Vik, Aylesford Bulls RFC (no cap)
3 Sára Lea Exnerová, RC Sparta Praha (3 caps)
4 Šárka Žižková, RC Tatra Smíchov (3 caps)
5 Karolina Filsáková, RK Petrovice (5 caps)
6 Martina Damborová, RC Slavia Praha(no cap)
7 Pavla Fišrová, RC Tatra Smíchov (no cap)
8 Kateřina Nováková, RK Petrovice (3 caps)
9 Klára Hladilová, RC Sparta Praha (4 caps)
10 Pavlína Čuprová, RC Tatra Smíchov (6 caps)
11 Zuzana Malá, RC Narbonne Méditerranée, France (3 caps)
12 Kateřina Pokorná, RC Tatra Smíchov (3 caps)
13 Kristýna Exnerová, RC Slavia Praha (no cap)
14 Václava Hrabětová, RK Petrovice (1 cap)
15 Kateřina Daníčková, RC Tatra Smíchov (3 caps)
16 Marion Philippe, RC Sparta Praha (no cap)
17 Květuše Kottková, RC Slavia Praha (5 caps)
18 Dominika Havelková, RC Přelouč (6 caps)
19 Jana Nedvídková, RC Sedlčany (no cap)
20 Zuzana Skokanová, RC JIMI Vyškov (3 caps)
21 Tereza Haffnerová, RC Sparta Praha (no cap)
22 Kamila Rousová, RK Petrovice (6 caps)
23 Maia Pavlenko, Lille Métropole Rugby Club Villeneuvois, France (no cap)
24 Kateřina Burianová , RC Plzeň (no cap)
25 Nelly Brtová, RC Sparta Praha (no cap)
26 Kateřina Wackermannová, The Falcons RFC, Malta (1 cap)
Staff:Head Coach Richard KrütznerCoach Vlastimil BažantCoach Zdeněk AlbrechtPhysio Barbora KopeckáManager Martin Charvát