Pavel Baranowski: “Disappointed we did not win in Dubai”

Did you target a place in the final before the tournament?Our team’s composition and level of readiness allows the coaching staff to set the highest goals. As a result, the team matched our best result in the World Series and for the first time in our history recorded five victories in the tournament.

Which of those wins was particularly important?The win against the New Zealand team. It was the only top team we had never beaten. Everyone else we had already defeated - England, Australia, France. But the New Zealanders we could never get the better of. It was not only a long-awaited victory, but also so very convincing!

World Rugby’s “Team of the Tournament” included two Russians - Nadezda Kudinova and Alena Mihaltsova. Did you agree with the choices?

Kudinova also received the award as player of the tournament. She is one of the leaders of the team, an experienced player. If the selectors of the team asked my opinion, I would have also pointed out Marina Petrova. Her contribution to the success of the team cannot be overestimated. In general, all the girls – our top players - gave it a hundred percent. Mistakes? Of course, they were. But the desire to show that Russia is a serious force, for the long term, in the women's rugby – that offsets any small errors.Is the team a good bet to win the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament, which will be held in June next year ...?I hope that now everyone understands: Russia is not just a good team but also a contender for the Olympic medals. Judge for yourself. In Dubai, we played many of the favourites for the tournament in Rio de Janeiro and only lost to the Australians - who, by the way, we have beaten twice at other tournaments in the World Series. The Spanish will be with us at the qualifier competing for that single place at the Olympic Games, and we defeated them 24-0. In my opinion, everything is clear.Who else will be the main competitors for the Olympic place?We have to take seriously the threat of Republic of Ireland and China. I do not understand how the Chinese woman managed not to miss out on Olympic selection at the Asian Championship, losing out to Japan.

Any concerns about our star players after such a performance?Someone else's soul - darkness, especially - women. But I still hope that the team properly respond to this result. The girls have to believe in themselves but also not to relax.How will you prepare for the rest of the season?To prepare for the June tournament it will be important to prepare a team that is in good condition and preferably without absences through injury. So, we will vary the composition of the team for the different stages of the World Series. For example, in the Brazilian leg in Sao Paulo on February 20-21 will play some of our best reserves. The same applies to the last leg before the qualifier for the 2016 Games. Our core team will play in the legs in the US and Canada.Last winter, your team took part in the tournament in Brazil, but did not shine there. What is the reason?In February, Brazil is very hot and humid. Not the most comfortable conditions for rugby. And also our sport is very competitive. Today, we beat New Zealand 33-7, but tomorrow the result may be the complete opposite.Women's rugby for many Russians is still an exotic, minority sport. Is this fair?There is no point being upset about it. We know we need to work. Our team is formed from a core of four clubs. Our selection pool is about 50 players. Little choice, what can I say? It is a pity that we cannot afford, unlike the other leading Unions, to have several national teams that can play in various international tournaments. Wherever you come to Dubai there are two entered teams from Canada, and three from France… And their girls start playing when they are children. Unfortunately, we do not have that advantage because of our well-known financial limitations.