All Blacks household names

Press, 27 April 1989, Page 38

All Blacks household names

Novosti-PA Moscow Edgard Taturyan was one of the pioneers of Soviet rugby in the late 19505. In 1957, the Moscow Bauman Higher Technical School organised the first Soviet rugby team. Taturyan, then an 18-year-old student of the Bauman school, became a scrum-half.

At present Taturyan is in charge of Soviet rugby. "The Soviet team would rival the All Blacks if rugby in the U.S.S.R. was in the spotlight like soccer,” he says. Soviet fans and experts

closely watch New Zealand rugby. G.uram Modebadze, now over 40, is a great rugby devotee and still touches down the oval ball in grand style. His two sons, 15 and seven, are sure to make top-notch rugby players. The elder son competes for the Republican Cadets’ selection. The younger recited the names and numbers of the All Black players. At his home, Modebadze showed off his new Japanese videotape recorder. “Don’t wait for a movie,” said his

wife. “We’ve got only rugby recordings.” The next five hours on screen saw John Kirwan’s dashing attacks and Grant Fox’s brilliant attempts at goal. It is probably thanks to the efforts of Taturyan, Modebadze and other such fanatics that rugby in the U.S.S.R. is gaining a foothold and drawing more youngsters. The last two years have been successful for Soviet rugby. The national team has firmly established itself in second position in Europe.

The college selection produced a sensation at last year’s world universities tournament in France, beating in a preliminary match New Zealand, who was to win the final. Last month, the cadets’ squad became silver medallists at a European tournament in Portugal, losing in the final to Argentina.

Asked whether Soviet and New Zealand rugby players could shortly meet in test level, Taturyan said: “All Blacks in Moscow? It would be wonderful.”