VVA prolong European rugby Sevens’ reign

Rugby Sevens club, VVA-Podmoskovye, have lifted the European Champion's Cup for a fourth time in a row, meaning the Moscow region side have won the tournament every year since it began.

The rugby Sevens European Champion's Cup is four years old, and the same two teams have fought out the last three finals. Both of them are Russian: cup-holders VVA-Podmoskovye, who beat their compatriots from the south, and 2010 domestic champions Yug Krasnodar This time around they had their encounter in the semis, but that didn't affect the outcome: VVA were quick to break the deadlock, scoring a couple of tries early in the game.The game was completely dominated by Podmoskovye, who only let their opponents produce a single try, setting a final score of 22-5.The second semi-final saw another Russian team, Imperia, face La Rochelle, representing France.With both sides giving their all to win, it was Imperia who battled it out to the final.La Rochelle earned their share of honors after beating Yug Krasnodar and claiming third place.That is how it came to the all-Russian decider.  Once again, VVA-Podmoskovye promptly showed they had no equal in the tournament.The first try, scored by Aleksey Andreev, was converted into seven points by Dmitry Perov.Following a couple more tries and conversions, the cup-holders took a stunning 22-0 lead.It seemed all over, but Imperia refused to give up, proving that rugby is always about fighting to the end.Podmoskovye were keen to stick it out and won with a final score of 28-21 to stay the only victor the European Champion’s Cup has seen so far, and indisputably the best club Russia has to offer. “I have to give a lot of credit to our opponents – they looked great throughout the entire tournament and gave their all in the final. But it's no secret that VVA-Podmoskovye is the base-line for the national team, and we've got more international experience,” Dmitry Perov, VVA- Podmoskovye’s captain said.  “It would be great for the tournament to have teams from England and other countries where rugby's one of the most popular sports. However, most of those who took part in the event are very tough opponents,” Yury Gostyuzhev, Petrov’s teammate, said.An impressive achievement by Russia’s top club, which is now a four-time European Champion’s Cup winner. However, it is now just a matter of time until some tougher competition for the trophy emerges, as new teams are in talks to join next year.