Source: Radio New Zealand
Anton Shashero with Sir Graham Henry. Sarah Gloyer Waiheke Gulf News
While the country has been dragged into a devastating war, two Ukranians are ensuring that rugby stays alive in their home, and that young players have a potential path to safety.
Anton Shashero is coach of Ukraine’s national under-16 side, and thanks to a collaboration between some prominent rugby minds in Aotearoa, he and best friend Maksym Dulia have spent the past week in the country learning from some of the best in the business.
Shashero said the invasion has had an horrific impact on players and the sport in Ukraine.
“A lot of players from the senior national team and from the under-18 team have already died. A lot of them are in the war. In almost in every family now in Ukraine, someone have lost someone. It’s huge. It’s huge.”
He said rugby acts as a beacon for young men during dark times, and for Shashero and Dulia, it had a significant impact.
“When we were kids, rugby was everything for us. You can travel, you can have friends, you can share your moments with boys on the field and it’s the values rugby which rugby gave us.”
That path was able to be extended across the other side of the world,
“We knew that we wanted to come to New Zealand and try to learn from the best. So it was our dream.
“When our boys see that we’re here with the All Blacks, it has a huge impact for them, for their families and for everyone in Ukraine, when they see that we here, it’s big moment now for Ukraine.”
Upon arrival, the pair spent time with Sir Graham Henry, the Hurricanes and at the IRANZ institute.
Anton Shashero and Maksym Dulia at IRANZ in Upper Hutt. supplied
The initiative is part of a broader plan to bring Ukrainian youth boys and girls teams to play in Aotearoa a joint effort between IRANZ, Henry and Brent Impey of Kiwi KARE, a foundation which provides New Zealand aid to Ukraine.
IRANZ general manager Wayne Taylor said it felt like the right thing to do.
“The country has been through a lot of hardship and sport can be something really positive, obviously the timing wasn’t great though with the war but it’s still something we are really keen to do, we are hoping to still get some funding and that it will still happen in the future.”
Impey said that despite everything going on in Ukraine, their passion for sport persists as the five team senior mens rugby competition continues to run.
“Their goal is to reach the 2032 Olympics in sevens, so i thought how can New Zealand help make that happen? We can be a part of reconstruction through sports diplomacy. It represents an opportunity, for New Zealand to be a visionary. “
Infrastructure in Ukraine has been significantly compromised as a result of Russian strikes, forcing Shashero to host junior camps to be held outside of the country.
“We usually do camps outside of Ukraine, in Poland and Georgia and now we go to Portugal for international tournament,” Shashero said.
Shashero and Dulia will take what they have learned home as his young side prepare to take on the best in the Northern Hemisphere.
“We have been given some fundamental things which we implement, now we have to fight to try to become the best team in the Europe. We want to show we can win against the best teams like France, Ireland, England.”
The game has come a long way in Ukraine, as Shashero vividly recalls his first trip to the European champs as a youngster where his team was soundly beaten.
“All we did was trained one week and went there and we couldn’t play well against them.”
Shashero said he has been blown away by the passion for rugby in New Zealand.
“I was at a rugby club and saw a boy maybe one years old, he cannot speak now but he already passing the ball and it’s amazing.”
Having seen some secrets behind competing on the global stage, Shashero also hopes to one day bring a Ukrainian side to Aotearoa.
“I hope that one day one will come in the future. I hope and I believe that if we prepare them for such long period, they can be on the same level with them, especially with New Zealand specialists helping us with this. I hope that it’s going to rise.”
Shashero and Dulia mixing with Hurricanes players. supplied
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
