U23 Coaches Corner

Cyprus Rugby Federation
21 hours ago
3 min read

Lead Coach

“To be asked to coach the inaugural Cyprus U23 side was something I was extremely proud of.

Initially, I thought the numbers would be around 20 players, which would have allowed for very specific talent ID and detailed coaching. However, as things unfolded and the group grew to 40 players, it made the opportunity even more exciting and highlighted the level of interest and potential within Cyprus Rugby.

Having not been involved with Cyprus Rugby for 10 years, hearing about this opportunity definitely made me a little jealous. As someone who made their debut at 18, this is exactly the kind of opportunity I would have loved to have had during my playing days.

The day itself began with a meeting where the standards and expectations of Cyprus Rugby were clearly outlined. As the training session progressed, it was evident that the players had fully bought in, which was extremely pleasing to see.

As the match unfolded against Eton Manor, it proved to be a very entertaining game. While the result was not the main focus for us, the performance was hugely satisfying. There were some excellent moments of last-ditch defence, clear evidence of training principles being applied on the pitch, and, importantly, players were encouraged to be brave and express themselves in attack — something they did in abundance, resulting in some outstanding tries.

Overall, the day was a huge success.

I am extremely grateful to Christo Kasabi for organising everything and getting this off the ground, to Dave Lee for all his work behind the scenes in ensuring everything was in place, and to George Cosma for his support and assistance throughout the day.

Finally, a big thank you to the players for their effort, attitude, and buy-in.

In my opinion, the future looks very bright for Cyprus Rugby.”

-- Burhan Torgut

Cyprus U23s Lead Coach

Forwards Coach

“After the last few years it’s been clear that although some results haven’t been in our favour Cyprus Rugby has been building and preparing towards something big.

A major factor in this is the connections being made between our next generation of players and some of the more experienced senior players. Luckily I have been around the squad for long enough to see numerous debuts for young lads however International Rugby is a high standard and it can be extremely difficult to make the most of these limited opportunities.

I saw that there was an opportunity for some of the young lads to play a game together so that they could really show what they could do and what they was about. This lead onto what became the camp on Sunday.

To see the committee and management team move quickly in finding new players was very exciting. When asked to be part of the coaching team I was more than happy and honoured to be involved.

To have 40 players at the training day was great to see and the buy in from the start was exactly what is expected from a Cyprus Rugby camp.

I was most pleased to see so many players that I have played with really stepping up in both leadership roles and on the pitch when it really mattered. For me that was one of the main goals of the day. The game was extremely competitive and the physicality from both sides was a real highlight.

Finally I’d like to thank Dave, Kasabi, Antonio, Con and all those in the CRF committee that supported the day. Burhan for the session planning. Eton Manor u23s and the Club itself for facilitating again. Lastly thanks to all the players especially those who travelled a long way.

Very excited to see Cyprus Rugby continuing to build for the better.”

-- George Cosma

Cyprus U23s Forwards Coach

Development Officer

“It is always nervous wait when you have organised a big participation event to see who turns up. We needn’t have worried as 40 young rugby players arrived, ready for action and to show what they were about.

The day itself unfolded as anticipated with the structure put in place by the coaches, Burhan and George. All the players listened, applied themselves and practiced what they had been coached to do so they went into the game prepared to play.

Both the training and game aspects of the day were a success which means that the pathway through to the Men’s Senior XV and 7s teams is now firmly established.

Looking to the future it is the goal to organise games against other countries U23 teams so the players can test themselves against their peers and demonstrate to the coaches that they continue to develop into future international rugby players.”

-- Dave Lee

Cyprus National Team Manager & CRF Development Officer