The 2012 Czech Rugby League season kicked off with an historic pre-season 9s tournament involving all 9 of the clubs – Lokomotiva Beroun, Pardubice Jets, Vrchlabi Mad Squirrels, Prague Vikings, Chrudim Angels, Hradec Kralove Broncos, Ústí nad Labem Dragons, Orli Havlíčkův Brod & Mikulov Roosters – at Slatiňany Stadium.

Lokomotiva Beroun, the oldest established rugby league club in the Czech Republic, were the eventual champions, going through 5 matches undefeated and racking up plenty of exciting tries along the way. Former Czech national team captain, Jan Sluka, led from the front in his comeback to rugby league, Honza Buben orchestrated the team’s attack and Dalibor Šmotek comfortably topped the days try scoring feats with several weaving, length of the field efforts.

Current Czech national team captain, Petr Šedina, who played with Prague in the final, while also coaching Mikulov Roosters to their rugby league debut, was circumspect about the day: “It was great to see so many Czech rugby league teams all coming together, and it is a good indication of where we are going with our development. The challenge now, is not just to maintain the momentum of booming player participation, but to improve the skills, fitness and game knowledge of the players.“

Despite the inclement weather which saw rain and strong wind punctuate the 6 hour tournament, and even a brief hale storm during the semi-finals, spring has certainly arrived in the Czech Republic and rugby league was the last of the major football codes to begin its 2012 competition. For 3 clubs  – Chrudim, Havlíčkův Brod & Mikulov - the pre-season 9s was their 1st taste of ‘serious‘ rugby league after only ever having played friendly matches previously with other domestic Czech teams, while for 2 - Hradec Kralove & Ústí nad Labem – it was their 1st experience of full-contact rugby league competition in any form.

The indications were that all clubs are on the right track, with Usti, in particular, impressing with their physical approach to the game, Havlíčkův Brod giving Beroun their toughest match of the day going down only 8-6 in the semi-finals, and Hradec suprising everyone, except perhaps themselves, by going through the preliminary rounds undefeated & scoring some scintillating tries along the way, before being edged out 6-4 by Havlíčkův in the quarter-final.

In the other semi the current Czech Minor and Major Premiers, Pardubice were defeated by Prague, the latter looking like 2012 will be a season of vast improvement for them after playing 3 full seasons of CZRLA domestic matches without ever having registered a win. In their debut in the kit donated to them by the Leeds Rhinos, with whom they have entered into a partnership, the Vikings looked impressive and had they not lost key player, Oliver Pierce, to injury appeared well and truly capable of causing an upset against the much more experienced Beroun in the day’s final. For club patriarch, Richard York, the 9s performance was an encouraging indication of the season ahead: “considering we have only managed a few outdoor contact sessions in the leadup to this tourney we have done really well to maket he final. We will improve enormously from this point, and the enthusiasm from all the players indicates we have a successful year ahead of us“.

 

Hradec Kralove coach, Libor Hanzlíček , perhaps best summed up the overall mood of the day by stating that, despite his team’s loss in the quarter finals, he was proud of how far they had come in such a short time, having pulled together a group of complete rookie rugby players for indoor training sessions near the local univerity during the winter. “All clubs did great today, and this was a perfect start to what will be a great Czech rugby league season“.

The 2012 CZRLA 2 division domestic season proper, kicks-off after the Easter long weekend.