The BIG Interview - Cyprus International Christo Kasabi

RGN: Hi Christo. So how did you first get into rugby?

CK: I first started playing in the first year of secondary school in 1996/97. I already saw RWC 1995 and thought I would like to have a go at that, so when the opportunity arose, I gave it a go.

RGN: How did you first get called into the Cyprus team?

CK: I was on my lunch break at work, googling away, and discovered there was a Cypriot national team playing their first international game. I checked the dates, it was played the previous weekend! On their website, it had a link to contact if you are eligible for Cyprus to contact them so I did. They invited me over for a yearly exhibition game that was happening in a month’s time vs. the British Army (basically ‘Team Fiji’). After that I was called up for my first full international games.

RGN: Where abouts do all the players come from who play who play for Cyprus. Are they mostly domestic based?

CK: There are a number of players based domestically, which include key members of the team. Despite our limited exposure, word has reached out to all areas of the UK & Ireland, France & Holland where players play at all different levels, from Level 2 down to Level 9.

RGN: What is the domestic rugby setup like in Cyprus?

CK: There are currently 8 teams in the CRF League – 4 local sides and 3 army based sides. There are regularly held youth tag tournaments with Limassol & Paphos having both establishing junior sides. Recently we have gone into schools for tag sessions, while some of the local schools who had never seen rugby before came to watch our recent game vs. Greece (72-5 win). After that game we were told that the children were throwing a rugby ball in the playground in the weeks after which is great for what is a Football dominated country

RGN: You play at a decent domestic level, how do you the juggle work commitments to training, matches and a fair bit of international travel?

CK: It’s tough but worthwhile. Twice a week training at the rugby club, I try to fit in two gym sessions a week *cough cough* and a game on Saturday. Balancing work, I’m lucky, work hours rarely cause problems with getting to training, although, good old London Underground makes it difficult sometimes. I have to keep holiday time from work for the international matches (around 3 days each game, 4 games a year), so I do get some time to use holiday away from the rugby field. 

RGN: Do you get any financial help from the Cypriot RFU or anyone else?

CK: We have a few small sponsors who help keep the CRF afloat, we have very little government backing and in the world financial crisis we all realise times are hard. As players we pay for our own flights and off-field kit, which players do find hard to do.

RGN: Which country did you play against for your first cap?

CK: I played against Azerbaijan in Paphos, 29th October, a 29-0 victory in the very early stages of Cyprus Rugby in the FIRA-AER League 3D.

RGN: How did it feel? 

CK: A feeling like no other, to represent your country is the pinnacle. I will never forget that feeling in the tunnel, facing the opposition, our captain barking down the line to his men, ready for battle. The match is like a blur now, unfortunately, it was the first of three games over two and a half weeks. We went on to win the next two games and win the league which was a great achievement. Those bonds we built together started something special for the team going forward into future internationals.

RGN: Who is the hardest international side you have faced?

CK: The hardest game I would say would be our play-off defeat against Israel after winning League 3D. Ten months had passed since that tournament, and a change in management. The fixture was announced with not much preparation time, about 3 weeks I seem to remember. Due to short notice, some players couldn’t get away due to work commitments so the squad was weaker than the 3D tournament. The result didn’t go our way, but ultimately, we didn’t perform. Since then, despite winning 15 consecutive games, there have been tough away trips. There was Bosnia in the snow, with some players having never seen snow before, never mind play rugby in it! Greece away was another as we had no coach due to a family illness. A rejuvenated Finland, in which the score line didn’t reflect their performance (5-52), in our last group game this year, was another tough one.

RGN: How difficult is your route to World Cup qualification in 2015?

CK: Pretty tough. We have to finish top of our current league season, after that it’s knockout qualification. Three rounds of qualification in close proximity from May to June, winners always playing the team who finished top of their league at home (except the first round which is the team from our league at home to winners of the league below). It then resumes in May 2014 where there is two more stages of European qualifying. The European qualifier will face an African nation, then the winner of that game will face a nation from either the Americas or Asia – the winner takes their place at RWC 2015. As you can appreciate it’s a pretty tough task. 

RGN: What are your long term goals for Cypriot rugby and within the game generally?

CK: For the game to grow on the island – more kids playing the game, local teams growing their player base. For the sevens, who narrowly missed out on the World Cup qualifying stages by one place, to grow and break into Europe’s top 10 is an achievable goal. The dream is to qualify for a major tournament like the Commonwealth Games, 7’s World Cup, Rio 2016. For the 15’s it is just taking one game at a time. We have targets set, to win this league, to break the record of 18 consecutive wins, and to go into RWC 2015 qualifying with the aim of still being in contention into 2014. These targets are achievable, but only with hard work on and off the field. 

RGN: Who are your rugby heroes and why?

A Moufflon: Not its actual colour

CK: I used to love watching the obvious like Jonah Lomu and Jonny Wilkinson. Being a Saracens fan, and having used to play back row, Richard Hill used to be my fave. I also liked Thomas Castaignède & Joost van der Westhuizen.

RGN: What is a Moufflon and why is it prominent on the Cyprus Rugby emblem? 

CK: A moufflon is the national animal of Cyprus, a kind of wild horned sheep that roams free in the extensive forests of Western Troodos and has also been used as the symbol for the Cyprus Airways.

RGN: Finally, why is your nickname 'The Butcher'? 

CK: The Butcher is an easy one, Kasabi spelt “Κασάπης“ in Cypriot, is translated to butcher.