Latvian rugby is on a high after famous win against Swedes

Last season, by winning all six games, Latvian champion Livonia became the winners of the Baltic's main rugby tournament for the first time.

In Latvia, rugby is not a sport where you can make money and requires real time and dedication. Its players may be are tough, but only on the rugby field. The unwritten rule of rugby is that everything that happens on the field stays there. The biggest support point for players is their family, which is also emphasized by Kristīne Vasilenko, the wife of "Livonia" player Uvis Vasiļenko.

"It's not just a sport anymore - it's a family," Kristīne Vasiļenko emphasized in a conversation with Latvian Television's Sports Studio. "At first, it was like - what is it [rugby] anyway? I haven't seen it, I don't watch that sport on a daily basis."

Meanwhile, Darja Oseledko, the wife of Livonia rugby player Antons Oseledko, says that her husband takes all his anger and energy out on the field.

"At home, he's the best husband you can possibly have. Any whim I have that he wouldn't agree to in the off-season is fulfilled during the season. I like that Antons has rugby. I even envy him a little, because he has a thing he's really passionate about," said Darja.

"There was one really crazy time. There was a guy who looked like Antons. I was a little late for the start of the game, I got to the stadium, the ambulance had already arrived, they were transporting the rugby player away. I thought it was Antons, my heart literally stopped. I immediately saw Antons himself standing there, and it didn't seem so terrible anymore."

Jolanta Aivare's husband Ingus Aivars and son Emīls Aivars play side by side on the same team, so she has twice the experience in rugby.

Rugby also has its influence on the family menu. "I ask in the evenings what we're going to eat? There's no other answer - meat!" Jolanta Aivare laughed.

Jolanta believes that her son's involvement in rugby is natural.

"What else could I expect when my son and I were standing on the sidelines at a young age. It was clear that Emīls would be there [in rugby]. It's hard to watch," admitted Jolanta. "When I send pictures to my friend, Emīls' godmother, she says she can't even look at it. It hurts. I say there's nothing I can do about it because they enjoy it, no matter how tough the sport is."

Ingus Aivars sees that his son has followed in his footsteps in rugby, and perhaps even surpassed his father.

Livonia head coach Neil Johnson, in his address to the team before the exciting final game, emphasized that the players may not have an even bigger event in their club careers.

"Today will be about the real moments, about the big moments. All seven games won will be about this game. No one will come back to this locker room if they haven't given 110% of themselves. Otherwise, you will have let yourself down," the coach emphasized.

In the final match, Livonia lost the lead they had gained in an instant after childish mistakes. But they dug deep and fought back. In a game worthy of the title decider, after a tumultuous match, the Latvians managed to pull out a victory.

"This was the first season when "Exiles" entered this league. Well, we can't let them win in the first season - that would be a complete disgrace for us," emphasized "Livonia" forward Vasilenko. "Because they wrote on their forums that if they steamrollered the Lithuanians, the Latvians would be no problem at all. They were super confident. It was very principled for us - we showed them that it wouldn't be like that!"

For the Aivars family, the final will be engraved in gold letters - Ingus, shoulder to shoulder with his son Emīls, finally became champions.

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