Meet Nikola and Ludovic. They are players in Bulgaria’s national rugby team. Nikola is 20 years old, and Ludovic is 21. Their father Anatoli left for France with his parents back in 1990, when he was 16. He started a family with the Frenchwoman Patricia, and so Nikola and Ludovic Aleksandrovi came into the world – the boys who today play for the national team of their father’s homeland.
In its most recent match, on 13 May this year, the Bulgarian national rugby team lost 17:35 to Cyprus in a match of “Conference 1 South” of the European Championship. This was a first defeat for the Bulgarian rugby players, who before that had recorded two consecutive wins over the teams of Israel and Slovenia in the conference and already have 14 victories under the leadership of the Frenchman Romain Balmis.
Behind rugby’s remarkable recent success in our country lie precisely the ambitions of the Frenchman, who works without a salary for the national team and has embraced the cause of showing the world that this sport can be successful in Bulgaria too.
Nikola and Ludovic’s path in rugby is entirely logical, considering that this sport is extremely popular and widely practised in France.
Rugby is one of the most watched sports in the world, with forecasts that close to one billion people worldwide will watch the World Cup in France this year.
They say that their mother is the main “culprit” for them starting to train rugby. Nikola started at the age of 4, and Ludovic when he was 5. They began training in the team of Puylaurens, and their first coach was Alain Bonnet. What they like about rugby is the team spirit, the players’ fighting spirit and the feeling of solidarity and respect.
At the moment the young rugby players from Puylaurens, in the Tarn department, train in the team of Saur Agout. They tell us that in their region, Occitanie, there are 393 clubs for men and women that develop this sport. And, quite naturally for the scale of the sport in France, there is a rugby stadium in almost every village and town. That is why we are not at all surprised to learn that rugby is also part of the school curriculum.
I ask Nikola and Ludovic what the philosophy of rugby is.
“Solidarity, integrity, passion, discipline and respect. Group unity, which takes precedence over individuality,” shares Nikola Aleksandrov.
Ludovic, for his part, says that rugby develops a passion for sport in general, and also creates friendships.
Both are happy to have the support of their family and friends.
“Here rugby is a religion, it is anchored in people’s blood, everyone is encouraged to play rugby. When we were first selected for the national team, everyone encouraged us, everyone was proud of us and expected us to help our team, the team of our second homeland,” says Ludovic.
But how did Nikola and Ludovic make it into the Bulgaria squad?
“Bulgaria’s coach Romain Balmis, who is French, came to see us play during a match and then selected us,” says Nikola.
Ludovic adds that the coach brings his French approach into the game. Moreover, in his opinion, a big plus is that Balmis manages to unite the boys in the national team, teaching them respect and solidarity towards one another. And not only within the team, but also against the opponent on the pitch.
Both share that they were surprised that rugby is not such a well-developed sport in our country, even though its beginnings were laid back in 1934.
“That’s a pity, because it’s a very beautiful sport with very good values,” both lads are adamant, having recorded their first match for the national team of their father’s homeland nearly 2 years ago. Ludovic made his debut on 2 October 2021 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Nikola on 16 October 2021 against Serbia.
They have also played for Bulgaria against the teams of Andorra, Turkey, Malta, Israel, Croatia, Slovenia and Cyprus.
“We have very good results with the team. The rugby players who play abroad contribute with their technique, which can sometimes be lacking in a player who trains in Bulgaria,” says Nikola Aleksandrov.
In the Bulgaria team there are players who play in club sides in England, Scotland, Italy and Spain, and as many as eight lads play in France. Nikola and Ludovic share that the atmosphere in the team is very good, with understanding and cohesion between them. They say the Bulgarian players are “respectful, honourable, physically strong and combative”.
They too, like most rugby players, dream of one day playing at a Rugby World Cup.
I ask them how they themselves would motivate a boy or a girl to start training rugby.
“By explaining to them the values of rugby, and that rugby is one big family, and also that they will make friendships for life,” answers Nikola.
Outside sport, Ludovic works in construction, while Nikola studies industrial maintenance and is completing his education this year.
There’s no way not to ask the two brothers what Bulgaria – the homeland of their father – means to them.
“Bulgaria is part of our DNA, a magnificent country with great cultural wealth and very tasty food,” says Ludovic. “Bulgaria is like our second homeland,” Nikola is adamant.
These are Nikola and Ludovic Aleksandrovi, who rediscovered their father’s homeland through the sport of rugby.
