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Club Med

Skysports.com's rugby union writer Tony Curtis catches up the Welshman who has helped mastermind the rugby revolution in Cyprus.

In the Mediterranean a rugby revolution is rapidly gaining momentum.

Legacy

A clean sweep in their division would be enough to see Cyprus surpass the world record for consecutive international wins, however Shanks believes it is more important to progress the development of the sport in the country. "A lot of people talk about the record and there is no doubt that it is at the back of the mind but for me I want to leave a legacy for the sport in the country," he said. "If we can turn some heads and get some recognition from the Cypriot people then that should put it in a better position." Although Shanks accepts "football is king" in Cyprus, rugby is moving in the right direction. "Rugby was exclusively military until the early 2000s," he said. "Then a civilian side - the Paphos Tigers - was formed. After that, another two civilian sides - one in Limassol and one in Nicosia - were set up. "There are still the premier military sides so there is a small league that runs September to March, with a cup competition running from March. "We have a player base of about 60 with our squad spread over eight or nine countries. We have one coming back from Singapore for the Slovenia match, while we have others in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. "Unfortunately some of them only have a limited involvement as we've not got the money, while they have club commitments. "We have a few players based in the UK playing at a decent level. We have a lad who plays at Currie in the Scottish Premiership (Andrew Binikos), while the Pontypridd captain Chris Dicomidis plays when we can. We then have another guy at Esher (Tom Loizides).
Talisman
"He will love me for saying this but George Agathocleous is a real talisman for us. He is a South African-Cypriot and a really handy player. He is injured for the Slovenia game, though, as he has had a knee operation but he will be back in the new year." Shanks, who former coached the Combined Services Under-21s to victory over England Students at Twickenham in 2006, joined the set-up during his time stationed on the island. And although he is back in the UK, the 47-year-old still keeps a tight rein on the side. "I got involved through the British Military as I'm in the Royal Air Force and was stationed out there for three years between 2006 and 2009," he said. "In 2007 I got chatting to one of their coaches and I mentioned that I had done some coaching, so I was asked if I was interested in getting involved. A week or so later I got a phone call and I helped them prepare for their first ever game against Greece. "Then in 2008 the head coach stepped down so I would have been a fool not to take up the offer to replace him. "I am now based at RAF High Wycombe so I do a lot of stuff most nights on the laptop, emailing the players and dealing with different things. The real coaching comes in the pre-game camps. This week we will meet Thursday and train. We will then have two sessions on Friday and the game on Saturday. "I have an island coach who keeps the players in shape, while I hold UK-based sessions once a month where possible depending on the matches." For now Shanks' focus is on Saturday's match with Slovenia - and potential joining South Africa on 17 successive international wins.

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