Olexander Skorbach is a hero of rugby league in Ukraine. Not only has he represented Ukraine at 13 a side and 9 a side he also represented Ukraine at 15 a side and 7s in rugby union.

Olexander was born In1987 in the east of the country in the Kharkiv region in the village Okhoche, Novovodolazhsky district. Since childhood, he was engaged in various sports, but in 2006 he decided to try rugby league, a new sport in Ukraine.

He was one of the original players for country’s first rugby league club Kharkiv “Legion Xlll”.

From the formation of the team he was the captain, and he still is! He was also the captain of the national rugby team when that formed in 2009.

Since then, the Ukrainian team under his leadership has had many ups and downs – brilliant victories and bitter defeats. Olexander is the all-time leading scorer in the Ukraine national championship.

In 2018, Olexander and seven other Ukrainian players played the season ventured to England to play for Leeds Milford Marlins- again a first in the history of Ukrainian rugby league.

“Rugby is not just a favorite thing in my life, rugby has become my life. My dream is for our national teams to be leaders in Europe and to participate in the World Cup.” says Olexander.

UFRL President Artur Martyrosian summed up Olexander’s impact on the sport saying;

“It is difficult to overestimate Olexander’s contribution to the development of rugby league in Ukraine. He has been at the forefront of the development of our sport from the very beginning.

Gennady Veprik, coach of the Ukrainian national team and RLC “Legion XIII” sums up Olexandrer’s career saying;

“He has been the leader and driving force of our team since its formation and that continues to this day.

“Olexander is my support both on the field and off, he is reliable as an athlete and as a person. He is an example to everyone.”