England Rugby Union Counties renew Russian rivalry in France

The two sides met in Moscow a few weeks ago on the final game of the Counties three-match tour to the Russian Federation, the tourists hanging on bravely to collect a 23-21 win.  

That might have been the end of the link for a while until the Russians were invited to attend a FIRA/AER festival in South West France in early September, with a game against Russia the first test for a new Counties XV line-up.

“We had a really enjoyable and productive trip to Russia and now know exactly what we can expect when we meet in Fleurance on September 6,” said Counties XV manager Jim Robinson.

“We were both surprised and impressed by the quality of the rugby played by the three Russian teams. It is interesting that we will be meeting them again so soon and France – they have French coaches in Russia and their game is very closely allied to the way the French play their rugby.

“As always, putting together a team and getting it to gel in a comparatively short space of time is always one of the special challenges facing our players and coaches and it is always an excitement when a fresh opportunity presents itself.

“We have been gathering together recommendations for our squad, which will change from the Russia group because of club promotions and differing player availability.

“This team will be drawn exclusively from National Division Two, who have window in their fixture matrix, and below and looking at the list of nominations, there are some very exciting players who are new to the selection process who made a big impression in last season’s County Championship.”

The French competition will involve five teams, with England and Russia being joined by Spain, Belgium and hosts France, although it will be a festival rather than a tournament, with England playing only three games.  After meeting Russia they will face Spain in Lourdes on September 10 and close with a game against France at Mont de Marsan on September 13.

“We have developed strong links and friendships with our French counterparts, who like us are keenly interested in developing international opportunities for players from the Community Rugby sector.” says Robinson: “This is another example of that commitment and I know that just like me, our coaches Dave Baldwin and Harvey Biljon are very much looking forward to working with a new set of top-quality players.”

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