If there was ever a match that pretty much summed up the complete farce that has been Russian rugby in recent times, it was last weekend's important Rugby World Cup qualifier with Romania, played in a random field in the little known village of Nebug.
With Russia's usual ENC home Sochi unavailable due to the Winter Olympics, the RUR shifted venue to an unheated pitch in Krasnodar and immediately suspicion was high that it was an attempt to get the game postponed and get to play Romania later and without their Top 14 players.
So when the game in Krasnodar was inevitably called off in the week beforehand, the RUR then put forward a pitch (pictured above) in a village of Nebug (<4000 population) 156km away, probably hoping the Romanians who had already had booked accommodation to cancel due to the hassle of a tediously long bus ride.
In the context that these were two nations in the world top 20 playing an important World Cup qualifying match, the Nebug venue was possibly the most jaw droppingly pathetic in the history of international rugby. There was no seating for fans, the dead ball area looked dangerously close to a drainage pipe and FRR president Alin Petrache said that there were no basic facilities such as lockers or a changing room. Romania ended up being forced to train and warm up on hotel premises. This really was beyond a joke, an amateur social league team would have had a bigger crowd and better facilities and nations far poorer and with less IRB funding and resources than Russia manage much better.
The Russian tactics to try and get the match postponed failed in the end though as Romania (who went from a 30,000+ UEFA 5 star stadium in Cluj to this game minute venue) were determined for the game to ahead, despite being well within their rights to turn down the game after the venue was changed.
Unfortunately this is just the latest in a long line of incompetence. They still haven't had the initiative to find or create a heated or artificial pitch to allow more choice of winter venue, they have made hardly any progress in growing the game in Sochi where they can play year round and as a result they struggle to pass 1,000 for their home games, and sometimes they aren't even getting their miniscule "home" crowds in Russia at all but Colwyn Bay in November.
They have made next to no progress since the World Cup in crowds (despite certain members of the RUR taking any opportunity for a fantasy land interview about how great the future for Russian rugby was) and the Sevens World Cup was roundly panned for it's pitiful attendances.
There dreadfulness doesn't stop there, they provide the most astonishingly lamentable coverage of their games with efforts such as THIS. In the ENC every nation bar Russia has decent TV coverage of their matches and some passionate home support, the Russians meanwhile have no fans and coverage that is worse than what could filmed on a camera phone. It makes a mockery of the tournament and makes it look resoundingly amateur, no kid watching that would want to play rugby. And that's just when they show the game at all, the USA were ticked off that their fans didn't get any coverage whatsoever of their match with Russia, supposedly at "home" in Barnet.
Running Russian rugby is not the simplest of any nation, but the lack of any initiative or ideas from the RUR is turning them into an embarrassment. If the RUR continue to give the tournament such an amateur image and mess their competitors about, then FIRA really ought to be warning them and handing out sanctions.
When Romania in the end did take to the Nebug field, they exposed the other side of Russia's post World Cup failings, the on field side. The Bears where thrashed 34-3, the latest among such other recent results as 40-13 vs Japan, 28-7 vs USA (2013), 46-0 vs Georgia, 35-3 vs Canada, 25-0 vs Romania (2012). How far backwards they've gone since the World Cup debut (where they impressed many with their attacking flair) has been staggering. Russia have not once come merely within 7 points of a top 18 ranked side since the World Cup and not even been competitive, despite the scoreline only reading 40 points, Japan spent most of that match in Russia's 22 botching chances, it could have easily been 60 or 70 points.
To put into context how bad they've been, this is the same side that pushed out Romania for the 2nd European qualifying spot in the last World Cup and didn't lose in the ENC to Romania for 5 consecutive years between 2006-10. In 2011 they had respectable defeats to Georgia and USA, and led Canada for an hour in the Churchill Cup, now they are getting thumped by all. On the bright side for them they are still in the running for the World Cup, however that shouldn't gloss over their failings as that is mainly due to some abject effort by the Iberians.
It's time for some serious change at the RUR, they are currently a shambles in many ways and both their fans, the tournament and their opponents all deserve better.
So when the game in Krasnodar was inevitably called off in the week beforehand, the RUR then put forward a pitch (pictured above) in a village of Nebug (<4000 population) 156km away, probably hoping the Romanians who had already had booked accommodation to cancel due to the hassle of a tediously long bus ride.
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| Romania were forced to train on their hotel site |
In the context that these were two nations in the world top 20 playing an important World Cup qualifying match, the Nebug venue was possibly the most jaw droppingly pathetic in the history of international rugby. There was no seating for fans, the dead ball area looked dangerously close to a drainage pipe and FRR president Alin Petrache said that there were no basic facilities such as lockers or a changing room. Romania ended up being forced to train and warm up on hotel premises. This really was beyond a joke, an amateur social league team would have had a bigger crowd and better facilities and nations far poorer and with less IRB funding and resources than Russia manage much better.
The Russian tactics to try and get the match postponed failed in the end though as Romania (who went from a 30,000+ UEFA 5 star stadium in Cluj to this game minute venue) were determined for the game to ahead, despite being well within their rights to turn down the game after the venue was changed.
Unfortunately this is just the latest in a long line of incompetence. They still haven't had the initiative to find or create a heated or artificial pitch to allow more choice of winter venue, they have made hardly any progress in growing the game in Sochi where they can play year round and as a result they struggle to pass 1,000 for their home games, and sometimes they aren't even getting their miniscule "home" crowds in Russia at all but Colwyn Bay in November.
They have made next to no progress since the World Cup in crowds (despite certain members of the RUR taking any opportunity for a fantasy land interview about how great the future for Russian rugby was) and the Sevens World Cup was roundly panned for it's pitiful attendances.
There dreadfulness doesn't stop there, they provide the most astonishingly lamentable coverage of their games with efforts such as THIS. In the ENC every nation bar Russia has decent TV coverage of their matches and some passionate home support, the Russians meanwhile have no fans and coverage that is worse than what could filmed on a camera phone. It makes a mockery of the tournament and makes it look resoundingly amateur, no kid watching that would want to play rugby. And that's just when they show the game at all, the USA were ticked off that their fans didn't get any coverage whatsoever of their match with Russia, supposedly at "home" in Barnet.
Running Russian rugby is not the simplest of any nation, but the lack of any initiative or ideas from the RUR is turning them into an embarrassment. If the RUR continue to give the tournament such an amateur image and mess their competitors about, then FIRA really ought to be warning them and handing out sanctions.
 |
| Russia latest 34-3 defeat to Romania was one of a long string of poor performances |
When Romania in the end did take to the Nebug field, they exposed the other side of Russia's post World Cup failings, the on field side. The Bears where thrashed 34-3, the latest among such other recent results as 40-13 vs Japan, 28-7 vs USA (2013), 46-0 vs Georgia, 35-3 vs Canada, 25-0 vs Romania (2012). How far backwards they've gone since the World Cup debut (where they impressed many with their attacking flair) has been staggering. Russia have not once come merely within 7 points of a top 18 ranked side since the World Cup and not even been competitive, despite the scoreline only reading 40 points, Japan spent most of that match in Russia's 22 botching chances, it could have easily been 60 or 70 points.
To put into context how bad they've been, this is the same side that pushed out Romania for the 2nd European qualifying spot in the last World Cup and didn't lose in the ENC to Romania for 5 consecutive years between 2006-10. In 2011 they had respectable defeats to Georgia and USA, and led Canada for an hour in the Churchill Cup, now they are getting thumped by all. On the bright side for them they are still in the running for the World Cup, however that shouldn't gloss over their failings as that is mainly due to some abject effort by the Iberians.
It's time for some serious change at the RUR, they are currently a shambles in many ways and both their fans, the tournament and their opponents all deserve better.
