Join us as we follow Russia’s Rugby World Cup campaign

Welcome to the Russia Rugby World Cup 2011 homepage, the number one source for news about Russia’s greatest rugby adventure.

Expectation is high as Russia takes its place on the Rugby world stage for the very first time, and we’ll be providing all the coverage you need, every step of the way.

Take a look below for information about Russia’s fixtures, a guide to the team and its coaches, a look back at Russia’s qualifying campaign, and plenty of other information about Russian rugby.

Remember to check back regularly, as we’ll be publishing regular articles in the lead up to the World Cup. And, of course, once we get into the tournament itself, we’ll be previewing and reporting on every match as it happens.

Latest News

Table

Team P Pts
Ireland 4 17
Australia 4 15
Italy 4 10
USA 4 4
Russia 4 1

Fixtures / Results

Russia have been drawn in Pool C.  Russia’s matches will get progressively harder as they face first their old enemy the USA, then Italy, Ireland and Australia.

Click on the boxes below to reveal more information about each match.

Russia vs USA match report

USA vs Russia

15 September 2011 Match Preview / Match Report

Italy vs Russia

20 September 2011 Match Preview / Match Report

Russia vs Italy match report

Ireland vs Russia

25 September 2011 Match Preview / Match Report

Russia vs Ireland match report

Australia vs Russia

1 October 2011 Match Preview / Match Report

Russia vs Australia Match Report

Meet the Russian Bears

The Russian team is made up mostly of players from the Russian domestic rugby leagues, with a smattering of players who play in England, France and Australia.

Click on the boxes below to find out more about the Russian rugby team.

Russia's Star Players

You almost certainly won’t have heard of most of the players in Russia’s squad – so here’s our guide to the key Russian players to watch this world cup.

Squad

The Russian squad is mostly made up of players from their domestic league, with a smattering of players from the English and French leagues.

Click through to see who made it into the final Russian Rugby World Cup squad.

Russia's Coaching Team

Russia has put together a top notch coaching team for the World Cup, packed with previous international experience.

Road to the World Cup

Russia finished second to Georgia in the 2008-2010 European Nations Cup, which doubled up as the European qualifying tournament for RWC 2011.

Click on the boxes below to find out more about Russia’s Road to the World Cup.

ENC Qualifiers

Russia finished second in the 2008-2010 European Nations Cup tournament, to secure their berth at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Click here to read more about Russia’s qualification campaign.

Warmup Matches

As a part of their preparation for the World Cup, the Russian Rugby team took part in the Churchill Cup tournament in England and travelled to Wales to play a number of club sides.

Click here for a roundup of Russia’s World Cup warm up matches

ENC 2011-2012

Unrelated to the World Cup, Russia are also participating in the 2011-2012 European Nations Cup. Following a disappointing start to their campaign, Russia are currently fourth in the six team tournament.

About Russian Rugby

Rugby in Russia has a long and varied history that dates back to before the Soviet Union. In recent years, the game has been steadily increasing in popularity.

Click the boxes below for background information about Russian rugby.

Russian Rugby History

Russian Rugby has a rich and varied history. Read more in our comprehensive history of Russian rugby.

Russian Domestic Rugby

Russia’s domestic leagues are surprisingly strong. Find out more.

Russian Rugby Resources

Links to useful sites about Russian rugby

Georgia at RWC2011

Russia aren’t the only other Former Soviet team to qualify for this year’s World Cup. Russia’s neighbours and close rivals Georgia also hope to make an impact in New Zealand, after they came so close to defeating Ireland at the last World Cup.

For more information visit our Georgia Rugby World Cup 2011 microsite.

About this site

The Russia Rugby World Cup 2011 microsite is a part of the Siberian Light Russia Blog.