Official Russia supporters Thread

[mossbags]

Don't forget that without the Russians we'd all be living under National Socialism and the Gestapo. Even Bod, even Rog, Geordan, Donnacha, Kidney and all those other boarding school toffs who managed to win at the egg and spoon the last day.
So please show your support for some real hero's here.

Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!

[Real Kerry Fan]

Who Russia playing. I thought were finished with them after 0-0 draw in Moscow

[Boxtyeater]

The few days in Gdansk have gone to Mossbags head...After a weekend of debauchery and wodka the urge to defecate defect has hit him.
I can't forsee him however, attempting to emulate Gadaffi by slipping into Jordan.....

[mossbags]

Союз нерушимый республик свободных
Сплотила навеки Великая Русь.
Да здравствует созданный волей народов
Единый, могучий Советский Союз!

ПРИПЕВ:
Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Дружбы народов надёжный оплот!
Знамя советское, знамя народное
Пусть от победы к победе ведёт!

Сквозь грозы сияло нам солнце свободы,
И Ленин великий нам путь озарил:
Нас вырастил Сталин — на верность народу,
На труд и на подвиги нас вдохновил!

ПРИПЕВ:
Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Счастья народов надёжный оплот!
Знамя советское, знамя народное
Пусть от победы к победе ведёт!

Мы армию нашу растили в сраженьях.
Захватчиков подлых с дороги сметём!
Мы в битвах решаем судьбу поколений,
Мы к славе Отчизну свою поведём!

ПРИПЕВ:
Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Славы народов надёжный оплот!
Знамя советское, знамя народное
Пусть от победы к победе ведёт!

[Boxtyeater]

ужасный гимн......

[Guest]

[bald eagle]

трахните это так или иначе

[Real Kerry Fan]

A win for Russia would be great for the game. Imagine the interest it would create underage up to minor all over the country, well if the Russian people even know that they have a rugger guys team!

[Thomas Clarke]

A win for Russia would be great for the game. Imagine the interest it would create underage up to minor all over the country, well if the Russian people even know that they have a rugger guys team!

You make a fair point there RKF, and one that I would pose to the rugby fans on here:

Given that rugby is a sport played seriously by 2-3 tiny countries, and semi-seriously by a few more, should we be cheering for a Russian win, to aid the development of the game worldwide?

[GAA-Fan]

A win for Russia would be great for the game. Imagine the interest it would create underage up to minor all over the country, well if the Russian people even know that they have a rugger guys team!

You make a fair point there RKF, and one that I would pose to the rugby fans on here:

Given that rugby is a sport played seriously by 2-3 tiny countries, and semi-seriously by a few more, should we be cheering for a Russian win, to aid the development of the game worldwide?

I would support Russia or any of the smaller teams if they played one of the big teams (except Ireland of course) but then most of us would favour the smaller teams in tournaments. Undeniably it would increase the popularity of the sport and being in the Rugby world cup would have done that (Argentina in 2007 as an example). The problem is, is that there are only a few dominant leagues in the world with clubs and they are all in the developed rugger nations. Russia and the likes of them do not play in tournatments such as the tri nations and six nations on an annual basis. They should set up a tournament for the smaller nations to play in on an annual basis and possibly bring in the likes of France, Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia in to their tournament on an invitational basis. Argentina don't have an annual

[mossbags]

A win for Russia would be great for the game. Imagine the interest it would create underage up to minor all over the country, well if the Russian people even know that they have a rugger guys team!

[Jayo Cluxton]

Vasily Artemyev is from the town of Zelenograd, 23 miles north-west of Moscow. It was founded in 1958 as a centre of textile industries, but grew in more modern times into Moscow's silicon valley for hi-tech microelectronics. Into Zelenograd was absorbed the old village of Kryukovo, the nearest point to the Russian capital reached by the German army in the Battle of Moscow, fought through the winter of 1941, and where the Shtyki Memorial stands with the inscription: "Here the defenders of Moscow, fallen in battle for the Motherland, remain forever immortal."

Nowadays, Zelenograd is a suburb, a rugby town. "This is where I learned to play," says Russia's 24-year-old wing in the team hotel in New Plymouth. "But last season I played for VVA-Podmoskovye, the club coached by Nikolai Nerush, who is also in charge of the national team." VVA are based in Monino, at the Gagarin air force base, the same distance from the centre of Moscow as Zelenograd, but due east.

Sandwiched between the years of rugby in these satellite towns of Moscow lie Artemyev's Irish years. When he was 15, his father, "a banker with a few businesses now", suggested that it would be a good idea for his son to learn English. Ireland offered such courses and young Vasily headed for Dublin. His only request was to go to a school where they played rugby. "I wasn't sure if this was possible. I didn't know how big rugby was in Ireland."

He went to Blackrock college, where Brian O'Driscoll learned to play. He was in the same year as Luke Fitzgerald, who would go on to play on the wing for the 2009 Lions. He had found his rugby, no question, and he would progress from Blackrock to the Leinster academy. But finding himself at first as a young Russian in Ireland "was a shock to the system, all right". This comes out in the pure brogue of Dublin.

[Real Kerry Fan]

I note his first name is short for vaseline. Very appropriate.

[mossbags]

Ref doing the West Brits a fair few favours here

[mossbags]

Johnny Sexton is *****

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