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Russia Head Coach Lyn Jones has announced Russia’s 31-man roster to compete at Rugby World Cup 2019. The Russian Bears will be playing in their second RWC with their first having been RWC 2011 in New Zealand.
29 of the 31 players play their rugby in Russia. The two based abroad are second-rower Andrei Ostrikov who plays for Grenoble in France; and Valery Morozov who plays for the Sale Sharks in the English Premiership.
The complex pool matches which await Russia have been reflected in the make-up of the roster as it contains 18 forwards, and 13 backs.
Five of the forwards are props – Azamat Bitiev, Kirill Gotovtsev, Valery Morozov, Vladimir Podrezov, and Andrey Polivalov; while a further three are hookers – Sergey Chernyshev, Evgeny Matveev, and Stanislav Selsky.
Jones has also named four second-rowers in the form of Evgeny Elgin, Bogdan Fedotko, Andrey Garbuzov, and Andrei Ostrikov. The back-row options are the largest of all positions with six players selected – Tagir Gadzhiev, Victor Gresev, Roman Khodin, Anton Sychev, Nikita Vavilin, and Vitaly Zhivatov.
In the backs Russia will take Vasily Dorofeev, and Dmitry Perov as the two scrum halves to Japan. Meanwhile there will be three fly half options in the form of Ramil Gaisin, Yuri Kushnarev, and Sergey Yanyushkin.
The mid-field sees four players selected in German Davydov, Dmitry Gerasimov, Kirill Golosnitsky, and Vladimir Ostroushko with just three wingers and one fullback. They are Igor Galinovskiy, Denis Simplikevich, Vladislav Sozonov, and captain Vasily Artemyev.
Russia will compete in Pool A of Rugby World Cup 2019. They are to face Japan in the tournament opener in Tokyo on Friday, September 20. Their subsequent matches are to be against Samoa in Kumagaya on September 24; Ireland on October 03 in Kobe; and Scotland on October 09 in Shizuoka.
For complete details of Russia’s 31-man roster click here.
RUSSIA WORLD CUP ROSTER
FORWARDS: Sergey Chernyshev (Slava Moscow), Evgeny Matveev (VVA Saracens), Stanislav Selsky (Enisei-STM), Azamat Bitiev (Krasny Yar), Kirill Gotovtsev (Krasny Yar), Valery Morozov (Sale Sharks, UK), Vladimir Podrezov (VVA Saracens), Andrey Polivalov (VVA Saracens), Evgeny Elgin (Enisei-STM), Bogdan Fedotko (Krasny Yar), Andrey Garbuzov (Krasny Yar), Andrei Ostrikov (Grenoble, FRA), Tagir Gadzhiev (Kuban), Roman Khodin (Kuban), Victor Gresev (Krasny Yar), Anton Sychev (Metallurg), Nikita Vavilin (Slava Moscow), Vitaly Zhivatov (VVA Saracens)
BACKS: Vasily Dorofeev (Krasny Yar), Dmitry Perov (VVA Saracens), Ramil Gaisin (Enisei-STM), Yuri Kushnarev (Krasny Yar), Sergey Yanyushkin (Lokomotiv), German Davydov (VVA Saracens), Dmitry Gerasimov (Enisei-STM), Kirill Golosnitsky (Krasny Yar), Vladimir Ostroushko (Kuban), Igor Galinovskiy (Krasny Yar), Denis Simplikevich (Enisei-STM), Vladislav Sozonov (VVA Saracens), Vasily Artemyev (Krasny Yar),
