French coach predicts bright future for Russian rugby

This is the fourth year in a row that Moscow has hosted a leg of the European Sevens Championships.

There were 10 sides taking part, mainly from Europe's second tier, with the continent’s top sides, like France, England and Ireland not competing.

Russia started the tournament as one of the favourites, after a series of promising results recently.

“We've showed that we're able to compete at a high level. We managed to get a draw against the English at the Edinburgh Sevens, which was an incredible result for us, though we had chances to win. We've still got some way to go before we catch up with the likes of New Zealand and Fiji, but we've shown we can compete with teams in Europe, like France, England and Wales,” said Russian player Yury Kushnaryov.

Russia are continuing that good of form in Moscow, with wins in their first three matches against Norway, Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

The first two were easy wins with Russia notching up almost 50 points on both occasions.

“The team only got together two days ago, so it's taking a bit of time to gel as there are a number of new players in the squad. Today I thought there was a bit of room for improvement, though I'm sure we'll be even better on Sunday,” Yury Kushnaryov added. 

The match against Ukraine was always likely to decide the group winners and be much tougher for the Russians.

However, they gave a good performance and were able to win through 26-5, to maintain their one 100 per cent record.

A good performance at the tournament is vital for Russia's future development.

They’re on course to reach the finale in Hanover, which will feature the top 12 teams from Europe.

If they manage to finish in the top five in Germany, they'll qualify for the World Cup, which will give them the chance to play against the best teams in the world.

To help them get there, Russia have employed a Frenchman as head coach, and he believes the sport is in good health.

“I've noticed there has been a massive increase in the development of rugby in Russia recently. It's becoming more and more popular, and the sport’s moving forward all the time, and it will be difficult to stop this momentum,” said Claude Saurel, Russia’s Head Coach.

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