RUGBY TEST: Germany v Russia

13.03.2010
Germany v Russia in Sochi (WCQ Europe R5; ENC 1)

Venue: Metreveli Stadium

Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)

Preview
Russia will certainly win this game. They drew their last game in Sochi, 21-21 with Romania, and celebrated their automatic entry into the 2011 Rugby World Cup finals. Germany will be no match for the Russians

The Russians have not called upon their France-based players. Coach Nerush will take the opportunity to play some fringe players who have not had regular playing time.

Germany just can't pull themselves out of the serious doldrums that has seen them lose all their games this season by wide margins. This is the end of the road of the dream they had when this competition began. It was to be a new dawn for German rugby. Not so. It may well be the end of their coach Rudolph Finsterer who brought the team into this level of international rugby. The opposition have just been too strong.

To compound Germany's problems the team will travel without regulars Pipa, Davies and Takaendesa, all injured. Kieron Davies, Michael Poppmeier, Marcus trick and Alexander Pipa are unavailable for personal reasons, whilst Bodo Sieber, the France professionals Tussac Damien and Robert Mohr were unable to get clearences from their foreign-based clubs, and finally Robert Elloway has exams. This will certainly be a new-look German side, an opportunity to blood new players for the future. But I fear they'll get a hammering.

Previous Encounters
02.05.2009 Russia 53-0 in Hanover (WCQ Europe R5; ENC 1)
16.04.2000 Russia 89-6 in Moscow (FIRA B)
04.05.1994 Russia 67-5 in Bucharest (WCQ Europe)
25.10.1992 Russia 18-15 in Moscow (FIRA 1A)

Prior to 1992 Russia played against both East Germany (W 2) and West Germany (W 4, L1)

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table-Russia 19th, Germany 25th
Europe Table-Russia 8th, Germany 12th

Prediction: Russia by 95

Teams

Russia Squad
Vasily Artemiev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Mikhail Babaev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Vladimir Botvinnikov (Enisey-STM-Krasnoyarsk)
Artem Fatakhov (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Victor Gresev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Alexander Gvosdovskiy (Krasny Yar)
Alexander Khrokin (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Igor Kluchnikov (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Alexey Korobeynikov (Enisey-STM-Krasnoyarsk)
Vladislav Korshunov (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Kirill Kushnarev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Yuriy Kushnarev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Andrey Kuzin (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Alexey Makovetskiy (Krasny Yar)
Evgeny Matveev (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Nikita Medkov (Slava Moscow)
Georgy Minadze (Imperia Penza)
Vladimir Ostroushko (Yug Krasnodar)
Alexey Panasenko (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Evgeny Pronenko (Enisey-STM-Krasnoyarsk)
Alexander Shakirov (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Andrey Temnov (Enisey-STM-Krasnoyarsk)
Alexey Travkin (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Sergey Trishin (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Alexander Voytov (VVA-Podmoskovje)
Alexander Yanushkin (VVA-Podmoskovje)

Head Coach: Nikolay Nerush

http://rugby.ru/news/id_1231/

Germany Squad
Kehoma Brenner (RG Heidelberg)
Anjo Buckman (Heidelberger RK)
Timothy Coly (RG Heidelberg)
Mustafa Güngör (RG Heidelberg)
Raphael Hackl (Berliner RC)
Alexander Hauck (SC Frankfurt 1880)
Lukas Hinds-Johnson (RK 03 Berlin)
Jamie Ben Houston (SC Frankfurt 1880)
Benjamin Krause (DSV 1878 Hannover)
Steffen Liebig (Heidelberger RK)
Alexander Metz (TSV Handschuhsheim)
Gilles Pagnon (RC Orléans, France)
Rafael Pyrasch (DSV 1878 Hannover)
Lukas Rosenthal (RK 03 Berlin)
Patrick Schliwa (Heidelberger RK)
Benjamin Simm (DSV 1878 Hannover)
Mark Sztyndera (SC Frankfurt 1880)
Clemens von Grumbkow (I Cavalieri Prato, Italy)
Rolf Wacha (SC Frankfurt 1880)
Christopher Weselek (RG Heidelberg)
Alex Widiker (RC Orléans, France)
Manuel Wilhelm (RG Heidelberg)

Head Coach: Rudolph Finsterer