Middlesex Rugby
English Counties lose in Russia
England Counties XV second game
England Counties XV lose in Moscow by Tony Simpson June 12, 2007
VVA Podmoskovie 35 England Counties XV 15
The England Counties XV found the Russian club champions VVA Podmoskovia both too strong and too skilful in a physical contest at the Molina Stadium on the outskirts of Moscow and eventually did well to get back into the game after trailing 32-8 on the hour.
It was apparent from the outset that the quality of the opposition was significantly stronger than that faced in the opening game in Krasnoyarsk and this supremacy was translated into a 22-3 half-time lead by the Moscow side, who collected tries by prop Vadim Kobylash, wing Andrey Kuzin and fly-half Yury Kushnarev, scrum-half Viktor Motorin landing two conversions and a penalty.
The Counties paid dearly for some fragile defensive moments, the Moscow No 8 Alexey Panasenko carving through soon after the break for fine solo try, Motorin’s conversion and two penalties leaving the Counties side facing a hefty reverse.
To their credit, they stuck grimly to the challenge and emerged with both credit and points.
Replacement wing Tom Jarvis added a try to full-back Frankie Neale’s early penalty to cut the deficit and refuel Counties’ resistance and replacement hooker Liam Wordley cut a superb line from inside centre to scythe through for a try near the posts that fly-half Matt Leek converted.
Motorin’s third penalty killed off any prospects of an unlikely rescue mission, but the Counties finished with their reputation intact after a resolute second-half display against a very strong Russian side.
“I thought the Moscow side played very well,” said Counties XV coach Dave Baldwin: “They kept their shape well, re-cycled the ball quickly, maintained their width and put us under a lot of pressure.
“I don’t think we helped ourselves and we lost our way a bit at times, but we showed good character, came back strongly in the second-half and never conceded the struggle.”
Manager Jim Robinson said: “I was disappointed with the result. We didn’t play as well as we could have. There are a few things to sort out, some structural in the way that we play.
“Having said that, had we won the game, we might well have lost the Test match against Russia on Saturday. That result might have brought us up a little bit short and put us in better shape for the Test, when I expect to see a much better display.”
England Counties XV: F Neale (Kent & Blackheath); O Viney (Lancashire & Preston Grasshoppers); S Rawlings (Staffordshire & Manchester), C Malherbe (Yorkshire & Wharfedale), H Smales (Northumberland & Tynedale); M Leek (Surrey & Esher), C Pilgrim (Cheshire & Loughborough University); T Mathias (Devon & Plymouth Albion), G Cooper (Somerset & Newbury), C Rimmer (Warwickshire & Coventry), A Davidson (North Midlands & Pertemps Bees), J Winterbottom (Middlesex & Henley), C Morgan (Somerset & Newbury), N Spence (Yorkshire & Bradford & Bingley), M Blakeburn (Surrey & Esher).
Replacements used: A Cruickshanks (Devon & Plymouth Albion), T Jarvis (Gloucestershire & Lydney); P Knight (Gloucestershire & Moseley); L Wordley (Staffordshire & Henley), J Tideswell (North Midlands & Stourbridge), D Campton (Warwickshire & Coventry), C Rainbow (Hertfordshire & Newbury).
VVA Podmoskovie: I Kluchnikov; A Kuzin, M Babaev, S Shiskov, O Kubzev; Y Kushnarew, V Motorin; A Khrokin, V Marchenko, V Kobylash, A Voytov, A Romanov, V Gresev, A Sorokin, A Panasenko.
Referee: P Berzin
