England Counties XV touring Russia

The England Counties squad arrived in Siberia on Monday with another mixed bag of players and a new coaching team, but with an unchanged ethos of boldness and ambition that has marked manager Jim Robinson’s time in charge.

With the representative flagship of club and County rugby outside the Guinness Premiership comprising newcomers and experienced Counties players in almost equal number and the coaching team of Blackheath’s former Wasps scrum-half Harvey Biljon and Manchester’s former England A lock Dave Baldwin coming together for the first time, the challenge of getting things to gel is doubly difficult.

Add Robinson’s insistence that the side sticks to the philosophy of playing enterprising rugby and the test that lies ahead for the first England senior side to play in Russia could hardly be more demanding.

Yet all three senior management team members are entirely upbeat about their tour prospects.

“The challenge we face is to maintain a tradition and play open, proper rugby,” said Robinson.

“It’s the only way I want them to play and it’s the way I know they believe is the right way to play. So, we want to be true to ourselves and deliver on our promises to play an enterprising style of game.”

England Counties coach Baldwin is also very positive about what lies ahead.

“We’re all looking forward to it. It’s a very exciting thing to be involved in,” said Baldwin.

“I’m looking forward to working with Harvey for the first time and with a new group of players. It’s a big challenge.

“We’ve got to hit the ground running. We’ve less than three days to get ourselves organised and ready to play our first game.

“But the players are really enthusiastic and keen to listen and keen to take responsibility and have a say in what is going on. That’s a bonus for the coaches.”

And while player development is always an important part of the Counties ethos, that side of the business will not obscure the drive to get the right results.

“Our aim is to win three games and I’m confident we have the players to do it.” says Baldwin.

“The trip to Russia in a first and it’s bringing new challenges, a new environment and new, unknown opposition.

“It will definitely take the players out of the comfort zone of playing in a familiar club side and that’s what Counties XV rugby is all about. Going somewhere a bit special and seeing how the players react.”

And how tough will the test be at the end of the domestic season, with a handful of the team just having finished a club programme and a County Championship campaign?

The coaches have no doubts that there is plenty of gas left in the tank.

“A Red Rose on your chest and a white shirt on your back. You don’t need any other motivation to get out of bed when you’ve got that shirt to put on,” says assitant coach Biljon.

England Counties squad

Backs: Oliver Viney (Lancashire & Preston Grasshoppers), Frankie Neale (Kent & Blackheath), Tom Jarvis (Gloucestershire & Lydney), Hamish Smales (Northumberland & Tynedale), Chris Malherbe (Yorkshire & Wharfedale), Aaran Cruickshank (Devon & Plymouth Albion), Mark Bedworth (Yorkshire & Wharfedale), Scott Rawlings (Staffordshire & Manchester), Mark Woodrow (Gloucestershire& Doncaster), Matthew Leek (Surrey & Esher), Paul Knight (Gloucestershire & Moseley), Chris Pilgrim (Cheshire & Loughborough University)

Forwards: Neil Spence (Yorkshire & Bradford & Bingley), Chris Rainbow (Hertfordshire & Newbury), Mike Blakeburn (Surrey & Esher), Chris Morgan ( Somerset & Newbury), Gregor Hayter ( Oxfordshire & Newbury), James Winterbottom (Middlesex & Henley), David Campton (Warwickshire & Coventry), Alex Davidson (North Midlands & Pertemps Bees), James Tideswell (North Midlands & Stourbridge), Carl Rimmer (Warwickshire & Coventry), Tim Mathias (Devon & Plymouth Albion), Liam Wordley (Staffordshire & Henley), Glenn Cooper (Somerset & Newbury), Duncan Cormack (Surrey & Esher) captain.

Schedual:

Krasnoyarsk v England Counties XV

Date: Thursday June 7
Venue: Central Stadium
Kick-off: 19.00 local time (12.00 GMT)

VVA-Podmoskovie (Champions Club) v England Counties XV

Date: Tuesday June 12
Venue: Monino Stadium
Kick-off: 18.00 local time (11:00 GMT)

Russia v England Counties XV

Date: Saturday June 16
Venue: Slava Stadium
Kick-off: 15.00 local time (08.00 GMT)