6 Nations B starts
Spain travel to Moscow this weekend to play Russia in the opening match of FIRA’s European Nations Cup, Division 1 – the so-called Six Nations B.
Georgia are the champions but Russia gave them a good run for their money. The Leones of Spain ended fourth with Portugal and the Czech Republic below them. The Czechs have since been relegated, Germany taking their place. Spain next play Germany.
There is added incentive in this competition as the top two teams at the end of next season will go directly to the World Cup in 2011 while the team ending third goes into play-offs for a place.
Russia and Spain have met 11 times, Russia winning nine times and Spain just twice. One would expect the Bears to beat the Lions again. When they met in Moscow in March Russia won 42-16 but Ged Glynn, Spain’s English coach, said that his side was much improved, more professional and fitter than in the past.
Glynn has chosen five uncapped players in the Spanish side – centre Ramón Narváez, flank Damien Elgoyhen, scrumhalf Hernán Quirelli, prop Sebastián Hattori and hooker Marco Pinto. Hattori and Pinto played for the Spanish XV which beat Cambridge University last weekend. Hattori, who is part Japanese, came to Spain from Argentina. In addition Juan Marruecos and Matias Tudela have just one cap each.
Two players were injured against Cambridge and were not considered for the Moscow trip – Carlos Arenas and Manuel Olivares.
Russia are without Andrei Ostrikov (Agen), Igor Galinovskiy and Andrei Garbuzov.
The match is down for the Slava Stadium in Moscow by the Russians have Rodina Stadium up their sleeves if the weather turns bad, and weather is important in the competition with the harsh winters suffered by Russia, Georgia and Romania. Moscow’s forecast for Saturday will not suit the sunny Spaniards. Of, it’s dry but bitterly cold. The high is 3°C, the low -2°C, but there is little wind to speak of.
Spanish squad: José Maria Bohorquez (Cajasol R Ciencias), Rafael Camacho (Cajasol R Ciencias), Leandro Fernández-Aramburu (Cajasol R Ciencias), Juan Gónzalez (Cajasol R Ciencias), Sebastián Hattori (Cajasol R Ciencias), Manuel Mazo Cañas (Cajasol R Ciencias), César Bernasconi (Madrid), Juan Cano (Madrid), Javier Canosa (Madrid), Pablo Feijoo (Madrid), Juan González (Madrid), Ion Insausti (Madrid), Javier Salazar Madrid), César Sempere (Madrid), Matías Tudela Perret (Madrid), Iván Criado (Cetransa El Salvador), Sergio Souto (Cetransa El Salvador), Hernán Quirelli (La Vila), Damien Elgoyhen (Bayonne), Julien Tortoulou (Colomiers), Damián Denechaud (Colomiers), MarcoPinto (Clermont Auvergne), Mathieu Gratton (Graulhet), Ignacio Martín (Gran Parma)
Coach: Ged Glynn
Russia squad: Aexander Khrokin (VVA-Podmoskovje), Aexander Voytov (VVA-Podmoskovje), Aexey anasenko (VVA-Podmoskovje), Vadisav Korshunov (VVA-Podmoskovje), Vitor Gresev (VVA-Podmoskovje), Vitor Motorin (VVA-Podmoskovje), Aexander Shakirov (VVA-Podmoskovje), Yuriy Kushanrev (VVA-Podmoskovje), Sergey Trishin (VVA-Podmoskovje), Andrey Kuzin (VVA-Podmoskovje), Mihae Babaev (VVA-Podmoskovje), Igor Kuhnikov (VVA-Podmoskovje), Aexey Travkin (VVA-Podmoskovje), Oeg Kobzev (VVA-Podmoskovje), Evgeniy Matveev (VVA-Podmoskovje), Vadimir Botvinnikov (Enisey), Sergey Bazhenov (Enisey), Evgeniy Pronenko (Enisey), Dmitry Gerasimov (Enisey), Oeg Shukayov (Enisey), Aexander Gvozdovskiy (Enisey), Andrey Pugin (Sava), Kiri Kuemin (Castres)
Coaches: Nikolay Nerush, Calude Saurel
Referee: Bruno Bessot (France)
Touch judges: Gines Cerezuela (France), Jean-Claude Bes (France)
