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Russia prepares bid to host 2019/20 European Champions Cup Final
By Fred Culazzo
Russia is preparing a bid to host the finals of the European Champions Cup & Challenge Cup for the 2019/20 season according to a local news website Rugger Info
With Enisei-STM already competing in the European Challenge Cup & 22,000 registered players nationally, European Rugby could use this as an opportunity to grow the game in a relatively new market.
The 2018 final, which is set to be played in Spain, shows that there is an appetite to move the competition into new countries. Having said this, Bilbao is just over 100km from the French border, making it an easy commute for the huge rugby audience in the South of France. It's also a short flight down from the UK or Ireland. Moscow, on the other hand, is over 2,800kms from any of the potential finalists, so it would require a bit more planning and much deeper pockets.
It may be a few years too early for Moscow, but it's encouraging to see new countries putting their hand up to be represented at the top table as Russia, Georgia, Romania and Germany, all look to shift the great game east of the traditional European hotbeds.
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Latest Comments
The prem games this season have mainly been great to watch , with the exception of Sale. So boring and predictable.
Let's have more of Bristol, Bath , Quins etc style of play.
Rugby needs expansive play to put more bums on seats . Not the dirge of rolling forward mauls constantly trying to bully their way over the line.
It has its place yes to draw the defence but the fans want to see more running rugby . Not win at any cost and sod the entertainment .
Go to commentsSo Borthwick should drop Marcus Smith? He's the odd one out, forcing the rest of the English backline into a gameplay they don't know. Replacing him with Fin or Ford makes everyone more likely to succeed.
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