Russia prepares bid to host 2019/20 European Champions Cup Final

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.