Is Russia ready to host the Rugby World Cup?

Russian Rugby Federation Sports Director Sergey Markov announced on radio this week that his nation will submit a bid to host the 2027 World Cup.

If so, it would join Australia and Argentina, who have confirmed their interest, while the US is also expected to throw its hat into the ring.

Australia is probably favourite at this early stage. The 2027 World Cup will be the 11th instalment and will mark 40 years since New Zealand and Australia co-hosted the inaugural event. Australia also hosted a magnificent tournament on its own in 2003.

The obvious problem with a Russian bid for 2027 is that the 2023 tournament will take place in France, and successive World Cups in Europe is a highly unlikely scenario.

Indeed, it seems there are no great expectations for the proposed bid and the primary intention is to raise the profile of the sport in Russia, so that a subsequent attempt in the 2030s might become more feasible.

Rugby remains a relatively minor sport in Russia, with 25,000 registered players in the nation of 145 million. Currently ranked 20th in the World, it tends to come off second best against neighbouring Georgia along with Romania in European competition

The Bears will be making their second appearance at the World Cup this year, but only after qualifying through the backdoor when Romania and Spain were disqualified for fielding ineligible players.

Does Russia’s successful Football World Cup provide any indications as to a Rugby World Cup? (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

In their previous appearance in 2011 Russia failed to win a game, though neither did they disgrace themselves, running America close and scoring 22 points against Australia in a 46-point loss.

Serious questions would have to be asked about Russia’s ability to fill stadiums for a 48-match tournament so soon as 2027. In fact, rumours are rife it will be a 24-team event by then, meaning there might be over 50 fixtures.

As with a Rugby World Cup in the US, there is a very real danger the tournament could simply be “lost” in such a vast nation as Russia if staged there prematurely, and this could do irreparable damage to the event’s image and credibility.

The two strongest clubs in Russia are both located in Krasnoyarsk, a city of one million inhabitants located more than 4,000km east of Moscow on the Yenisei River north of Mongolia.

Rugby was banned by Stalin in Soviet times, ironically deemed a “hobby for capitalists” in spite of its staunchly amateur ethos. It was reinstated after his death and a fierce cross-town rivalry developed between Krasnoyarsk and Yenisei, which are based on opposite banks of the river.

The city’s main stadium has recently been upgraded into the bargain. But logistically the huge distance between Russia’s main population base in Europe and its two powerhouse clubs in Siberia could be problematic in terms of hosting the World Cup.

On the other hand, there are obvious attractions to consider. The nation did a fantastic job of hosting the FIFA World Cup last year, defying the concerns of Western skeptics. By all accounts there was a tremendous atmosphere during the tournament, travelling fans did not require visas to enter the country, and rail travel was provided free of charge!

Could Russia host a Rugby World Cup? (AP Photo / Jan Hamman)

There is no reason to doubt Russia’s ability to put on a similar show for rugby, but it would require the unequivocal support of the political establishment, media and general public.

Certainly if the stadiums used in the FIFA World Cup can be adapted for a rugby tournament there will be no concerns in that department. Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow seats 81,000 and would be ideal for the opening game and final.

Most of all it would help popularise the game in Europe’s largest nation. And Eastern Europeans have all the right attributes to excel in rugby, being large in stature and mentally tough. Hence their achievements in other power-based sports.

In the event of a future Rugby World Cup in Russia, perhaps a few games could be sent Georgia’s way. The rugby-proud nation lies just south of Sochi, a smallish Black Sea resort where Russia hosts many of its games due to the warmer climate. Krasnodar, home of the powerful Kuban Rugby Club, is also nearby.

Of course, there are the obvious political issues to consider; Russia and Georgia having been at war briefly a decade ago. But sharing a major sports event would surely help improve relations.

They could even go a step further and send the third-place-playoff to Bucharest, for example. It was Romania which carried the flag for Eastern European rugby throughout the amateur era, after all.

In fact, that would begin to resemble another idea I have expressed previously on Rugby Roar, for a 24-team Pan-European World Cup some time in the 1930s, with the business end of the tournament concentrated on Italy and Eastern Europe – rather than France and the Home Unions once again.