Controversy over ‘no try’ as Russia fall to Spanish

RUSSIA’S chances of taking the direct route to Rugby World Cup 2019 were left in tatters after a controversial 20-13 defeat at home to Spain in the opening round of the Rugby Europe Championship.

The Bears looked to have scored a certain try, and given themselves the chance to draw the game, when replacement forward Tagir Gadzhiev picked up the ball from the base of a ruck and clearly planted the ball over the line with a few minutes of the bruising contest remaining.

Yuri Kushnarev would have been left with the simplest of conversions to tie the scores at 20-20 but referee Frank Murphy was unsighted and, without the benefit of a TMO, had no option but to award an attacking five-metre scrum instead.

The victory in Krasnodar – Spain’s first on Russian soil since 2002 – leaves Los Leones seven points clear of the Bears in the RWC 2019 qualification table as they chase down leaders Romania for the Europe 1 spot in Pool A alongside Ireland, Scotland, Japan and the Play-Off winner.

Russia got off to a great start and opened the scoring when centre Dmitri Gerasimov gathered a kick from scrum-half Alexey Shcherban and dotted down for a try, converted by Kushnarev, with nine minutes gone.

Spain hit back with a mauled try for Guillaume Rouet, before Kushnarev put Russia 10-5 up with a penalty just past the halfhour mark.

Shortly after, the lead changed hands for the third time when scrumhalf Rouet, right, slipped through a tackle for his second. Brad Linklater added the extras and landed a penalty on the stroke of half-time to give Spain a 15-10 advantage.

After a quiet start to the second half, Russia managed to produce some excellent inter-play between backs and forwards but three points from the boot of Kushnarev was all they had to show for their efforts.

Spain looked to have killed the game off when a brilliant crossfield kick from fly-half Mathieu Belie ended in the arms of flanker Pierre Barthere wide out on the left and the 28-year-old ran in unopposed from ten metres out.

In a fractious end to the game, only a last-ditch tackle prevented longstriding forward Andrei Garbuzov giving Russia the try they desperately needed, before fellow replacement Gadzhiev was denied at the death.

Romania are still in charge of their own destiny as they extended their lead at the top of the qualification table to three points following a thumping 85-6 bonus-point win over Germany.

With only a handful of first-choice players available due to an off-field dispute, Germany were a shadow of the side that shocked the Oaks 41-38 in the opening round of last year’s competition and a relegation battle with Belgium looks to be on the cards. The Oaks ruthlessly exposed Germany’s weaknesses and scored 13 tries to make Pablo Lemoine’s first match in charge one to forget. Belgium were also outclassed by Georgia, the Lelos marking their first competitive game in the city of Kutaisi for 13 years with an emphatic 47-0 bonus-point victory.-