Australian Adam Byrnes included into Russia’s roster for Rugby World Cup

Head coach of the Russian national team Nikolay Nerush has announced the team’s 30-man roster for the Rugby World Cup to be held from September 9 to October 23 in New Zealand.

It’s worth noting that the roster includes a new player – the Australian-born Adam Byrnes who has never been capped for the team (his debut is expected on August 26 in the test match against England’s Gloucester). Alexander Yanyushkin, who resumed training in the end of July after surgery, and team captain Vladislav Korshunov, who broke his nose during the training camp in Great Britain, are also on the list, according to the press service of the Russian Rugby Union.

Russian national team’s roster for the 2011 World Cup

Denis Antonov, Andrey Bykanov, Mikhail Sidorov, Sergey Popov (all – Slava-ShVSM), Vasily Artemyev (Northampton, England), Vladimir Botvinnikov, Vladimir Ostroushko, Denis Simplikevich (all – Yenisei-STM), Igor Galinovsky, Alexey Makovetsky, Andrey Garbuzov, Ivan Prishchepenko (all – Krasny Yar), Mikhail Babayev, Alexander Shakirov, Artem Fatakhov, Alexander Voytov, Alexander Yanyushkin, Alexander Khrokin, Alexey Travkin, Igor Klyuchnikov, Vladislav Korshunov, Andrey Kuzin, Yury Kushnaryov, Victor Gresev, Yevgeny Matveyev (all – VVA-Podmoskovye), Vyacheslav Grachyov (Bizanos, France), Konstantin Rachkov (Stade Phoceen, France), Andrey Ostrikov (Sale Sharks, England), Valery Tsnobiladze (Novokuznetsk), Adam Byrnes (Melbourne Rebels, Australia).

The Russians will play their first match at its debut World Cup on September 15 against the USA in New Plymouth. The next games will be played against Italy (in Nelson on September 20), against Ireland (in Rotorua on September 25), and against Australia (in Nelson on October 1).