MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. The Russian national rugby team lost 0-35 to Ireland in the group stage of the 2019 World Rugby Cup in Japan and lost its chances of proceeding to the knock-out stage of the championship.
The 2019 World Rugby Cup tournament is being hosted by 12 cities across Japan between September 20 and November 2. The Russian team was seeded in Group A alongside with the squads from Ireland, Samoa, Scotland and Japan.
The Russian team lost three group stage matches, namely 10-30 to Japan, 9-34 to Samoa and 0-35 to Ireland, and is currently in the last fifth place of its Group A with zero points. Ireland is currently in the top of the group with 11 points (after three matches) as followed by Japan (nine points after two matches), Scotland (five points after two matches) and Samoa (five points after two matches).
Players of the Russian national team will meet with Scotland in their last group stage match on October 9.
The Russian team qualified for the Rugby World Cup series for the first time ever in 2011. The 2011 Rugby World Cup was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Russia did not clear the group stage losing all matches back there.
The national rugby squad missed the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, as it did not qualify for the global competition.
Vasily Artemyev, the captain and full-back of the Russian team, said before the World Rugby Cup that the team’s main task for the championship in Japan was to win at least one match, no matter who the opponent would be.