Successor Teams
The rugby teams of the USSR's successor states have had varying success.
Initially, the former USSR competed under the Commonwealth of Independent States banner, but this itself terminated in 1992. It had played four matches.
The most successful "successor" rugby team has been Georgia, which competed in the 2003 Rugby World Cup and in the 2007. They had a respectable performance against Ireland and defeated Namibia 30–0. The Rugby World Cup, coincidentally, got going at around the point that the Soviet Union was disintegrating - no other ex-Soviet team other than Georgia had ever qualified until 2011 when Russia qualified, and the early World Cups were also smaller tournaments. The Georgia Rugby Union was founded in 1964, but did not compete as a national team during the Soviet Era.
As of 3 March 2008, however, Russia's form had improved greatly, being placed at 17th position in the world rankings, ahead of Portugal, the USA, Japan, and coming one point behind Romania.
Read more about this topic: Soviet Union National Rugby Union Team
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—Elizabeth I (1533–1603)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)