Russians bid for place

Sandwiching the Challenge Cup final this weekend will be an attempt by two Russian sides to show that they, or their peers back home, would be strong enough to play in next year's competition.

Lokomotiv Moscow and the Kazan Arrows play tonight at Dewsbury and Bradford respectively, take in the final on Saturday and meet Workington and Hull KR on Sunday. A respectable showing in those four games is likely to produce an invitation to further expand the boundaries of the Cup, which already includes French clubs.

"The Russian Rugby League now has more than 9,000 players registered. It really is becoming the game to play in Russia," said Lokomotiv's Viktor Nechaev.