VVA Podmoskovye

Full name	Rugby club VVA-Podmoskovje, Moscow region
Founded	1967
Location	Monino, Russia
Ground(s)	Gagarin Air Force Academy stadium (Capacity: 1500)
Chairman	Rifkat Sattarov
Coach(es)	Nikolay Nerush
Captain(s)	Vladimir Marchenko
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.vva-podmoskovje.ru

The VVA-Podmoskovye is a Russian rugby union team playing in the Professional Rugby League. The team plays at Gagarin Air Force Academy stadium in Monino, a garrison town just outside Moscow. VVA-Podmoskovye has strong links to the air force and also supplied the bulk of Russia's national team, with which they shared a head coach, Nikolai Nerush. The team had ambitious plans for the future - it lobbied hard for inclusion in the European Challenge Cup and was close to completing a 12,500-seat purpose-built rugby stadium.^[1]

VVA-Podmoskovye have won the title eight times, in 1993, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.^{[citation needed]} March 2011 saw two stars depart for Aviva Premiership clubs, with Moldovan international Vadim Cobîlaş joining former Russia coach Steve Diamond at Sale Sharks and Russian international Vasily Artemiev joining Northampton Saints.^{[citation needed]}

Honours

• USSR/Russian Championship (17): 1969, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1993, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
• USSR/Russian Cup (13): 1976, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010.

Current squad

2019

VVA
Pos.	Nat.	Name	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Former club
HK		Evgeny Matveev	(1984-04-15) 15 April 1984 (age 39)	61	Lokomotiv
HK		Alexander Ivanov	(1990-11-04) 4 November 1990 (age 33)	3	homegrown player
HK		Ivan Nezhdanov	(1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 29)		Bulava Taganrog
PR		Andrey Polivalov	(1986-08-09) 9 August 1986 (age 37)	28	Enisei-STM
PR		Vladimir Podrezov	(1994-01-27) 27 January 1994 (age 30)	27	Enisei-STM
PR		Clinton Theron	(1995-11-03) 3 November 1995 (age 28)		Boland Cavaliers
PR		Anton Drozdov	(1996-10-08) 8 October 1996 (age 27)	3	Bulava Taganrog
PR		Dmitry Krovyakov	(1998-05-19) 19 May 1998 (age 25)		Energia Kazan
LK		Alexey Panasenko	(1983-01-13) 13 January 1983 (age 41)	33	homegrown player
LK		Andrey Garbuzov	(1983-08-07) 7 August 1983 (age 40)	99	Krasny Yar
LK		Freddy Ngoza	(1991-10-20) 20 October 1991 (age 32)		Boland Cavaliers
LK		Egor Zykov	(1993-01-11) 11 January 1993 (age 31)	2	Krasny Yar
LK		Mikhail Pankratov	(1999-04-11) 11 April 1999 (age 24)		Energia Kazan
FL		Alexander Lavrov	(1991-03-18) 18 March 1991 (age 33)		Bulava Taganrog
FL		Vitaly Zhivatov	(1992-02-16) 16 February 1992 (age 32)	12	homegrown player
FL		Tagir Gadzhiev	(1994-03-29) 29 March 1994 (age 30)	31	RC Kuban
FL		Sergey Mysin	(1995-09-16) 16 September 1995 (age 28)		homegrown player
FL		Patris Peki	(1995-10-19) 19 October 1995 (age 28)	2	RC Zelenograd
N8		Artem Marchenko	(1991-03-23) 23 March 1991 (age 33)		homegrown player
SH		Dmitry Perov	(1984-11-18) 18 November 1984 (age 39)	14	homegrown player
SH		Denis Syomin	(1992-12-24) 24 December 1992 (age 31)		homegrown player
SH		Gor Petrosyan	(1997-08-17) 17 August 1997 (age 26)		Krasny Yar
FH		Lasha Malaguradze	(1986-06-02) 2 June 1986 (age 37)	91	Krasny Yar
FH		Leighton Eksteen	(1994-09-15) 15 September 1994 (age 29)		SWD Eagles
CE		Sergey Trishin	(1984-12-12) 12 December 1984 (age 39)	56	Enisei-STM
CE		Mikhail Babaev	(1986-01-19) 19 January 1986 (age 38)	71	Enisei-STM
CE		Ilya Babaev	(1989-01-10) 10 January 1989 (age 35)		homegrown player
CE		German Davydov	(1994-03-10) 10 March 1994 (age 30)	21	Energia Kazan
CE		Kirill Golosnitsky	(1994-05-30) 30 May 1994 (age 29)	14	Krasny Yar
CE		Artem Kashyrsky	(1995-01-01) 1 January 1995 (age 29)		homegrown player
CE		Sergey Motov	(1997-01-05) 5 January 1997 (age 27)		homegrown player
CE		Egor Kuleshov	(1998-02-18) 18 February 1998 (age 26)		homegrown player
WG		Alexander Romanov	(1993-04-26) 26 April 1993 (age 30)		homegrown player
WG		Vladislav Sozonov	(1993-10-09) 9 October 1993 (age 30)	11	homegrown player
WG		Meli Rokoua	(1994-08-24) 24 August 1994 (age 29)		Eastern Province Elephants
WG		Alexander Nikitin	(1999-04-22) 22 April 1999 (age 24)		homegrown player
WG		Daniil Potikhanov	(1999-11-30) 30 November 1999 (age 24)	3	Lokomotiv
FB		Andrey Lizogub	(1991-01-22) 22 January 1991 (age 33)	2	RC Kuban
FB		German Godlyuk	(1992-08-11) 11 August 1992 (age 31)	2	Slava Moscow

Former players now in a professional overseas league

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Vadim Cobilas Prop Moldova -> Sale Sharks Karolis Navickas Lock Lithuania -> Sale Sharks & Union Bordeaux Bègles Vasily Artemiev Wing Russia -> Northampton Saints

International honours