Rugby Union - Rugby World Cup 2019 - Pool A - Japan v Russia - Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - September 20, 2019 Russia's Kirill Golosnitskiy celebrates scoring their first try with Vasily Artemyev REUTERS/Matthew Childs
KOBE, Japan (Reuters) - When Russia take on Ireland in Kobe on Thursday, captain Vasily Artemyev and assistant coach Mark McDermott will bring a unique insight into the team ranked 16 places above them in the world.
Irishman McDermott, a former Leinster and Munster hooker who played alongside the likes of John Hayes, Anthony Foley and Mick Galwey in the 1990s, has spent the last three years commuting to and from Russia to train The Bears.
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