Russia full back Vasily Artemyev says his side must be more clinical in attack and more disciplined in defence if they are to make it through to Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.
The Bears take the slenderest of leads to Montevideo for next Saturday's decisive second leg in the RWC 2015 Repechage after a 22-21 home win over Uruguay in the first tie in rugby-mad Krasnoyarsk.
Raphael Saint-Andre’s side showed more ambition with ball in hand, but only managed the one try – scored by prop Grigory Tsnobiladze. The rest of the points in a tension-filled match came from the boot of the respective fly halves, with Yury Kushnarev and Felipe Berchesi dominating the scoreboard.
Speaking to Total Rugby Radio after the match, Artemyev said: “Uruguay came out firing just as we expected them to. They were almost flawless in their kicking game and their overall strategy was to maul and scrum and to earn points through penalties, which is exactly what happened.
“We looked quite dangerous with the ball when we had it and could have scored a couple more tries had we been a bit more precise," he added. "And we’re still lacking in a bit of discipline. At one point in the game we were two men down (due to yellow cards) which we weren’t happy about. So we have got a few things to work on in ahead of what will be a tough away game in Montevideo.”
Having played in New Zealand at RWC 2011, Artemyev, who has 15 tries to his name from 47 Test appearances, is hoping to take part in a second tournament.
Looking ahead to the all-important return leg, the former Northampton Saints star added: “At the end of the day it will come down to spirit and who wants it more.”
