A group of Russian rugby players have formed a punk rock band and paid tribute to England rugby for inventing the game. They unfolded a large banner on the Moskva River and performed by the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Moscow during the filming of their new music video.
The large banner had the inscription “ENGLAND, THANK YOU FOR RUGBY!” and was unfolded from the upper deck of a boat.
The Rugbystols performed a song called “England, Thanks For Rugby”, which is a cover of the Sex Pistols’ undying anthem “God Save The Queen.”
The act drew the attention of the police, and the girls spent several hours at the local police station explaining the nature of their actions to law enforcement officers. Following negotiations with the police, the video was finished, and the footage featuring police officers in full uniform made it to the final cut.
“My girlfriends and I have been playing rugby for 5 years, and we are very grateful to England for inventing our favourite sport,” said Victoria Em, professional rugby player.
“We wholeheartedly want to make our feelings known to the people of England, and draw the attention of Russian sports fans to rugby. We were inspired by the hit song by the British punk band Sex Pistols.
“Indeed, we happened to face the police during filming, but our sport is not for the faint of heart, and we successfully finished what we started. We hope that rugby home country audience will enjoy our video and learn that this great sport is loved and played in Russia!”
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