In Russia, 'snow rugby' is making its mark An oval ball, five players per team and races in powder snow: to avoid getting too bored during the long winter months, the Russians have adopted "snezhnoye-rugby", literally "snow rugby". The discipline is booming in the year of the Rugby World Cup for which the Russian team is qualified. "It's a very dynamic game. The rules are simple, they are simplified compared to 'big' rugby - rugby 15. Anyone can participate in snow rugby. Everything is quite simple, fast and very spectacular”, explains Anton Nikolaichuk, a snow rugby player from Murmansk.