WORCESTER Warriors may have come away from Moscow disappointed after losing 19-12 to minnows Enisei-STM.

But, for the small number of Worcester fans who made the 1,800-mile journey, it was an experience they will never forget.

Stephen Hodgson was among nine supporters who travelled to the Russian capital and “made their voices heard” at the “intimate” Slava Stadium.

Despite seeing Warriors lose the European Challenge Cup opener, Hodgson said they were made to feel “very welcome” by their Siberian hosts.

“It was a fantastic experience,” he said. “It was a nice, intimate rugby ground with a very appreciative crowd.

“There were a small number of Enisei fans who had travelled all the way from Siberia for the game.

“We met them before the game and I gave them a pennant on behalf of Worcester Warriors’ Supporters Club.

“What you find about the Russian fans is they are very knowledgeable about the game as it’s a minority sport over there and some of them have travelled to the west and were familiar with our country.

“About nine travelled from the UK but in the end there were about 13 or 14 of us as there were some expats who joined us in the bar near the ground.”

It was also a memorable trip for Roger Smith as he was reunited with his son Mark, who works for Shell in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on the Russian island Sakhalin, near Japan.

The 78-year-old travelled with his grandson and Mark’s nephew Harry Dyson and said they all enjoyed watching Worcester’s young side in action.

“It was a very amateurish set-up as there was no cover and there were about 1,500 fans in the ground,” he said.

“But our boys played really well. Enisei probably had 10 who are in the Russian team playing for them, so it was men against boys.

“We played well, scoring two tries which was a pretty good result as we were 10-0 down after eight minutes.

“They attacked us well during that time and we didn’t resist it as well as we could have done.

“But we enjoyed the experience and certainly made our voices heard and feelings felt, so that was good too.”

Smith added: “Some of the players came and met us afterwards, which was very nice, and they said how much they appreciated us going.

“But for us it was also a family reunion, so it was great for me and my grandson to catch up with Mark.”

Worcester City Council leader Adrian Gregson said he also made the most of his time in Moscow, visiting landmarks including Red Square and the Kremlin’s Armoury Museum.

“Moscow is a great place to visit,” Gregson added.

“People were very friendly and you get the hang of the written language. Speaking it is much more challenging.

“I would thoroughly recommend the experience and it was great to be part of a small but boisterous and loud group of Warriors fans.”