Russia were beaten 34-9 by Samoa in Pool A, but captain Vasily Artemyev has no doubt they belong at the Rugby World Cup.
Vasily Artemyev believes Russia demonstrated they are on the right track after a battling display against Samoa at the Rugby World Cup on Tueday.
Samoa ran out 34-9 winners in the Pool A, contest though they were behind 6-5 at the interval having been reduced to 13 men when Rey Lee-Lo and Motu Matu'u received yellow cards.
The quality of Steve Jackson's side showed in the second half, however, as they cut loose to run in five tries after the break.
Russia also lost their first match, against tournament hosts Japan, but Artemyev has no doubt Lyn Jones' squad are showing they belong on the biggest stage.
"I want to say that we've come out here with one goal, to get respect, to show how dedicated we are and to show how physical we can be," he said.
"We're on the right route, the right track to achieve those goals. We've come here to show that we can play a physical game and we're proud of our game.
"We're on the right track, unfortunately we didn't use the numerical advantage we had in the first half and the Samoans were clinical in putting away their chances. It's an outstanding experience for all of the boys."
Samoa skipper Chris Vui, meanwhile, reaffirmed his team’s desire to create a legacy in Japan.
"It was a tough game, we knew that Russia was going to come in the first 40, we just had to stick it out there and I was pretty proud of the boys in the second half," Vui said.
"We've got huge belief in our bench, they're the finishers. I think they came on and had an impact so I'm really proud of the boys and how they came back.
"It's never easy playing in the humidity but the boys are embracing it, they love playing here in Japan.
"We're here to create a legacy, we didn't let any tries in so I'm pretty proud of the boys."
Samoa are next in action against Scotland on Monday, while Russia have a break until they face Ireland on October 3.
