We're as good as teams in the Northern Ford Premiership - that's the claim of Igor Petrychinine, coach of Russian League champions Kazan Arrows, who take on Bradford Bulls at Odsal tonight.

Two Russian teams - Cup winners Lokomotiv Moscow are at Dewsbury Rams tonight - are on a short Damart-backed tour to see how they shape up with a view to entering the Challenge Cup next season.

And Petrychinine admitted: "Playing against the world champions (albeit their Senior Academy team) will be very interesting for us. We are very conscious that we must play to the best of our ability to match them.

"It is very important for us to come to England to play in games like these. We have only played rugby league for just over 12 years so it is important for the development of the game in Russia to come here.

"The players need to play against different skill levels to improve, and there are only so many teams that we can play against in Russia. Coming here gives my players the chance to develop.

"I have seen lots of videos of British games and I am optimistic that we are as good as some of the teams, particularly in the Northern Ford Premiership.

"I recently saw a tape of the Lyon club and I am certain that we are as good as them, and they are one of the top teams in France. We have some great young players now in Russia and Tatarstan, and the sport has developed rapidly.

"We have now got to a level where we need to play games like these on a regular basis, and it will be great for us if we were to be invited to take part in the Challenge Cup next year."

Petrychinine's message to the Bulls fans: "I hope to see you all at Odsal stadium tonight - it will be very special for us to play there.

"We have just finished a long Russian winter. We do not play rugby in the winter, so this is the beginning of the season for us."

The Bulls squad will include Paul Sykes and Jamie Langley, both of whom have played for the first team this season.

Names to look out for among the Arrows are 16st prop Viatcheslav Artachine, loose forward Robert Ilyashov (Player of the Tournament in the 1995 Emerging Nations)Illyasov is pictured, right, with Alexander Lysenkow at Damart's Bingley base.

On Saturday both the Arrows and Lokomotiv will go to Murrayfield to watch the Challenge Cup final, and on Sunday Kazan Arrows face Hull KR at Craven Park, while Lokomotiv meet Workington Town at Derwent Park. Both these matches start at 6.30.