After a successful start, the national team of Armenia suffered two defeats and ended the first round of the current 3A Zone European Nations Cup tournament in second place, six points behind the leader, Lithuania.

On March 21, Armenia played against the group's outsider Andorra in an away match. According to the available information, the team arrived only one hour before the match and had sick and injured players. As a result, Andorra registered their first victory in this cycle - 36:10 (17:3).

The composition of Armenia in the match against Andorra according to numbers (in brackets, substitutions; who substituted for whom and in what minute): Amik Kazarian (26, Raffy Axarlian), Laurent Bedrossian, Eric Laurent (61, Pierre-Alexandre Vignon), Mikel Gurendian, Alain Tchurukdichian, Robin Melkonian (25, William Gerlach) (29, David Derderian), Albin Julliat, Laurent Hairabetian), Gregory Tapol, Jonathan Torossian, Vincent Makinadjian (25, Nicolas Boghossian), Jacques-Antoine Boghossian, Hovannes Erenian, David Manile, Nicolas Ancelin.

Reserve players were Garik Vahanian, Marc Nazarian.
Manager - Raffi Yeramian; Coach - Jean-Jacques Bos.

Hovannes Erenian (try) and Nicolas Ancelin (penalty and conversion) brought Armenia five points each.
Armenia's Nicolas Boghossian received a yellow card in 68th minute. Match referee Thomas Muldoon (Netherlands), Match commissioner - Yves Broghard (Monaco).

On May 9, at the city stadium of Abovyan, in the last match of the first round, Armenia hosted the leader of the Zone, Lithuania. The national team of Lithuania arrived in Yerevan on the morning of the match day, but the course of the game showed that the visitors managed to preserve strength till the end of the match despite the tiring itinerary of reaching the Armenian capital.

The match passed in stiff competition, although it seemed at the beginning that Armenia would take an easy victory and catch up with the leader. By the 20th minute, Armenia was leading 10 to 0 thanks to Nicolas Ancelin (penalty, conversion) and Eric Laurent (try). Armenia's young player V. Hambardazarian received a heavy injury in the 10th minute. The match was stopped for some time by the referee Michail Rouchachoua (Georgia). At the end of the first half, the visitors not only managed to level the play, but also could take the lead in stoppage time (in the 47th minute of the first period). The first half ended 10:12 to the visitors.

Episodes of the Armenia-Lithuania match in Abovyan, May 9, 2009. Armenia are in white jerseys and blue shorts.

In the 8th minute of the second half, Armenia again took the lead (a penalty was successfully converted by Jacques Boghossian). However, it turned out later that it was the last moment of the game when Armenia was leading. Lithuania took the lead in the 12th minute of the second half and never yielded it. Most breaks were made from the left flank of Armenia defense. Though, in the 31st minute, Armenia equalized 19:19 (penalty converted by Nicolas Ancelin), but the visitors again took the lead in the 37th minute, 19:24, and kept the winning score till the end of the game despite powerful pressure from Armenia. Armenian rugby-players were short of moments to score a try. In the last minutes, they earned three penalty, but each time decided to throw in from close distance to touch. However, Lithuanian rugby-players contained the pressure of the home side and registered a revanche for the defeat they suffered at home (Shaulay) in 2006. Since 2004 when the first match of the Armenian national team was held, Armenian rugby-players suffered their first defeat in Armenia.

Ten players of the "Ararat" (Yerevan) club had been included in the squad for the match against Lithuania. Most of them took part in the game.

The composition of Armenia in the match against Lithuania according to numbers (in brackets, substitutions; who substituted for whom and in what minute): Albert Tatevosian, Laurent Bedrossian (55, Artash Martirosyan), Eric Laurent, V. Hambardazarian (10, Karen Baghdasaryan, 62, Karen Novakinyan), Alain Tchurukdichian, Robin Melkonian, Stephane Apelian, Laurent Hairabetian, Gregory Tapol, Jacques-Antoine Boghossian, Vincent Makinadjian, Karik Avedickian, Marc Nazarian, Armen Martirosyan (14, Alexandr Chilingaryan), Nicolas Ancelin.

Reserve players were Sos Mkrtchyan, Arthur Vartanian, Sidan Grigoryan. Coach and manager of the team in this match - Jean-Jacques Bos. Match commissioner - Michel Lamoulie (France)