NEW YORK, NY- Like a winger on an intercept try, this weekend preview has no time to slow down. We will sprint through the June International Tours,we will not be slowed by covering the Tier 2 and Tier 3 international cup competitions. We will race through the Junior World Cup matches and will only touch it down after we have covered the week’s transactions and USA rugby news. We pin our ears and bring you the Weekend Rugby Preview:
June Internationals – The Men’s June Internationals continue to prove worth the price of admission. RWU’s Kiwi ambassador, Jamie Wall, has a preview of the third and final test between the AIG All Blacks and England posted.It created an interoffice match-up against fellow staff member Nick Hall. England warmed up for the final test this week by dispatching the Super Rugby Crusaders, sans their All Blacks, of course. France finish they tour of Australia, still looking for a win. The test series pits staff members James Harrington of Castres against Working Class Rugger of Wollogong. In the other match-ups that don’t effect the RWU staff bragging rights, Scotland moved to 3-0 on they tour by defeating a scrappy Argentina side earlier today. South Africa look to sweep their 2 game series against guests, Wales. Italy are still winless on their tour as they try to stop an on-fire Japan side and Tonga face a collection ex-internationals as they welcome the Pacific Barbarians.
Here are the results:
TUE – 17TH JUN 14
TOUR Crusaders 7 – 38 England
FRI – 20TH JUN 14
TOUR Argentina 19 – 21 Scotland
Here is this weekend’s schedule:
SAT – 21ST JUN 14
TOUR Japan – Italy
TOUR Australia – France
TOUR South Africa – Wales
TOUR New Zealand – England
TOUR Pacific Barbarians – Tonga
Tier 2 Cups – As part of the IRB’s ongoing commitment to increase the competition schedule for Tier Two nations, There was a bevy of cup competitions featuring Tier 2 nations mixed in with a few experimental sides from Tier 1 nations.
Pacific Nations Cup – The Pacific Nations Cup is a tournament held between the six Pacific Rim nations of Fiji,Japan, Samoa, Tonga, Canada and the USA. The tournament is intended to strengthen the Tier 2 rugby nations by providing competitive test matches in a tournament format. The PNC occurs along with the June internationals to ensure more games for these nations. With Japan and Tonga involved in tour matches, as already mentioned, the scheduled PNC matches for this weekend feature Pacific Islands rivals Fiji, facing off against Samoa and The USA and Canada playing the in the North American Rugby Classic. Check out RWU staffer Jake Frechette‘s review of the line-ups.
Here is this weekend’s schedule:
SAT – 21ST JUN 14
PNC Fiji – Samoa
PNC USA – Canada
Nations Cup – The 9th annual IRB Nations Cup, for the eighth time in a row, it will be held in Bucharest, Romania. It will be played between 13 and 22 June and will run alongside the 2014 IRB Tbilisi Cup in Georgia. Romania are not only the hosts, as all fixtures will be played at the 5,000 capacity Stadionul National de Rugby, they are also the defending back to back cup champions having won the title in 2012 and 2013 home stadium for hosts . The Romanians just edged Russia while Emerging Ireland (Ireland’s C side) crushed Uruguay. The two winning sides will face each other while the two sides that lost will square up over the weekend.
Here are the midweek results:
TUE – 17TH JUN 14
NC Emerg. Ireland 51 – 3 Uruguay
NC Romania 20 – 18 Russia
Here is this weekend’s schedule:
SUN – 22ND JUN 14
NC Russia 0 – 0 Uruguay
NC Romania 0 – 0 Emerging Ireland
Tblisi Cup – The 2014 IRB Tbilisi Cup will be the second edition of this new tournament. It will be played from 14 to 22 June 2014 at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi. The hosts Georgia were defeated by the always tough the Argentina Jaguars, while a fiesty Spain were blanked by an Emerging Italy side in the midweek. Over the weekend Georgia will face the Italians, while the Jaguars take on Spain.
Here are the midweek results:
WED – 18TH JUN 14
TC Georgia 16 – 26 Jaguars
TC Emerging Italy 37 – 0 Spain
Here is this weekend’s schedule:
SUN – 22ND JUN 14
TC Georgia 0 – 0 Emerging Italy
TC Jaguars 0 – 0 Spain
Junior World Cup: The JWC is the yearly World Cup held for U-20 teams of the top tier rugby playing nations. Italy had to qualify for it by winning last year’s Junior World Trophy, the second tier competition. This year’s tournament is being held in New Zealand. The finals were played in the wee hours of this morning for those of us on the US Eastern Standard Time. All12 of the teams battled for a place in the standings. By the slimmest victory margin possible, England are once again your IRB JWC Champions. This should scare future England opponents as the RFU’s development system seems to be successful and England look to be in rude health for years to come.
Here are the results:
FRI – 20TH JUN 14
11th Place Final
JWC Fiji 17-22 Italy
9th Place Final
JWC Argentina 41-21 Scotland
7th Place Final
JWC Wales 20-3 Samoa
5th Place Final
JWC France 27-34 Australia
3rd Place Final
JWC Ireland 23-45 New Zealand
Final
JWC England 21-20 South Africa
Tier 3 – The NACRA Championship is the tournament similar to those in other IRB regionbs. This tournament is for the countries in North America and the Caribbean. NACRA has 2 zones with top level (championship) and a bottom level (cup). Each Championship zone has 3 teams while the Cup Zones have4 each. The Zones are regional divided so there is a North Zone and South Zone. USA Rugby competes in the North Zone Championship division. The USA is represented by the USA South Regional all-star team, in order to develop talent and make the competition a much fairer one. This weekend features two matches as South Cup foes Curacao British take on the British Virgin Islands and St. Lucia will battle St. Vincent and The Grenadines.
Here is this weekend’s schedule:
SAT – 21ST JUN 14
NACRA CH SZCu Curacao – British Virgin Islands
NACRA CH SZCu St. Lucia – St Vincent and the Grenadines
The Asian5N is short for the Asian 5 Nations, which is similar to the ENC but with 5 divisions and 5 teams in each. There were no matches this weekend but there were midweek matches scheduled for division 4 and division 3 west. In division 4, Brunei lost to Mongolia and then Mongolia take on Cambodia just two days later and were steamrolled. in D3 west, India came up short against Uzbekistan and Lebanon got a hard fought victory against tournament hosts Pakistan. Cambodia will now face Brunei while Lebanon take on Uzbekistan in the final while the 3rd place match sees India face rivals Pakistan.
Here are the midweek results:
TUE – 17TH JUN 14
ASIA5N D4 Brunei 13 – 38 Mongolia
THU – 19TH JUN 14
ASIA5N D4 Cambodia 49 – 5 Mongolia
ASIA5N D3 West India 17 – 23 Uzbekistan
ASIA5N D3 West Lebanon 17 – 3 Pakistan
Here is this weekend’s schedule:
SAT – 21ST JUN 14
ASIA5N D4 Brunei 0 – 0 Cambodia
SUN – 22ND JUN 14
ASIA5N D3 West final Lebanon 0 – 0 Uzbekistan
ASIA5ND3 West 3rd place India 0 – 0 Pakistan
Africa Cup: The Africa Cup is an annual tournament of rugby that involves the best African national organized by the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR). Given the difference in level with other national continental the South African national has so far participated in the national tournament with only minor (under 23 and amateurs), however, winning it three times. The Africa Cup 2014 was the fourteenth edition of the continental competition, there ar eup to 15 rugby countries from Africa . The National participants in the main division were divided into three groups of 14 merit ( 1A, 1B, and 1C ), with promotion and relegation. Tournaments Divisions 1A and 1B were valid for the qualification for the Rugby World Cup of 2015 . This year’s 1C tournament will be held between 14 and 21 June 2014, in Gaborone, Botswana. Morocco were initially supposed to play in Division 1C, but withdrew; they were replaced by South African club side, the 2014 SARU Community Cup champions Rustenburg Impala. The remaining 4 nations are Mauitius, Swaziland, Nigeria and Zambia. In the midweek Nigeria steamrolled Swaziland, Mauritius made light work of Zambia and Botswana got thrashed by Impala. For the weekend Botswana takes on Zambia, Mauritius and Swaziland clash while Impala meets Nigeria.
Here are the midweek results:
WED – 18TH JUN 14
AFRC D1C Nigeria 61 – 10 Swaziland
AFRC D1C Zambia 17 – 54 Mauritius
AFRC D1C Botswana 9 – 54 Impala
Here is the weekend schedule:
SAT – 21TH JUN 14
AFRC D1C Botswana – Zambia
AFRC D1C Mauritius – Swaziland
AFRC D1C Impala – Nigeria
Conversion Kick:
Signings/Player Moves: Newcastle Falcons front-row Grant Shiells will join Bath next season. Sale Sharks have announced that Gordon McKie has ceased to be chairman of the Aviva Premiership club, six months after taking the job. Newcastle have announced the signing of Tongan second-row Uili Kolo’ofai from French club US Colomiers, on a two-year deal. Saracens have confirmed that England international centre Joel Tomkins has been released from his contract, so he may make a return to rugby league. Gloucester have confirmed the signing of experienced Tongan hooker Aleki Lutui from Edinburgh for next season.
Euan Murray, the 33-year-old Scotland and British & Irish Lions prop, is returning to the Glasgow Warriors club from which he first earned his formidable reputation, on a one-year contract. The Scarlets have announced the signing of powerful Tongan number eight Chris Hala’ufia, who joins them from Premiership side London Irish. Edinburgh have revealed that trialist Center Sam Beard and Prop Carl Bezuidenhout have put pen to paper on deals at the club until 2016 and 2015 respectively.
The Cheetahs have announced the departure of back-row Philip van der Walt to relegated Top 14 outfit Biarritz. Highlanders prop Chris King will leave the Dunedin-based franchise to join Top 14 outfit Montpellier after the Super Rugby season.
The Melbourne Rebels have signed wing Cam Crawford from the Waratahs for the 2015 and 2016 Super Rugby seasons. Cheetahs number eight Boom Prinsloo has extended his contract until the end of next season, according to reports.
USA Rugby News and Updates: The USA Rugby AIG Men’s Collegiate All-Americans croster and matchday squad for the matches against Cambridge University and the Ontario Blues scheduled for this Saturday June 21st has been named… According to reports over 37,000 tickets have been sold for the match between the Eagles and All Black on Nov. 1st in Chicago.
That’s it for now. Feel free to comment below, look for and “Like” our Facebook Rugby Wrap Up Page and follow us on Twitter@: RugbyWrapUp,Junoir Blaber, DJ Eberle, Nick Hall, James Harrington, Cody Kuxmann, Jaime Loyd, Karen Ritter , Jamie Wall, Jake Frechette and Declan Yeats, respectively.
And until the next time… stay low and keep pumping those legs!
