Hayman, Pocock, #Top14, Oceania Cup, ITM Cup, USA Rugby and World Rugby News

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NEW YORK, NY – Just when we thought we were getting less busy the rugby world found a way to shock us. This means we have to dive back into loads of rugby coverage, even before the World Cup starts. So with that said it is time to discuss the match results, team news and transactions as we prepare for The Global Rugby Recap:

News & Transactions:

Top 14: Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal is trying to sign prop Carl Hayman on a short-term contract as Toulon look to cope without their Rugby World Cup stars.

Aviva Premiership: London Irish have signed former England Sevens playmaker Christian Lewis-Pratt on a short-term deal to provide additional options in the back line.

Pro 12: Wales and Lions prop Gethin Jenkins will lead Cardiff Blues for the coming season under new head coach Danny Wilson… Glasgow Warriors have completed the signing of Gloucester prop Sila Puafisi, who will join after playing the World Cup for Tonga.

Super Rugby: Australia have secured the commitment of two key players after flanker David Pocock and back Kurtley Beale signed new deals with the ARU. Pocock will continue his rugby in the nation’s capital with the Brumbies and with the Wallabies through until the end of the 2016 season, while Beale has extended his time with the 2014 Super Rugby Champions, the Waratahs, until the end of 2017.

ITM Cup: Former Cardiff Blues director of rugby and Hurricanes head coach, Mark Hammett is back in rugby after being named Tasman Makos’ assistant coach for the next two seasons.

USA Rugby: The Elite City 7s is back for a second year. Last year the tournament was played in Houston in conjuction with the USA Eagles match against Scotland. This year it will be in Philadelphia as the Eagles take on Harlequins. The men’s bracket returns teams from Boston (playing as Academy Development), Ohio, Philadelphia, Salt Lake, and southern California, and welcomes Atlanta, New York City, and a combined Armed Forces side into the mix. The women’s bracket includes the first AIG Women’s Collegiate All-American Sevens team, a combined Armed Forces side, Northeast Academy, and Club 7s National Champion and National Development Academy American Rugby Pro Training Center from Little Rock, Ark… USA Rugby announced a new partnership and a $20,000 grant to Play Rugby USA to develop thousands of new rugby players, teachers, and coaches in the Bay Area ahead of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018, to be held at AT&T Park and San Jose’s Avaya Stadium.

World Rugby News: Results from the World Rugby Sportswise Survey have revealed that while parents are understandably concerned about injuries, 92 per cent feel that the benefits of children playing sport far outweigh these risks. Click here for more on the study.

The weekend’s fixtures:

Top 14: The #Top14 is back and gearing up for its second round. Our Ligue Nationale de Rugby expert James Harrington has put together a great preview of the season if you Click here. Mssr. Harrington will also be back to recap the round. As for the fixtures, Clermont plays Grenoble, Agen welcomes Toulouse, new boys Pau host Montpellier, Oyonnax tangle with Bordeaux, Racing 92 graple with La Rochelle, Brive and Stade Francais do battle and in a rematch of the 2014 final, Toulon and Castres will go at.

Here is the schedule:
Fri Aug 28 2015
Clermont Auvergne – Grenoble

Sat Aug 29 2015
Agen – Toulouse
Pau – Montpellier
Oyonnax – Bordeaux Begles
Racing 92 – La Rochelle
Brive – Stade Francais

Sun Aug 30 2015
Castres – Toulon

World Cup Warm-up: With only a few warm-up matches left, before the World Cup and rosters out, it is time for final preparations. So every minute of game time counts as Tonga will take on Nottingham and Newcastle Falcons play Georgia. Japan and Uruguay clash again, as do Scotland and Italy and also Ireland and Wales. Barbarians will host Samoa, Canada welcomes the Glasgow Warriors and the USA as previously mentioned will take on Harlequins.

Here is the schedule:
Fri Aug 28 2015
Nottingham – Tonga
Newcastle Falcons – Georgia

Sat Aug 29 2015
Japan – Uruguay
Ireland – Wales
Barbarians – Samoa
Scotland – Italy
Canada – Glasgow Warriors

Sun Aug 30 2015
USA – Harlequins

Oceania Rugby Cup: Papua New Guinea was chosen to host the four-team Oceania Rugby Cup 2015 earlier this month. The competition will see PNG take on American Samoa, Tahiti and the Solomon Islands in an attempt to develop each of the tiny nations rugby programs. The matches started last week and threw the midweek. This weekend will see the final round of action. Below are the results and fixtures to date.

Here are the results:
Sat Aug 22 2015
Papua New Guinea 32 – 10 Tahiti
Solomon Islands 15 – 30 American Samoa

Wed Aug 26 2015
Papua New Guinea 36 – 22 American Samoa
Tahiti 36 – 12 Solomon Islands

Here is the schedule:
Sun Aug 30 2015
American Samoa – Tahiti
Papua New Guinea – Solomon Islands

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 28: Newport Gwent Dragons celebrate beating Wasps in the final during the Singha Premiership Rugby 7's Series finals at Twickenham Stoop on August 28, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images) — Newport Gwent Dragons celebrate beating Wasps in the final during the Singha Premiership Rugby 7’s Series finals (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Premiership 7s: The Premiership Rugby Sevens Series is a 7s competition for the 12 Aviva Premiership Clubs that will play the following season. From this, loads of young talent are discovered. The premiership 7s is now followed by a World Club 7s tournament, which is the brainchild of the Premiership 7s branding team. As a sign of the growth of the tournament is that the 4 Welsh regions have decided to play in the English club 7s tournament, the premier pro club 7s tournament. In an upset, the Newport Gwent Dragons upset Wasps at the death despite Wasps being the inform team the whole tournament.

Here are the results:
Fri – 28th Aug 15
1. Quarter-Final 1 –Newport Gwent Dragons 26 – 10 Sale Sharks
2. Quarter-Final 2 – Gloucester Rugby 31 – 26 Harlequins
3. Quarter-Final 3 – Wasps 33 – 5 Exeter Chiefs
4. Quarter-Final 4 – Newcastle Falcons 26 – 31 Scarlets
5. Plate Semi-Final – Sale Sharks 45 -24 Harlequins
6. Cup Semi-Final – Newport Gwent Dragons 19 -14 Gloucester Rugby
7. Plate Semi-Final – Exeter Chiefs 14 – 12 Newcastle Falcons
8. Cup Semi-Final – Scarlets 12 – 33 Wasps
9. Plate Final – Sale Sharks 19 – 26 Chiefs
10. Cup Final – Newport Gwent Dragons 17 – 14 Wasps

ITM Cup: For our preview of the season, CLICK HERE. The third round began with Bay of Plenty winning easily against Southland, Tasman demolished Manawatu and Hawkes Bay cruised by Counties Manukau. Remaining fixtures in this round will see longtime rivals Auckland and Canterbury tangle, Taranaki face Otago, and Wellington play Northland. On short rest from their midweek fixtures Bay of Plenty plays Waikato and Southland has North Harbour.

Here are the results:
Wed – 26th Aug 15
Bay Of Plenty 26 – 10 Southland
Thu – 27th Aug 15
Tasman 41 – 21 Manawatu
Fri – 28th Aug 15
Counties Manukau 11 – 35 Hawkes Bay

Here is the schedule:
Sat – 29th Aug 15
Auckland – Canterbury
Taranaki – Otago
Wellington – Northland
Sun – 30th Aug 15
Bay Of Plenty – Waikato
Southland – North Harbour

Currie Cup: The 77th edition of the Currie Cup kicked off last weekend and you can find our preview HERE. As for round 4, this weekend, we have so far seen the Free State Cheetah triumph over Western Province and the Golden Lions absolutely pummel the Pumas. Still to come Griquas tackle Blue Bulls and the Eastern Province Kings face the Natal Sharks.

Here are the results:
Fri – 29th Aug 15
Free State Cheetahs 28 – 21 Western Province
Pumas 11 – 41 Golden Lions

Here is the schedule:
Sat – 30th Aug 15
Griquas – Blue Bulls
Eastern Province Kings – Natal Sharks

Aus. NRC: Australia’s third tier competition goes into its second year as the National Rugby Championship kicked off yesterday. We took the time to provide a preview and explain the competition, just CLICK HERE. Those with New York Rugby Club ties like me, will be supporting the defending champs Brisbane City since one of their feeder clubs, is New York’s sister club West (Brisbane) Bulldogs. To kickoff the weekend in a Thursday match, the Sydney Stars won a shootout against Queensland Country. Left to come this weekend are matches between, Melbourne Rising and Brisbane City, NSW Country Eagles and University of Canberra Vikings. Final match of the round see Perth Spirit face the North Harbour Rays.

Here are the results:
Thu – 27th Aug 15
Sydney Stars 50–40 Queensland Country

Here is the weekend’s schedule:
Sat – 29th Aug 15
Melbourne Rising – Brisbane City
NSW Country Eagles – University of Canberra Vikings
Perth Spirit – North Harbour Rays

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, James Harrington, Jamie Wall, Nick Hall, DJ Eberle, Jake Frechette, Scheenagh Harrington, Jamie Loyd, Cody Kuxmann, Karen Ritter, Audrey Youn, Akweley Okine, Rocky Brown and Declan Yeats, respectively.