Georgia to join 2009 Churchill Cup

[AndyS]

Only just noticed this - good for them...
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England's potential 2011 World Cup opponents Georgia have replaced Scotland A in the six-team line-up for the 2009 Churchill Cup, it was announced on Tuesday.

The annual development tournament, to be staged in Colorado between June 6-21, also features England Saxons, Ireland A, the USA, Canada and the Argentina Jaguars.

Scotland A have withdrawn in order to compete in the IRB Nations Cup alongside France A, Uruguay, Russia, Italy A and hosts Romania.

Victory last month over arch-rivals Russia – in a match held in neutral territory due to the recent conflict between the two nations – saw Georgia climb ahead of Tonga to be ranked 13th in the world, one place below Italy.

Georgia will face Canada and Ireland A in the pool stages of the 2009 Churchill Cup, which will be staged at Infinity Park, the first municipally-owned rugby-specific stadium in North America.

The finals will be held at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver, home of the Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer team.

Denver emerged last year as a potential venue for a clash between Australia and New Zealand following the success of their first ever Bledisloe Cup encounter on neutral soil in Hong Kong last autumn.

Mike Dunafon, Glendale's mayor pro-tem, said: "It has been our vision to bring international rugby competitions to Glendale and the metropolitan Denver area. We look forward to showcasing Infinity Park."

The Churchill Cup, designed to grow rugby in the USA and Canada, will be held solely in America for the first time.

2009 Churchill Cup schedule:

Saturday June 6 (Infinity Park, Glendale)

Pool B: England Saxons v Argentina Jaguars
Pool A: Canada v Georgia Wednesday

June 10 (Infinity Park, Glendale)

Pool A: Canada v Ireland A
Pool B: USA v Argentina Jaguars

Sunday June 14 (Infinity Park, Glendale)

Pool B: USA v England Saxons
Pool A: Georgia v Ireland A

Sunday June 21 (Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Denver)

Finals

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rug...chill-Cup.html

---------- Post added at 11:34 ---------- Previous post was at 11:31 ----------

The Churchill Cup will take place in Colorado this year, marking the first time North America's premier XV-a-side tournament has been staged solely in the United States.

This year will see the US Eagles, Canada, England Saxons, Ireland A, the Argentina Jaguars and Georgia play double headers at Infinity Park, Glendale - the first municipally-owned rugby-specific stadium in North America - on June 6, 10 and 14.

These pool stages will be followed by a triple-header finals day at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, home of Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer side, on June 21.

"The Churchill Cup continues to be a valuable part of our international season, offering top class international competition, as well as allowing us to showcase international rugby to new audiences in the United States," said Nigel Melville, Chief Executive Officer of USA Rugby.

"We are delighted to play at two great facilities in Infinity Park and Dick's Sporting Goods Park. This will give the Churchill Cup and rugby in general a great platform in a wonderful sporting city and help us achieve our objective to grow the sport."

Mike Dunafon, Mayor Pro-Tem of the City of Glendale, said: "We are proud to host the Churchill Cup pool matches in Glendale. It has been our vision to bring international rugby competitions to Glendale and the metropolitan Denver area. We look forward to showcasing Infinity Park."

Terry Burwell, Churchill Cup Tournament Director, added: "The Churchill Cup goes from strength to strength and is now established in the international rugby calendar.

"This will be the seventh Churchill Cup and we are pleased to add Denver and Glendale to the eight other cities in Canada and the US who have hosted the tournament since it started in 2003. With the tournament being based solely in one state for the first time we hope that we can build a following throughout the pool stages, culminating in a bumper crowd on finals day."

The 2008 Churchill Cup finals were played at Toyota Park in Chicago and attracted more than 9,000 fans. England Saxons beat Scotland A 36-19 to retain the Cup, while Ireland A and Canada won the Plate and Bowl with 33-8 and 26-10 victories over Argentina A and USA respectively. In 2009, Georgia has replaced Scotland A from last year's line-up.

Churchill Cup 2009

Pools:
Pool A: Canada, Georgia, Ireland A
Pool B: Argentina Jaguars, England Saxons, US Eagles

Fixtures (kick off times local):

Saturday, June 6 - Infinity Park, Glendale:
England Saxons v Argentina Jaguars (14.15)
Canada v Georgia (16.30)

Wednesday, June 10 - Infinity Park, Glendale:
Canada v Ireland A (16.30)
US Eagles v Argentina Jaguars (19.00)

Sunday June 14 - Infinity Park, Glendale:
US Eagles v England Saxons (13.00)
Georgia v Ireland A (15.30)

Sunday June 21 - Dick's Sporting Goods Park:
Churchill Cup finals (12.05, 14.30, 16.45)

http://www.rugby365.com/all_news/nbc...ws/1611240.htm

[Sheikh]

Would Dick's Sporting Goods Park hold a Bledisloe Cup match? The capacity is only 18,000.

Hmm, I know of another 18,000 capacity stadium which could hold one.

[prop53]

Well done Georgia this only helps the betterment of the game.

[shasta]

Hope ESPN will show these matches.

[Cowboy]

would have been interesting watching Georgia vs Russia which had to be played at a neutral venue.

[jargan83]

would have been interesting watching Georgia vs Russia which had to be played at a neutral venue.

Fullbacks wielding AK-47's

[beige]

I would hate to commentate that match. So many wrong metaphors to trip yourself up with...