| Churchill Cup | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Rugby union |
| Founded | 2003 |
| No. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Artistic gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champions Paul Hamm, USA, of teams | 6 |
| Country(ies) |  Canada England Saxons Ireland A Scotland A United States Argentina A New Zealand Māori |
| Most recent champion(s) |
England Saxons |
The Churchill Cup (currently referred to as Barclays Churchill Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament contested by representative men's (and formerly women's) teams from Canada, England, and the United States, and other invited teams (currently three, originally one). Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page England Saxons is the current name of England 's men's second national rugby union team The Ireland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Irish national side The Scotland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Scottish national side. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Argentina A national rugby union team are the second national Rugby union team in Argentina after the national side. New Zealand Māori is the name of a Rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. England Saxons is the current name of England 's men's second national rugby union team Barclays PLC is a major global financial services provider operating in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Latin America, Australia Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The tournament is named after former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874
Contents |
Overview
The tournament was first held in 2003 with only Canada, England and the USA taking part. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. For the Canadian Rugby league team see Canada national rugby league team. The England national rugby union team represents England in Rugby union. For the American Rugby league team see United States national rugby league team. The tournament was set up to improve the calibre and profile of rugby in North America, and also to help develop English players not yet part of the full national team. The England national rugby union team represents England in Rugby union. Because of the gap in skill levels, the England A side, rebranded in 2006 as England Saxons, took part instead of the full England men's side; however, the full England women's side participated. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. England Saxons is the current name of England 's men's second national rugby union team
In 2004, New Zealand was invited, being represented by the New Zealand Māori men's team and the women's representative team, the Black Ferns. New Zealand Māori is the name of a Rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. The Black Ferns is New Zealand 's national women's Rugby union team In 2005, Argentina sent its A side to the men's competition. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Argentine Rugby Union (Unión Argentina de Rugby ( UAR) is the governing body for Rugby union in Argentina. Originally, New Zealand Māori had been invited, but they declined because it would clash with their fixture with the British and Irish Lions. The British and Irish Lions (until 2001 known as the British Isles Rugby Union Team or "British Lions" Rugby union side comprises a pick of the best players from There was no women's competition in either 2005 or 2006, largely because of Canada's preparations to host the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2006. The 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup (officially IRB Rugby World Cup 2006 Canada and sometimes referred to as the women's world cup) took place in
Originally, the competition was scheduled only through 2007, as the original contract between Rugby Canada, the Rugby Football Union (England) and USA Rugby was a five-year deal. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This article is about the national governing body for Canada Rugby union. The Rugby Football Union (RFU is the Rugby union governing body in England USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of Rugby union in the United States of America. Under the agreement, Canada would host the first three events, while the USA had an option to host in 2006 and 2007. However, because USA Rugby is now involved in hosting the USA Sevens tournament in the IRB Sevens World Series, it allowed Canada to be the principal host in 2006. The USA Sevens is an annual rugby union sevens tournament held in the United States. The 2006 competition saw matches in the USA for the first time, in San Francisco (more precisely, in the Silicon Valley city of Santa Clara), and three Canadian cities hosted matches: Edmonton, Toronto, and Ottawa. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. Santa Clara California (ˌsæntəˈklærə founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852 is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality.
The organizers increased the number of men's teams competing from four to six, effective with the 2006 competition. South Africa and Wales had expressed an interest, but Ireland and Scotland accepted invitations for 2006. The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU ( Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the governing body of Rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board The Irish Rugby Football Union ( IRFU) (Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann is the body managing Rugby union in Ireland. Both sent A sides to the competition, and the New Zealand Māori returned that year as well.
In 2007, the Churchill Cup was held in England for the first time. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Both Rugby Canada and USA Rugby agreed to the one-time move largely because both countries' national teams would be competing in the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international Rugby union world championship inaugurated in 1987. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. [1]
The 2008 tournament will return to North America[2], according to tournament organizers. All six of the participants have been determined: Canada, USA Eagles, England Saxons, Ireland A, Scotland A, and Argentina A replacing the New Zealand Maori, who as of 2008 participate in the Pacific Nations Cup.
Pool matches will be held in Ottawa on June 7, Kingston on June 11, and Toronto on June 14. The finals will be held at Toyota Park in Chicago on June 21. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States.
Results
| Year | Host city | Men's Winner | Women's Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Vancouver |  England A |
England |
| 2004 | Calgary and Edmonton |  New Zealand Māori |
 New Zealand |
| 2005 | Edmonton | England A |
No competition |
| 2006 | Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, and San Francisco (Santa Clara) |
New Zealand Māori |
No competition |
| 2007 | Stockport, Exeter, Henley, Northampton and London | England Saxons |
No competition |
| 2008 | Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, and Chicago | TBD | No competition |
For detailed results from a given year's competition (including the current year's), please see the relevant year's tournament's article, where one exists. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal England Saxons is the current name of England 's men's second national rugby union team Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. New Zealand Māori is the name of a Rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. The Black Ferns is New Zealand 's national women's Rugby union team Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. England Saxons is the current name of England 's men's second national rugby union team The 2006 Churchill Cup began on June 3, 2006 and ended on June 17. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Santa Clara California (ˌsæntəˈklærə founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852 is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U New Zealand Māori is the name of a Rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. The 2007 Churchill Cup was held between 18 May and 2 June 2007. Stockport ( is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground on the River Mersey at the influx of the rivers Goyt Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. This article is about Northampton in England for other places of the same name see Northampton (disambiguation Northampton ( is a large Market London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England Saxons is the current name of England 's men's second national rugby union team The 2008 Churchill Cup took place between 7 June and 21 June 2008 in what was the sixth year of the tournament Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States.
Early history
The Churchill Cup event, named after former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, "Britain's Man of the Century", sees a five-year agreement amongst England, Canada and the USA with each forming part of the new company, "Churchill Cup Inc. ". Former Prime Minister Churchill shared close ties with the United States - his mother was American - and with Canada during the Second World War, so using his name for this event seemed very appropriate.
Concept
Born of an English tour of North America in 2001, the Churchill Cup of Rugby came to fruition in 2003, in Vancouver. The tournament arises out of a 5 year agreement between Rugby Canada, Rugby USA and the Rugby Football Union (England) to hold an annual rugby tournament in North America originally intended to be played between the nations Senior Men's and Women's sides. Canada will host the event from 2003 to 2005, in 2003 and 2004 the event was held in Edmonton, Alberta. While and the US will have the option of picking uphosting the last 2 years of the tournament in 2006 and 2007, with the advent of the USA Sevens in San Diego and the reality of moving such an event, it is entirely likely that the event will remain in Canada, specifically Edmonton, through 2007. With respect to the Women's component, with Canada being awarded the 2006 Women's World Cup of Rugby, to be played in Edmonton and the Ottawa/Montreal region, it was felt that for 2005 and 2006 the Women's component should be removed, with the Women playing in the Canada Cup of Women's Rugby in Ottawa/Montreal in July of 2005 and the Women's World Cup itself in September of 2006 in Edmonton and Ottawa/Montreal.
In addition to the changes with respect to the Women's component, in 2004 the decision was made to expand the competition to 4 Nations with the inclusion of an invitational side, which in 2004 was the New Zealand Maori, who won the title in a spectacular overtime match with England. In 2005 Argentina were invited and sent their A side, which provided great entertainment for the fans and a true test of rugby for the founding Nations in the Churchill Cup. Beyond 2005 there was talk of further expanding the event to perhaps six Nations, with three invitational sides participating. This expansion indeed occurred in 2006.
Purpose
North American rugby has often despaired in the lack of high quality competition in the continent. As other countries participate in the annual Tri-Nations or Six Nations tournaments, Canada and the US are left to schedule one off invitational games with other Nations, subject to other nations being able to accommodate such games in their schedules. In the Men's competition, the middle-power Canadian and American sides can test their mettle against some of the best players England has to offer, and now New Zealand and Argentina with the inclusion of an invitational side. The competition also allows England to develop players who do not regularly participate in the national squad.
Logistics
The 2003 inaugural tournament was played in Vancouver at Thunderbird Stadium. Thunderbird Stadium is an outdoor stadium on the University Endowment Lands of British Columbia, west of Vancouver 's city limits The 2004 Churchill Cup traveled east across the Canadian Rockies to Alberta where games were played in Calgary on the opening weekend and Edmonton for the finals. For 2005 the Churchill Cup was played entirely at Edmonton's 60,000 seat Commonwealth Stadium. The same was initially contemplated for 2006 and 2007, but that plan changed due to the expansion of the tournament in 2006 and logistical issues related to the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Teams
As of 2008:
- Canada (first team) : 2003 - present
- United States (first team) : 2003 - present
- England Saxons (second team) : 2003 - present
- Argentina A (second team) : 2005, 2008 - present
- Scotland A (second team) : 2006 - present
- Ireland A (second team) : 2006 - present
The three founding members (Rugby Canada, USA Rugby and England Saxons) are permanently placed in the Churchill Cup with three additional teams selected for each tournament year. For the Canadian Rugby league team see Canada national rugby league team. For the American Rugby league team see United States national rugby league team. England Saxons is the current name of England 's men's second national rugby union team The Argentina A national rugby union team are the second national Rugby union team in Argentina after the national side. The Scotland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Scottish national side. The Ireland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Irish national side This article is about the national governing body for Canada Rugby union. USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of Rugby union in the United States of America. England Saxons is the current name of England 's men's second national rugby union team
Former teams
- New Zealand Māori (consisting of New Zealand players of Māori heritage) : 2004,2006 - 2007
Locations
Commonwealth Stadium - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Located in Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta, Commonwealth Stadium is the venue for the Barclays Churchill Cup finals. New Zealand Māori is the name of a Rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. For the stadium of the same name in Kentucky, see Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky. Commonwealth is also the home of the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos. The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian Football League team based in Edmonton Alberta. During the halftime break of an Eskimos football game in 2003, the Canadian Seven's squad put on a display of rugby to impress the crowd. For the Barclays Churchill Cup finals a crowd is expected of some 25,000.
Buck Shaw Stadium - Santa Clara, California - "San Francisco"
Named after former Santa Clara football coach, Lawrence T. "Buck" Shaw. The stadium has seen many of that university sporting's achievements. Serving as the home for the Bronco soccer team, the 6,800-seat facility also housed Santa Clara baseball and football historically.
Twin Elm Rugby Park - Ottawa
With five rugby fields, 12 changing rooms, two lounges, a bar and spectator seating for hundreds of people. Situated in South Nepean, in the City of Ottawa, the facility is home to several local clubs, including the Ottawa Harlequins, the representative side for Eastern Ontario. The Ottawa Harlequins' are a Canadian rugby union team based in eastern Ontario.
York Stadium - Toronto
Shepard Field - Calgary
See also
- 2007 Churchill Cup
- Argentina national rugby union team
- Canada national rugby union team
- England national rugby union team
- Ireland national rugby union team
- New Zealand Māori rugby union team
- Scotland national rugby union team
- United States national rugby union team
- Rugby union in Canada
Notes and references
- ^ England to host the Churchill Cup. The 2007 Churchill Cup was held between 18 May and 2 June 2007. The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international Rugby union matches For the Canadian Rugby league team see Canada national rugby league team. The England national rugby union team represents England in Rugby union. The Ireland rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in Rugby union, which is a popular sport throughout both the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand Māori is the name of a Rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international Rugby union. For the American Rugby league team see United States national rugby league team. Rugby union is a moderately popular team sport in Canada. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board (IRB as a tier two rugby nation alongside BBC (2006-12-05). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Retrieved on 2006-12-10. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V
- ^ Churchill Cup heads to "Windy City". Planet Rugby (2007-12-11). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Retrieved on 2007-12-11. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office
External links
- Churchill Cup official site
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic