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USA Rugby Announces its Spring 2008 Championship Venues

Posted on December 11th, 2007 in National Championships, USA Rugby by DJLitten

BOULDER, Colo. – After careful consideration, USA Rugby is pleased to announce the locations of its spring 2008 National Championship Series.

The 2008 season features the official sponsorship between USA Rugby and the Army National Guard, an alliance that includes the title sponsorship of USA Rugby’s College and High School Championships as well as the select National Team.

“We are working with many new partners this year and looking forward to again raising the quality and visibility of the National Championship Series,” said Kim Brock, USA Rugby Director of National Championships.

The championship season will kick off in a new way in 2008. For the first time, all 48 teams competing in the USA Rugby National Guard Collegiate Playoffs will compete in one location. This collegiate rugby festival will provide endless opportunities for many ancillary events. USA Rugby will partner with the Albuquerque Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) in hosting this flagship event.

“We believe Albuquerque will provide everything to make this event all that it can be. Albuquerque offers a centralized, affordable location with an accessible airport and a city that is very easy to travel to and within,” Brock said. “The Balloon Fiesta Park offers pristine fields exclusively for this rugby festival.”

“Albuquerque is very excited and honored to be apart of this new event, which we think can trigger an outstanding growth in the sport of rugby,” said Tara Alarid, Sports Marketing Coordinator for the Albuquerque CVB.

The nation’s top men’s and women’s college squads will once again take the field at Steuber Rugby Stadium in Stanford, Calif. for the USA Rugby National Guard Collegiate Championships on May 2-3. The event will be hosted by Stanford University.

Having played host to the Senior Women’s Club Playoffs in this past fall, in May 2008 the Austin Rugby Club will host the Division I, II and III Senior Men’s Club Playoffs, which feature 40 of the country’s best Men’s Club teams. Last year the Austin Rugby Club finished in second place at the Division I finals.

Following the final approval by the Rugby Committee, the date of the USA Rugby National Guard Boy’s High School, and Boy’s and Girl’s U-19 Championships has settled on May 30 - June 1. The Pittsburgh Harlequins will host the event at Founders Field.

USA Rugby will also start another new relationship with a top notch facility close to home in Glendale, Colo. The city of Glendale is set to host the Senior Men’s Club Championships at Infinity Park. The stadium opened its gates in September 2007 and is home to the Glendale Raptors. Infinity Park is the first municipal U.S. rugby stadium and seats 5,000 spectators.

Twenty teams to compete at Rugby World Cup 2011

Posted on December 11th, 2007 in IRB Rugby by DJLitten

DUBLIN, Ireland - The International Rugby Board (IRB) announced on Friday that the Rugby World Cup 2011 tournament in New Zealand will comprise 20 teams. This mirrors the number of teams that played in the last three tournaments. The decision was taken at a Special Meeting of Council following a recommendation to the Council from the Rugby World Cup Limited Board.

Dr Syd Millar, IRB and RWC Limited Chairman said, “Prior to RWC 2007 the IRB stated that it would review the number of participating teams for future Rugby World Cups. The reason for this review was to ensure that the tournament remains competitive and commercially attractive, that player welfare concerns are addressed and it continues to be the major promotional and financial vehicle for the continued expansion of the Game.”

“The IRB is committed to developing the Game and achieving specific goals within the strategic plan which include increasing the number and competitiveness of Unions at the top level and maximising the profile, profitability and value of Rugby World Cup.”

“The developing nations at Rugby World Cup 2007 have produced significantly enhanced performances since RWC 2003. This is a direct result of the global £30 million IRB strategic investment programme that was established in 2005.”

“Based on this plus the likelihood that surplus revenue from Rugby World Cup 2007 will provide further funds for future investment in developing nations, the Council had no hesitation in approving the recommendation from the RWCL Board that 20 teams participate at the 2011 tournament.”

“The successful New Zealand tender bid for RWC 2011 was based on 20 teams. At the Counccil meeting the motion maintaining the exisiting 20 team format was proposed by New Zealand Council member Graham Mourie. The IRB is very confident that the tournament will be a huge success,” added Dr Millar.

The playing window for RWC 2011 in New Zealand is September-October 2011 with the final taking place on the weekend of October 22-23, 2011. The NZ Government has also announced that the school holidays following the third term in 2011 will be delayed by two weeks for all students in NZ to coincide with the final two weeks of RWC 2011.

The RWC 2011 qualification structure is presently being reviewed but it has already been announced that the number of automatic qualifiers will increase from eight to 12 places. Therefore South Africa, England, Argentina, France, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Fiji, Wales, Ireland, Tonga and Italy have automatically qualified for RWC 2011 as the top three teams in their respective RWC 2007 pools.

The qualification system for the remaining eight places is currently being reviewed with regional qualification starting in 2008.