CHURCHILL CUP RUGBY: USA Eagles Face the Saxons

04.06.2011
United States v England Saxons in Northampton (Churchill Cup-Non Test)

Venue: Franklin Garden

Referee

Preview
This may not be an official test match but it will be one of the toughest games the United States will play before the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The USA will be wanting to make a big impression leading up to the famous event whilst the young English players will want to make a claim for inclusion in the final 30 chosen to play for England at The World Cup.

Although the England Saxons are a young and relatively inexperienced side (only two players remain from the Churchill Cup winning side from last year) they are made up of players from the top tier of English professional rugby. make no mistake, they will be a handful for the USA.

Other Previews
http://www.churchillcuprugby.net/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=3731&leagueID=10901&page=53327

Prediction: England Saxons by 7

Teams

United States
15 Mike Palefau (Utah Warriors)
14 Mile Pulu (San Francisco Golden Gate)
13 Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore)
12 Junior Sifa (Nottingham RFC)
11 Colin Hawley (Olympic Club)
10 Troy Hall (New York Athletic Club)
9 Mike Petri (New York Athletic Club, captain)
8 JJ Gagiano (Univ. of Cape Town)
7 Danny LaPrevotte (San Francisco Golden Gate)
6 Pat Danahy (Life University)
5 Scott LaValla (Stade Francais)
4 John van der Giessen (Utah Warriors)
3 Will Johnson (London Irish)
2 Phil Thiel (Life University)
1 Eric Fry (Las Vegas Blackjacks)
Replacements
16 Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate)
17 Shawn Pittman (London Welsh)
18 Louis Stanfill (Mogliano)
19 Inaki Basauri (L' Aquila)
20 Tim Usasz (Nottingham RFC)
21 Roland Suniula (Boston Rugby)
22 Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins)

Head Coach: Eddie O’Sullivan

http://www.usarugby.org

England Saxons

15 Michael Brown (Harlequins)
14 Topsy Ojo (London Irish)
13 Henry Trinder (Gloucester Rugby)
12 William Twelvetrees (Leicester Tigers)
11 Miles Benjamin (Worcester Warriors)
10 Rory Clegg (Harlequins)
9 Michael Young (Newcastle Falcons)
8 Jordon Crane, Capt. (Leicester Tigers)
7 Thomas Johnson (Exeter Chiefs)
6 James Gaskell (Sale Sharks)
5 David Attwood (Gloucester Rugby)
4 Mouritz Botha (Saracens)
3 Matthew Stevens (Saracens)
2 Joseph Gray (Harlequins)
1 Matthew Mullan (Worcester Warriors)
Replacements
16 David Paice (London Irish)
17 Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons)
18 Graham Kitchener (Worcester Warriors)
19 James Gibson (London Irish)
20 Paul Hodgson (London Irish)
21 Alex Goode (Saracens)
22 Charles Sharples (Gloucester Rugby)
Head Coach: Stuart Lancaster

Adapted from http://www.rfu.com/News/2011/June/News%20Articles/030611_Saxons_USA.aspx

TEST RUGBY: Churchill Cup, Finals Day

The preliminary rounds were held in Glendale, Colorado. The finals day is being held in Harrison, New Jersey.

19.06.2010
England Saxons v Canada (Final)

Preview
Canada has reached the final for the first time since the Cup was launched in 2003. Canada has not fared well when playing England 'A' or the Saxons as they are now known.
2006-England A won 41-11 2005 England A won 29-5 2004 England A won 48-23 and in 2003 England A won 47-3.

Canada has emerged as the most improved team in this tournament. This could well be the year that belongs to Canada.

Prediction-Canada A by 7 points

Teams

Canada
M Evans (Newport Gwent Dragons, Wales); C Hearn (The Rock), DTH van der Merwe (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland), P Mackenzie (Esher, England), J Mensah-Coker (un-attached); A Monro (Ontario Blues), S White (BC Bears), D Wooldridge (Ontario Blues), P Riordan (BC Bears, capt), A Tiedemann (Prairie Wolf Pack), L Tait (Un-attached), B Erichsen (BC Bears), C O'Toole (The Rock), A Kleeberger (Rotherham, England), A Carpenter (Un-attached)
Replacements: R Hamilton (BC Bears), J Marshall (BC Bears), T Hotson (Plymouth Albion, England), N Dala (Prairie Wolf Pack), E Wilson (BC Bears), R Smith (Praire Wolf Pack), J Pritchard (Bedford RFC, England) .
Head Coach: Luke Lancaster

England Saxons:
A Goode (Saracens); J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), J Clarke (Northampton Saints), A Allen (Leicester Tigers) , N Abendanon (Bath); S Myler (Northampton Saints), L Dickson (Northampton Saints); N Wood (Gloucester), A Titterrell (Leeds Carnegie) , A Corbiserio (London Irish), J Hudson (Newcastle Falcons), G Skivington (London Wasps, capt), T Wood (Worcester Warriors), A Saull (Saracens), L Narraway (Gloucester Rugby)
Replacements: R Vickers (Newcastle Falcons), D Bell (Bath), G Kitchener (Worcester Warriors), K Myall (Leeds Carnegie), M Young (Newcastle Falcons), O Smith (Harlequins), T Varndell (London Wasps)
Head Coach:Kieran Crowley

United States v France A( Playoff 3rd-4th)

Prediction: France A by 15 points

Teams

U.S. Lineup:
15. Chris Wyles (Saracens, England)
14. Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz Olympique, France)
13. Alipate Tuilevuka (Provo Steelers)
12. Junior Sifa (Middleton RFC)
11. Paul Emerick (Parma RFC, Italy)
10. Nese Malifa (Belmont Shore)
9. Mike Petri (New York Athletic Club)
1. Mate Moeakiola (Sporting Club Albi, France)
2. Phil Thiel (Life University)
3. Shawn Pittman (Bayside RFC)
4. John Van Der Giessen, Capt. (Sporting Club Albi, France)
5. Scott Lavalla (Dublin University, Ireland)
6. Louis Stanfill (Canberra Royals, Australia)
7. J.J. Gagiano (University of Cape Town, South Africa)
8. Nic Johnson (Denver Barbarians)
Reserves
16. Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate)
17. Tony Purpura (Boston Rugby Club)
18. Patrick Danahy (Life University)
19. Dan LaPrevotte (San Francisco Golden Gate)
20. Tim Usasz (Nottingham RFC, England)
21. Volney Rouse (Te Kawau, New Zealand)
22. Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins)
Head Coach: Eddie O'Sullivan

France A

Russia v Uruguay (Playoff 5th-6th)

This will be an interesting rugby test. Previous encounters have been close and there is not much between them on the rankings.

Previous Encounters
21.06.2009 Russia 29-26 in Bucharest (IRB Nations Cup)
20.06.2008 Uruguay 23-19 in Bucharest (IRB Nations Cup)

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table-Russia 20th, Uruguay 22nd
IRB Rankings-Russia 19th (64.64), Uruguay 20th (62.37)

Prediction: Russia by 6 points

Teams

Russia
1. Sergey Popov 2. Vladislav Korshunov (c) 3. Alexey Travkin 4. Alexander Voytov 5. Artem Fatakhov 6. Victor Gresev 7. Kirill Kushnarev 8. Nikita Medkov 9. Alexander Yanyushkin 10. Yury Kushnarev 11. Vasily Artemyev 12. Alexey Makovetskiy 13. Mikhail Babaev 14. Andrey Kuzin 15 Igor Klyuchnikov
Replacements 16. Evgeny Mateev 17. Vladimir Botvinnikov 18. Alexander Khrokin 19. Sergey Sergeev 20. Alexander Shakirov 21. Alexey Korobeynikov 22. Sergey Trishin
Head Coach:

Uruguay
1. Alejo Corral 2. Carlos Arboleya (c) 3. Pablo Lemoine 4. Juan Pablo Horta 5. Diego Magno 6 Santiago Deicas 7. Ignacio Grignola 8. Matias Fonseca 9. Manuel Martinez 10. Emiliano Caffera 11. Gaston Mieres 12. Juan DeFreitas 13. Juan Martin Llovet 14. Leandro Leivas 15. Ivo Dugonjc
Replacements 16. Juan Pablo Ruffalini 17. Juan Pedro Rombys 18. Edgardo Benitez 19. Nicolas Badano 20. Matias Braun 21. Nicolas Morales
Head Coach:

RUGBY TESTS: Churchill Cup Day 2

13.06.2010
England Saxons 32, United States 9 in Glendale
Canada 33, France A 27 in Glendale

Briefly
England Saxons continued their winning ways whilst Canada provided a major upset, turning over a very formidable France A side.

RUGBY TOURNAMENT: Churchill Cup Day 2

09.06.2010
England Saxons v Russia in Glendale
France A v Uruguay in Glendale

Previews
I would expect England Saxons and newcomers to the tournament France A to have little difficulty with their opponents. Uruguay and Russia showed themselves to be a level below that of Canada and USA with their first day performances.

Uruguay, despite the return of a few overseas-based players were no match for Canada. Russia's squad is missing a few name players being rested and they were defeated by the USA, who lost to Canada on point aggregate in the World Cup qualifiers last year. Russia has already qualified for the World Cup Finals. Uruguay still has to playoff against Kazakhstan in the repecharge first round.

England Saxons and France A are dripping with up-and-coming stars of the future.

England Saxons v Russia

Prediction: England too much grunt up front and speed out wide, by 30 points

Teams

Russia
15. Igor Klyuchnikov
14. Vasily Artemiev
13. Mikhail Babaev
12. Alexey Makovetsky
11. Dmitry Gerasimov
10. Yury Kushnarev
9. Alexander Yanyushkin
8. Nikita Medkov
7. Kirill Kushnarev
6. Viktor Gresev
5. Artem Fatakhov
4. Alexander Voitov
3. Evgeny Pronenko
2. Vladislav Korshunov (c)
1. Carlo Maglakelidze
Replacements
16. Evgeny Matveev
17. Vladimir Botvinnikov
18. Alexander Khrokin
19. Sergey Sergeev
20. Alexander Shakirov
21. Alexey Korobeynikov
22. Andrey Kuzin
Head Coach: Nikolay Nerush

Adapted from http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3484

England Saxons
15 Nick Abendanon (Bath Rugby)
14 James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester Rugby)
13 Jon Clarke (Northampton Saints)
12 Anthony Allen (Leicester Tigers)
11 Tom Varndell (London Wasps)
10 Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints)
9 Micky Young (Newcastle Falcons)
8 Luke Narraway (Gloucester Rugby)
7 Phil Dowson, Capt. (Northampton Saints)
6 Tom Wood (Worcester Warriors)
5 George Skivington (London Wasps)
4 Graham Kitchener (Worcester Warriors)
3 Duncan Bell (Bath Rugby)
2 Rob Vickers (Newcastle Falcons
1 Nick Wood (Gloucester Rugby)
Replacements
16 Andy Titterrell (Leeds Carnegie)
17 Alex Corbiserio (London Irish)
18 Nathan Catt (Bath Rugby)
19 Kearnan Myall (Leeds Carnegie)
20 Andy Saull (Saracens)
21 Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints)
22 Alex Goode (Saracens)
Head Coach: Stuart Lancaster

Adapted from http://www.rfu.com/News/2010/June/News%20Articles/070610_Saxons_team.aspx

France A v Uruguay

Much the same as the above game. France A has lost a few top class backs called into the French team in South Africa. All these players play at the top level in France which puts them light years ahead of the Uruguyans, who boast only one playing at that level, their 35 year old prop lemoine.

Prediction: Pain for Uruguay against Canada last weekend. Pain again v France A. France A by 25 points.

France A
15 Benjamin Thiery (Montpellier HRC).
14 Adrien Plante (USA Perpignan)
13 Henri Chavancy(Racing Métro 92)
12 Lionel Mazars (Aviron Bayonnais)
11 Yohan Audrin (Castres Olympique)
10 Jonathan Wisniewski (Racing-Métro 92)
9 Julien Dupuy (Stade Français)
8 Jérôme Schuster(USA Perpignan)
7 Benjamin Kayser, Capt. (Stade Français),
6 Clément Baiocco (Racing Métro 92)
5 Joselino Suta (RC Toulon)
4 Guillaume Vilaceca (USA Perpignan)
3 Antoine Battut (US Montauban)
2 Sylvain Nicolas (CS Bourgoin-Jallieu)
1 Florian Faure (Biarritz OPB)
Replacements
16 Jean-Philippe Genevois (CS Bourgoin-Jallieu)
17 Rabah Slimani (Stade Français)
18 Yoann Maestri (Stade Toulousain)
19 Damien Chouly (Perpignan)
20 Florian Cazenave (Perpignan)
21 Lionel Beauxis (Stade Français)
22 Julien Arias (Stade Francaise)
Head Coach: Fabien Pelous

Adapted from http://www.ffr.fr/index.php/ffr/historique/2010/france_a__1

Uruguay Squad
Carlos Arboleya (Trébol)
Santiago Arocena (Old Christian's)
Nicolas Badano (Old Boys)
Edgardo Benitez (Trébol)
Mathias Braun, (PSG)
Emiliano Caffera (Champagnat)
Alejo Corral (San Isidro Club, Argentina)
Juan De Freitas (Champagnat)
Santiago Deicas (Old Christian's)
Ivo Dugonjic (PSG)
Martin Espiga (Old Christian's)
Matias Fonseca (Los Cuervos)
Ignacio Grignola (Trébol)
Juan Pablo Horta (Old Christian's)
Leandro Leivas (Old Christian's)
Pablo Lemoine (Valence d'Agen, France)
Adrian Lewis (Los Cuervos)
Juan Martin Llovet (Old Christian's)
Diego Lussich (Trébol)
Diego Magno (Montevideo Cricket Club)
Nicolas Martinez (PSG)
Manuel Martinez (Old Christian's)
Gaston Mieres (Lobos)
Nicolas Morales (Trébol)
Juan Pedro Rombys (Trébol)
Juan Pablo Ruffalini (Los Cuervos)
Head Coach: Gonzalo Camardon

Adapted from http://www.uru.org.uy/noticias/438/plantel_confirmado

RUGBY TOURNAMENT: Churchill Cup

Each year a number of tier 2 nations along with some 'A' teams from tier 1, meet up somewhere in North America (usually), to do battle for this prestigious cup.

Churchill Cup. Previous winners.

	Winner	Second	Third
2003	England 'A'	United States	Canada
2004	NZ Maori	England 'A'	Canada
2005	England 'A'	Argentina Jaguars	USA
2006	NZ Maori	Scotland 'A'	Ireland 'A'
2007	England Saxons	NZ Maori	Ireland 'A'
2008	England Saxons	Scotland 'A'	Ireland 'A'
2009	Ireland 'A'	England Saxons	Argentina Jaguars

Teams come and go each year. This year France 'A', Uruguay and Russia are the new teams in, whilst regulars Canada, USA and England Saxons return.

The teams are organised into two pools, A and B.
Pool A-Canada, Uruguay, France A
Pool B-England Saxons, Russia, USA

Teams in each pool play each other in the first 3 rounds, to be played in Denver, USA. The finals round, sees 1st place in each pool play the final, 2nd places play for the Bowl, 3rd places play for the plate. The finals round is being played in Harrison, New York City.

The tournament begins today, Wednesday 9 June. All games in the first 3 rounds are played in Infinity Park.

Round 1
England Saxons v Russia
France A v Uruguay

Test Rugby Results: Churchill Cup

21.06.2009
Ireland 'A' 49, England Saxons 22 in Denver (Final)
Argentina 'A' 46, Canada 29 in Denver (Playoff 3rd-4th)
United States 31, Georgia 13 in Denver (Playoff 5th-6th)

Reviews
Ireland 'A' surprised everybody by storming home to take the Churchill Cup from England. Argentina 'A' were too good for Canada whilst the USA registered their first win of the season (and for a while) against a disappointing Georgia. The results for Canada and the USA were better than last year's placings, which were 5th-6th respectively.

International Rugby: Churchill Cup

20.06.2009
England Saxons v Ireland 'A' in Denver (Final)


Preview
Both these teams deserve to be in the final. They have consistently put distance between themselves and their opponents who have mostly been full national teams. It must be of concern for the IRB that neither Canada nor the USA figured in this final.

The Saxons will be out to win this tournament for the second year in a row. Ireland 'A' has an unblemished record in its two matches so this final should be a cracker.

Prediction: Saxons by 7

Teams

England Saxons
15 Nick Abendanon (Bath Rugby)
14 Noah Cato (Saracens)
13 Dominic Waldouck (London Wasps)
12 Brad Barritt (Saracens)
11 Tom Varndell (Leicester Tigers)
10 Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints)
9 Micky Young (Newcastle Falcons)
8 Luke Narraway (Gloucester Rugby)
7 Ben Woods (Leicester Tigers)
6 Phil Dowson (Newcastle Falcons, captain)
5 Nick Kennedy (London Irish)
4 Stuart Hooper (Bath Rugby)
3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
2 Rob Webber (London Wasps)
1 David Flatman (Bath Rugby)
Replacements:
16 Tom Mercey (Saracens)
17 Joe Ward (London Wasps)
18 Dean Schofield (Sale Sharks)
19 Tom Guest (Harlequins)
20 Joe Simpson (London Wasps)
21 Danny Cipriani (London Wasps)
22 Shane Geraghty (London Irish)
Head Coach: Stuart Lancaster

Adapted from http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/RFUHome.England_Detail/StoryID/22958

Ireland 'A' team not available at present

Canada v Argentina 'A' in Denver

Preview
Canada won well against Georgia but hten lost the crucial game against Ireland 'A'. Last year they played in the 5th-6th playoff so I guess you could say they have improved. Argentina 'A' pushed the Saxons in their first game and then won comfortable against the USA. This should be another fairly even contest

Prediction: Argentina 'A' by 7

Teams

Canada
15. James Pritchard (Bedford Blues, England)
14. Sean Duke (University of Victoria)
13. DTH van der Merwe (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland)
12. Bryn Keys (Moseley, England)
11. Matt Evans (Hartpury College/Cowichan, BC)
10. Ander Monro (Colorno, Italy)
9. Ed Fairhurst (Cornish Pirates, England)
8. Aaron Carpenter (Coventry, England)
7. Nanyak Dala (Castaway Wanderers)
6. Stan McKeen (Oxford University, England)
5. Tyler Hotson (UBC Old Boy Ravens)
4. Jebb Sinclair (Castaway Wanderers)
3. Dan Pletch (Niagara Thunder)
2. Mike Pletch (Velox Valhallians)
1. Frank Walsh (Vandals)
Replacements
16. Pat Riordan (University of Victoria)
17. Doug Wooldridge (Cowichan)
18. Stuart Ault (Moseley, England)
19. Chauncey O’Toole (Castaway Wanderers)
20. Adam Kleeberger (University of Victoria)
21. Dean Van Camp (Velox Valhallians)
22. Phil Mack (James Bay AA)
Coach: Kieran Crowley

Argentina 'A'
15 Lucas Barrera Oro
14 Francisco Merello
13 Matías Viazzo
12 Benjamín Urdapilleta
11 Tomás De Vedia
10 Ignacio Mieres
9 Martín Landajo
8 Tomás Leonardi
7 Leonardo Senatore
6 Alejandro Campos
5 Carlos Cáceres
4 Mariano Sambucetti
3 Pedro Ledesma
2 Agustín Creevy (capitán)
1 Juan Figallo
Replacements
16 Mauricio Guidone
17 Juan Gómez
18 Tomás Roan
19 Agustín Guzmán
20 Francisco Cubelli
21 Horacio San Martín
22 Belisario Agulla
Coaches: José Orengo, Raúl Pérez

Adapted from http://www.uar.com.ar/noticias4.asp?notcod=20090619201117

United States v Georgia in Denver (Playoff for 5th-6th)


Preview
Neither team has played well at this tournament and deserve this placing. It will make for an interesting first-ever encounter between these two nations. With their normal line-up Georgia would win but with some sixteen front-line players not here in Denver I'd expect a more even contest

Prediction: USA by 7

Teams

United States
15 Chris Wyles (Saracens, England)
14 Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz, France)
13 Paul Emerick (Overmach Parma, Italy)
12 Salesi Sika (Agen, France)
11 Colin Hawley (Univ. of California)
10 Mike Hercus (Sunshine Coast, Australia)
9 Tim Usasz (Nottingham, England)
8 Nic Johnson (Denver Barbarians)
7 Todd Clever, Capt. (Xerox Lions)
6 J.J. Gagiano (Univ. of Cape Town, Sth Africa)
5 John van der Giessen (Denver Barbarians)
4 Louis Stanfill (New York Athletic Club)
3 Shawn Pittman (Bayside)
2 Chris Biller (Univ. of California)
1 Matekitonga Moeakiola (Park City Haggis)
Reserves
16 Joe Welch (Belmont Shore)
17 Mike MacDonald (Leeds Carnegie, England)
18 Hayden Smith (Saracens, England)
19 TBA
20 Mike Petri (New York Athletic Club)
21 Malenese Malifa (Belmont Shore)
22 Alipate Tuilevuka (Provo Steelers)
Head Coach: Eddie O’Sullivan

Adapted from http://www.gainline.us/

Georgia Squad
Dimitri Bassilaia (Morlass, France) Aged 24, 11 Tests
Jaba Bregvadze () 23, 1 (07-08)
David Dadunashvili (Massy, France) 26, 21
Levan Datunashvili (Aurillac, France) 26, 27
George Elizbarashvili () 25, 16 (07-08)
David Gasviani () 28, 11
Lexo Gugava () 26, 10 (06-07)
Rezo Guigauri () 25, 21 (07-08)
Irakli Gundishvili , New Cap
George Jhghenti () 25, 7 (06-07)
Vassil Kakovini (University) ?, 1 (07-08)
David Katcharava (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk) 24, 26
Lasha Khmaladze () 22, 2
Merab Kvirikashvili (Massy, France) 26, 33
Guia Labadze [Capt] 36, 52
Simon Maissuradze (ASM Clermont-Auvergne, France) 22, 8
Zviad Maissuradze () 28, 23 (07-08)
Lasha Malaghuradze (Beziers, France) 23, 15
Irakli Machkhaneli (Agen, France) 28, 32
Irakli Natriashvili (Farul Constanta, Romania) 25, 17
George Nemsadze () 25, 8 (07-08)
Zero Petriashvili , New Cap
George Rokhvadze () 21, 20 (07-08)
Temur Sokhadze () 24, 8- (06-07)
Sandro Todua (Lelos) 22, 10
Kakhaber Uchava (Farul Constanta, Romania) 32, 14
Rati Urushadze [Vice Capt] (Enisey STM-Krasnoyarsk) 34, 36
Charles-Edouard Yachvili *
Head Coach: Tim Lane

Note: Stats as at beginning of tournament
* New cap
Years in () indicates when last played for Georgia
Not all stats complete

International Rugby Results: 14 June

14.06.2009
Ivory Coast 13, Namibia 13 in Abidjan (WCQ Africa R2; Africa Cup SF)

The Ivory Coast came back twice the level the scores and still place themselves in with a chance to qualify for the final. They will need to win in Windhoek on the 27 June to accomplish that. It will be a tough task as I suspect the Coasters will not travel as well as the Namibians.

England Saxons 56, United States 17 in Denver (Churchill Cup)

The sorry state of USA rugby continues. The Saxons have booked themselves into the final next Saturday, thus defending the title they won last year. For the third year in a row the USA will battle, probably Georgia, for the wooden spoon.

To come: Ireland 'A' v Georgia

Rugby Tests: Early Results 6 June

06.06.2009
Updated 9:15am
England 37, Argentina 15 in Manchester
British and Irish Lions 26, Free State Cheetahs 24 in Bloemfontein
Australia 55, Barbarians (UK) RFC 7 in Sydney
Wales 48, United States 15 in Bridgeview, Illnois
England Saxons 28, Argentina 'A' 20 in Denver (Churchill Cup)
Lithuania 6, Netherlands 3 in Vilnius (WCQ Euro.R3 Playoff)
Malaysia 43, China 15 in Kuala Lumpur (Asia Nations Div.2)
India 44, Pakistan 3 in Kuala Lumpur (Asia Nations Div.2)

To Come
Georgia v Canada in Denver (Churchill Cup)
Uzbekistan v Kyrgyzstan in Tashkent (Asia Regions 2)

International Rugby: Churchill Cup 2009

06.06.2009
Argentina 'A' v England Saxons in Denver (Pool A)
Canada v Georgia in Denver (Pool B)

Preview
The other teams in the competition, United States and Ireland 'A' begin their games on Wednesday 10th June.

Argentina 'A' v England Saxons

The Argentina Jaguars come from a successful CONSUR A campaign where they easily accounted for Chile and Uruguay. Prior they were successfaul against Namibia in a two-test series. So they come into this tournament fit and with match play behind them.

Prediction: Jaguars by 5 points.

Teams

England Saxons
15 Nick Abendanon (Bath Rugby)#
14 Tom Varndell (Leicester Tigers)#
13 Dominic Waldouck (London Wasps)
12 Shane Geraghty (London Irish)#
11 Matt Smith (Leicester Tigers)*
10 Danny Cipriani (London Wasps)#
9 Joe Simpson (London Wasps)*
8 Luke Narraway (Gloucester Rugby)#
7 Ben Woods (Leicester Tigers)
6 Chris Jones (Sale Sharks)
5 Stuart Hooper (Captain, Bath Rugby)
4 Peter Short (Bath Rugby)
3 Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)*
2 Rob Webber (London Wasps)
1 David Flatman (Bath Rugby)#
Replacements
16 Tom Mercey (Saracens)
17 Mark Lambert (Harlequins)*
18 Neil Briggs (Sale Sharks)*
19 Tom Guest (Harlequins)
20 Phil Dowson (Newcastle Falcons)
21 Micky Young (Newcastle Falcons)*
22 Stephen Myler (Northampton Saints)

*Denotes uncapped for England Saxons
# Test player
http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/RFUHome.England_Detail/StoryID/22814

Argentina team not yet available

Canada v Georgia

Georgia is the new team in this competition. They are fresh from a very successful European season in which they topped the European Nations Cup Division 1 table. They will have one disadvantage against Canada. Georgia last played as a team against Russia in late March. Canada has had a recent outings against Ireland and Wales.

Georgia has left out of this squad a number of experienced players needing a rest after a long winter of test matches and French club committments. The squad is a mix of experienced and new players, with some being recalled to the international scene.

Prediction: Georgia by 7 points

Teams

Canada

15. James Pritchard (Bedford Blues)
14. Dean Van Camp (Velox Valhallians)
13. Ciaran Hearn (Castaway Wanderers)
12. DTH van der Merwe (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland)
11. Sean Duke (University of Victoria, Vancouver, BC)
10. Ander Monro (Colorno, Italy)
9. Ed Fairhurst (Cornish Pirates, England)
8. Aaron Carpenter (Brantford Harlequins)
7. Adam Kleeberger (University of Victoria)
6. Nanyak Dala (Castaway Wanderers)
5. Mike Burak (Unattached)
4. Tyler Hotson (UBC Old Boy Ravens)
3. Andrew Tiedemann (University of Victoria)
2. Pat Riordan, Capt (University of Victoria)
1. Kevin Tkachuk (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland)
Replacements:
16. Mike Pletch (Velox Valhallians)
17. Doug Wooldridge (Cowichan RFC)
18. Stuart Ault (Rotherham Titans, England)
19. John Moonlight (University of Victoria/Pickering, ON)
20. Matt Evans (Hartpury College, England)
21. Bryn Keys (Moseley RFC, England)
22. Phil Mack (James Bay AA)
Head Coach: Kieran Crowley

Georgia team not yet available

For complete lists of all international rugby test matches played by Canada and Georgia go to www.rugbyinternational.net.