North America boast talent showcase
Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:58
Over 100 of the best rugby players from the United States of America (USA) and Canada head to Colorado for the finals of the International Rugby Board (IRB) North America Four Tournament.
"The IRB North America Four is now firmly established as the premier player and coach development tool in North America," said IRB Head of Rugby Services, Mark Egan.
"Since its inauguration in 2006, the tournament has proven to be an important testing ground for future stars of the international game, bridging the gap between club level and the Test arena," he added.
The IRB North America Four Tournament, which involves two elite representative teams from both Canada and the USA, has recently finished the round robin portion of competition in Victoria, British Columbia, and will now feature the semifinals and finals at Glendale's Infinity Park on July 29 and August 2, respectively.
The semifinals will feature No.1 seed Canada West versus No.4 seed Canada East at 18.00 (12.00 GMT), and No.2 seed USA Falcons versus No.3 seed USA Hawks at 20.00 (14.00 GMT) on Tuesday, July 29.
On Saturday, August 2, the losers of these two matches will compete for third place at 18.00 (12.00 GMT), while the winners will face off for the Championship at 20.00 (14.00 GMT).
The Tournament allows both unions the opportunity to blood up-and-coming locally-based players alongside more established players. It has been a successful recipe and the IRB North America Four has, in the space of two years, established a proven track record for preparing players for the very top echelons of the game, including the Rugby World Cup (RWC).
In fact, several very local players have been pulled into this round of North America Four action including five Denver Barbarian players and two Glendale Raptors. Six of the seven local stars represent the U.S. Hawks and both of Glendale's Michael Graham and Taylor Howden will get a chance to play for the Hawks in their home stadium of Infinity Park.
"The IRB North America Four continues to be an important part of our player development pathway," said USA Rugby's CEO and President, Nigel Melville.
"We see players play at club level, we see players train, but we need to see players compete against really tough opposition in order to select them for international games. The North America Four is a tough test for all our players, it gives them valuable experience and makes them better international prospects," Melville added.
IRB Regional Development Manager for North America Tom Jones believes the Tournament is now an established part of the Rugby calendar for both Unions.
"This third year of the IRB North America Four will be important for each union's high performance programming," Jones said.
"Following on the heels of RWC 2007, the 2008 North America Four will provide a platform for Canada and the USA's RWC 2011 campaigns. Players, coaches and officials will engage in an elite competition and training environment that will help form the basis for greater things to come," added Jones.
