US Select to face England Counties
Thu, 22 May 2008 09:52
United States Rugby (US Rugby), in partnership with New York's Old Blue Club, will host two matches between its Select XV and the England Counties XV on Friday, June 6 and Monday, June 9 at Columbia University's Baker Field Athletic Complex.
Both matches between the US developmental side and the England Counties XV, the representative flagship of the County and Community game outside the Guinness Premiership, are scheduled for 19.00 EDT (23.00 GMT) kickoffs.
England Counties will play the Select XV as part of its three-match North America tour in June, which also features a stop in Canada. This addition to the men's schedule provides an excellent opportunity for the USA team to cultivate an expanded player pool leading up to the summer competition season.
"We are obviously delighted to host England, but with the Barclays Churchill Cup being played at a similar time, we need to create a squad to fulfil these fixtures and challenge for NA4 positions in July," US Rugby CEO and President of Rugby Operations Nigel Melville said.
The player pool for the Select XV was initially named following the US Rugby National Guard Senior Men's National All-Star Championships (NASC) in December.
Melville and a panel of US National Team selectors have continued to observe athletes throughout the Super League and Senior Club seasons. The final squad for the New York City matches is soon to be named.
"This is a great chance to take players from the All-Stars event and challenge them at a higher level," Melville added.
"Not only is this a playing opportunity, it's also a refereeing and coaching opportunity. We intend to take any opportunity that comes our way to improve on every level."
Admission to the matches on June 6 and 9 is free, but donations will be accepted to support Play Rugby Inc.'s youth development program in NYC.
In the week leading up to the US matches, from May 31 to June 7, Play Rugby USA will host National Rugby Week, featuring free non-contact rugby activities and competitions in nearly 50 schools throughout New York City, with hopes to expand to more cities in the coming years.
The Rugby Week events for girls and boys ages 8 to 14 culminate in the inaugural Mayor's Cup Rugby Festival, also at Baker Field Athletic Complex from 12.00 to 16.00 EDT (16.00 to 20.00 GMT) on June 7.
The event will feature 24 youth teams representing all five boroughs of the city all competing for the Mayor's Cup, which will be housed in the Sports Museum of America in Lower Manhattan.
