International rugby arrives

By Mike Kaufmann

Get ready, rugby fans. The Barclays Churchill Cup of Rugby is coming to Buck Shaw Stadium.

The Churchill Cup is a three-way alliance between the Rugby Football Union (England), Rugby Canada and USA Rugby. In past years, Canada has played host, as the Cup ventured to such cities as Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. This year marks the first time that an American site will be used for matches. The tournament, which arose from England's tour of North America in 2001, is a five-year agreement between Canada, the United States and England in an attempt to bring higher-level rugby to North America.

Additionally, the Cup serves to develop rugby fans and players across North America. The event, which annually includes the three co-creating nations, also invites other top national rugby teams. The Churchill Cup was named after England's "Man of the Century," Winston Churchill. As England's Prime Minister, Churchill held close ties to both Canada and the United States.

North American rugby has often been left out of discussions at the international level. Canada and the United States do not have the talent to be mentioned in the same sentence as England, South Africa or New Zealand. Part of that lack of talent is due to the fact that rugby is far less popular in North America than it is in Europe.

Thus, North American teams do not have the same talent pool to choose from when selecting the rosters for their national teams. Another simple truth is that organized rugby is new to North America. With all of this in mind, it's not difficult to recognize why the United States does not have a top-ranked national team.

As of March 31, the United States was ranked No. 14 by the International Rugby Board (IRB), while Canada was right behind them in 15th place. So how is the United States supposed to develop a top national team? Well, in order to become the best, one must first play the best. It has been difficult in the past for Canada and the United States to schedule top teams because they are simply not on par with the top squads from the rest of the world.

Add that to the fact that other nations, such as those who maintain their rugby programs near the top of the IRB rankings, play in tournaments outside of North America, to which the United States is almost never invited, and there does not seem to be a visible means for improvement, no matter how much desire exists.

To help circumvent this problem, the Churchill Cup was created in 2001. The reigning champions, the England A Side, are in Pool A with the Scotland A Side and co-host of the Cup, Canada. The matches from Pool A will be held in Ottawa and Toronto. Pool B consists of the United States, 2004 champion New Zealand Maori and the Ireland A Side. Pool B matches will be played at Buck Shaw Stadium on June 3, 7 and 10. Currently, the finals are scheduled to take place June 17 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

"USA Rugby is proud to be a part of the growth of such a great event," USA Rugby Chief Executive Officer Doug Arnot said. "We're especially excited to be hosting a United States pool for the first time and making the Churchill Cup as attractive to the fans as possible."

The growth of rugby in the United States has been slow and steady. The first prominent league was established by USA Rugby in 1996 to create visibility and a higher competitive structure for the sport throughout the country.

The attempt apparently succeeded, as the Rugby Super League, which has been denoted as the premier division of men's rugby in the United States, has placed the growing sport at the fingertips of the American audience. More specifically, though, rugby has been growing in the Bay Area with teams like the Super League's Golden Gate Rugby Club and Olympic Club Rugby, which is the oldest men's rugby team in the country.

"We chose Santa Clara because it's an intimate venue that allowed us to create a festival-like atmosphere for spectators. The surrounding region also has a very large Irish and island population, of which rugby is very appealing," Colleen Krueger, Director of Communications and Promotions for USA Rugby said. "Add that to the fact that the Bay Area is steeped in rugby tradition and, as one of the hotbeds for the sport in the United States, it seemed like a perfect fit."

Rugby at Buck Shaw Stadium will create more awareness about a sport that many are not knowledgeable about. Tickets are currently on sale for the Pool A matches.

"It's going to show some people just how exciting rugby can be. Rugby has as much action as football, but it's faster paced," said sophomore and Santa Clara Rugby Team (SCUTS) member James Driscoll. "And even though the play on the field is violent, there's definitely a gentleman's aspect to it. Rugby has its own culture that stresses camaraderie, sportsmanship and best of all, a strong sense of community."

Contact Mike Kaufmann at (408) 551-1918 or mlkaufmann@scu.edu.