Related Research Articles
Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. Rugby sevens is administered by World Rugby, the body responsible for rugby union worldwide. The game is popular at all levels, with amateur and club tournaments generally held in the summer months. Sevens is one of the most well distributed forms of rugby, and is popular in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and especially in the South Pacific.
The Georgia national rugby union team, nicknamed The Lelos, represents Georgia in men's international rugby union. The team is administered by the Georgian Rugby Union and takes part in the annual Rugby Europe Championship and the Rugby World Cup, which takes place every four years.
The United States men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States of America Rugby Football Union in men's international rugby union. USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States, and is a member of Rugby Americas North, one of six regional governing bodies under World Rugby. Until rugby returned to Olympic competition, with sevens at the 2016 Rio Games, the United States was the reigning Olympic rugby champion, having won gold at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics.
The Canada men's national rugby union team represents the Canada in men's international rugby union competitions. They are overseen by Rugby Canada the governing body of rugby union in Canada.
The England national rugby sevens team competes in the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. They have once won the Rugby World Cup Sevens — the inaugural tournament in 1993. Historically the team also competed in the World Rugby Sevens Series finishing in second place four times, most recently in the 2016-17 season. The team has been replaced by a combined Great Britain team in this competition.
Rugby World Cup records have been accumulating since the first Rugby World Cup tournament was held in 1987.
The Tahiti national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union team, representing the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. They first played in 1971 and have played numerous games to date, most against rivals Cook Islands and several against Niue. Other games have been played against Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. France played a match against Tahiti at the end of their 1979 tour and won 92–12. Plans to have annual "test" match series against Pacific island neighbours, New Caledonia have been put on hold, due to time, availability, finances, and coaching and refereeing resources. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Tahiti is administered by the Fédération Tahitienne de Rugby de Polynésie Française. Currently, players who have represented or played for the Tahiti national rugby team, are eligible to represent France. However, playing at a professional level can only enable this. At present there are several Tahitian professional rugby players abroad in France's Top 14 and Pro D2 professional competition.
Daniel Joseph Vickerman was a professional rugby union player. The 204 cm, 119 kg lock played 63 Tests with the Wallabies, the national team of his adopted country of Australia. After seven seasons with the Wallabies, and having played Super Rugby for the New South Wales Waratahs and ACT Brumbies, Vickerman left his successful international rugby career in 2008. He attended the University of Cambridge, where he read a degree in Land Economy at Hughes Hall. While in England, he played rugby for Cambridge University and Northampton Saints. In 2011, he returned to Australia and played again for the Wallabies, including at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, before he retired from the game.
The Ireland Wolfhounds are the second national rugby union team of Ireland, behind the Ireland national team. They previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons, the national teams of Canada and the United States, as well as a selection of other nations' 1st, 2nd and 3rd representative sides. They also played against other Six Nations countries' A sides during the Six Nations. They have intermittently played touring sides, namely South Africa in 2000, the All Blacks in 2001 and Australia in 2006. On the 21 June 2009, Ireland A won their first Churchill Cup, beating the England Saxons 49–22 in the final. They also won the Churchill Plate three times in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Initially named Ireland B, the side was redesignated to Ireland A from the 1992–1993 season. They were once again renamed the Ireland Wolfhounds in January 2010. This name was inspired by a nomadic invitational side, which competed between 1956 and 1987 against other club sides throughout Ireland. The Wolfhounds have not competed in a competition since the IRFU declined to compete in the 2016 Tbilisi Cup. Ireland A played their first match in over seven years against the All Blacks XV in November 2022 at the RDS losing 19–47.
Jon Thiel is a Canadian former rugby union footballer who played as a prop.
Blaine Hansen Scully is an American former rugby union player who played for the U.S. national team as a fullback or wing. Scully was captain of the U.S. national team and previously served as co-captain alongside long-serving USA Eagle, Todd Clever. Professionally, Scully last played in Wales for Cardiff Blues and for the Leicester Tigers. Scully also founded the United States Rugby Players Association (USRPA) with former 7s Eagle, James Gillenwater.
Keith Crossan is a former Irish rugby union international player who played as a winger for the Irish national rugby union team from 1982 to 1992. Known for his searing pace on the left wing, Crossan won 41 caps, scored 12 tries and was part of the Triple Crown-winning teams of 1982 and 1985. In the 1985 championship, Crossan scored a superb try in Cardiff and a vital try at home to England as Ireland won the championship. He also scored two tries against Canada at the 1987 Rugby World Cup. He played in two Rugby World Cups: 1987 and 1991. Crossan also played for the Barbarians against Argentina in 1990, scoring two tries.
Infinity Park is a stadium in the Denver enclave of Glendale, Colorado, and was formerly the unofficial home venue of the United States national rugby union team. The stadium has a seating capacity of 5,000 people. It opened in 2007, at a cost of $22.5 million. It is the first rugby-specific, municipally-owned stadium in the United States.
The 2004 Canada rugby union tour of Europe was a short series of two matches played in November 2004 in Italy and England by Canada national rugby union team.
Brian Gerard Vizard is an American former rugby union player who was captain of the U.S. national rugby team and made 22 appearances for the United States national team.
Amy Garnett is an English rugby union player who plays for Women's Premiership team Saracens Women as a hooker. She was the first player to earn 100 caps for the England women's national rugby union team.
Albertus Stephanus 'Kwagga' Smith is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the Shizuoka Blue Revs in Japan Rugby League One and the South Africa national team. His regular position is flanker.
David Walter Fee is an American former rugby union player who played for the United States national teams, where he primarily played wing. Fee earned 28 caps for the 15's US national team from 2002 to 2005 and started all four games in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Fee also played on the 7's team, competing in the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong.
References
- ↑ "Canada team for Chile Sevens". ESPN.com . December 21, 2002.
- ↑ "England 70-0 Canada". BBC News . November 13, 2004.
- ↑ "Canada 7s squad announced". ESPNscrum.
- ↑ "Veterans Bianca Farella, Phil Berna lead the way for Canada at Toulouse rugby sevens". Red Deer Advocate . May 13, 2022.