England's defence of the Churchill Cup begins 12/6

By Kath 28/5/04
June 13 2005

Featuring both the men's and women's world champions (England and New Zealand respectively), a rugby tournament of this calibre has never been played in North America.

TALE OF TWO CUPS:

LORD STANLEY & CHURCHILL CALGARY, ALBERTA -

Where all focus is currently on the prospects of the NHL's Calgary Flames, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup, another series is scheduled for Calgary and Edmonton and is just under three weeks away.

On the heels of the series opening victory by the Flames (4-1 Tuesday night), Canadian hockey fans - and overlapping rugby enthusiasts - are hoping for a sweep of the American Tampa Bay Lightning in order to finish the best of seven series by May 31. Hockey fans south of the 49th parallel however, believe their team is not to be underestimated and will be counting on strong performances into early June. If the Stanley Cup final goes all seven games and finishes June 7th, it is possible the residents of Calgary will see two elite calibre sporting trophies paraded through their streets and down the Red Mile.

The four nation Churchill Cup begins in Calgary on June 12th.

Featuring both the men's and women's world champions (England and New Zealand respectively), a rugby tournament of this calibre has never been played in North America. The 2004 Churchill Cup moved to Alberta following a series of successful international tests held in Calgary over the last several years. The most recent was the 2003 tour by the New Zealand Maori who enjoyed their visit to Canada so much they asked participate in the 2004 tournament. This year the men's and women's national teams of Canada, England and the US are joined by the New Zealand's national women's side (the Black Ferns) and the exciting New Zealand Maori (with many players having represented their nation on the fiercely competitive NZ All Blacks). The opening weekend begins in Calgary at the Calgary Rugby Park on June 12th and 13th and then moves up to Edmonton for the finals on June 19th at Commonwealth Stadium - one of North America's premiere natural turf venues.

Churchill Cup Manager Kevin Blanchette said: “It’s going to be a fantastic opening weekend with four international matches. This is a unique opportunity to watch eight top-class rugby teams, including the men’s and women’s World Champions, and I would urge people to get their tickets early – $25 for a great afternoon is very good value for money.”

The tournament opens with the Women's competition. The Canadian's, ranked 4th in the world, face the English, ranked 2nd. Both teams will be playing particularly hard after the nerve fraying overtime finish between the two nations during the 2003 Churchill Cup (Canada 18, England 21) -- the Canadians will definitely be wanting to exact a measure of revenge. On the men's side the US takes on the indomitable NZ Maori in what is bound to be a exciting end to end flurry of tackling and try-scoring. During the second day of competition the world champions perform as the US Women take on the Black Ferns and Canada takes on England. Both games are bound to thrill the stadium through the speed, power and ability of performances. The following weekend each nation plays again based on the outcome of the initial games.

Tickets for all games can be obtained from Ticketmaster on 403.777.0000. Aside from the games a number of other events and activities are planned - visit www.churchillcuprugby.com for further details.

Saturday June 12: Calgary Rugby Park

1230 Canada Women v England Women

1500 US Eagles v NZ Maori

1700 Rugby Canada Super League - Calgary Mavericks v Sask Prairie Fire

Sunday June 13: Calgary Rugby Park

1515 USA Women v NZ Black Ferns

1800 Canada Men v England Men

Ticket prices

Youth $20

General Admission $25

Reserved seat $30

Premium Seats $50