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CHURCHILL CUP WINNERS 2010
ENGLAND SAXONS
FINAL
CANADA 18-38 ENGLAND SAXONS
CUP FINAL
RED BULL ARENA, NEW JERSEY - Saturday 19th June 2010
ENGLAND SAXONS put down a Canadian comeback to reclaim the Churchill Cup in a 38-18 victory at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey this afternoon.
Man of the Match, Luke Narraway made it third time happy; the back row suffered heartache to Ireland A last year and finished a sobering fourth place in 2006.
But he led from the front with one of four tries as Stuart Lancaster’s men racked up a 17-0 lead before seeing off a Canadian comeback.
Player of the tournament Nick Abendanon also crossed the whitewash along with Alex Goode and Jon Clarke, while Stephen Myler kicked four penalties and three conversions.
Canada clawed back with tries from Matt Evans and Chauncey O'Toole to pull within 20-13 at the half before Ryan Smith grabbed a late third.
Narraway said: “This is my third Churchill Cup and my first win. Last year against Ireland we had a similar talented squad but something obviously didn't work. Full credit to the lads, they have worked hard and we played some exciting football and it was a great to be a part of.
“We took the foot off the pedal but all credit to Canada they are a real good side. They came back at us but we had enough talent and energy in the tank to win the game.”
Lancaster said: "It's a fantastic achievement. Three weeks ago we met in a Heathrow hotel with disappointed players not making the senior tour and young players who came in straight from the Guinness Premiership and collectively to put all that together and form a team is great, I'm really proud.
"I'd like to think that the players have enjoyed it. They're working with different players and different coaches and learning different ways to play. That's what international rugby is all about, we want to make sure these players have enough room to grow and develop so when they make the step to the senior stage they're ready."
Connor Braid, who came on for his first Canada appearance after a late scratch by Ander Monro saw the line-up shuffled, was pleased to get into the game, but not about the result.
"I'm excited to get ten minutes at the end of the trip," said the 20 year old, who joined the Canadian team following a month away with the Canadian U20 team in Russia at the Junior World Trophy. "We are a young team building towards a World Cup, so I think we learned a lot about ourselves. You keep progressing and getting the systems down and everything will fall into place."
England Saxons
T: Abendanon, Goode, Clarke, Narraway
C: Myler 3
P: Myler 4
Canada
T: Evans, O'Toole, Smith
P: Hearn
FRANCE 24-10 USA
PLATE FINAL
RED BULL ARENA, NEW JERSEY - Saturday 19th June 2010
The U.S. Men’s National Rugby Team lost a nail biter to France ‘A’ in the last Churchill Cup match on Saturday at Red Bull Arena.
The U.S. was down by just one try for nearly 35 minutes of the second half, before allowing France ‘A’ to touch down the game-ending try to seal a French 24-10 victory and walk away with third place and the Churchill Cup Plate.
“The scoreline is a bit harsh when compared to how close this match was,” U.S. Coach Eddie O’Sullivan said. “I’m very proud of this whole team and how they fought until the very end. Playing a team of this calibre is a big challenge and their level of play was definitely lifted to the next level.”
From the very beginning, both teams were very determined to get the win in this final match. The intensity and physicality brought from both sides made it obvious that this would be the game to watch.
The U.S. saw an opportunity to put points on the board first, after a French penalty around 30 meters allowed Nese Malifa a look at the uprights. Malifa missed, however, and it became apparent that the U.S. wouldn’t win on kicks alone.
Just six minutes later, France was able to make a break in the corner, but Takudzwa Ngwenya stopped the wing short. The French had gotten a taste for U.S. territory, though, and it wouldn’t be long until Julien Arias was running it into the corner for the first try of the game. France converted and the score was 7-0 with just 10 minutes gone.
The play went back and forth for the next 20 minutes, with both sides forcing some penalties and mistakes.
In the 30th minute, the U.S. finally saw the break it was looking for, when Chris Wyles saw some space and ran the distance, dishing it to captain John Van der Giessen, who was stripped of it just before he reached the try line.
France kicked the ball into space and Scott Lavalla was the receiver deep in the USA’s territory. Lavalla decidedly passed it to Ngwenya, one of the fastest players in the world, and the U.S. made its way back down the field in a flash.
The ball was passed through a number of hands and in what could be compared to as a magic trick suddenly popped up in the hands that had started it all. Lavalla ran in the USA’s first try of the game, and the crowd exploded as the Eagles tied the match shortly thereafter, converting the try to bring the score to 7-all.
The try lit a fire under France ‘A’ and they battled back hard for the remaining minutes of the first half. The U.S. tried to counter several times, battling for territory, but with four opposing players in the backfield, the U.S. just couldn’t gain much territory with their kicks.
Just before half, France ‘A’ was able to push over a well-earned and hard-fought try after several phases of rucks finally wore the American’s defence down. Both teams were exhausted as they headed to half, with the margin just mere seven points.
“The team really absorbed a lot of hits in the first half, and I think it just took its toll,” O’Sullivan said. “I was proud at how they didn’t let their guard down in the second half. They turned the ball over some and it slipped out of their hands a few times, but they made France fight for everything and I’m happy with the heart they showed today.”
In the second half, neither team let up and it took nearly 13 minutes before the USA’s fullback would see some space and break through the line of defence, bringing the U.S. and its crowd back to life.
The gain in territory put the U.S. in a perfect position to be able to slot the penalty, which France made just moments later in an attempt to stop the offense. Malifa put three points on the scoreboard and the U.S. were only down by four points.
Minutes later, however, France returned the favour bringing the margin back to seven, just before the 60 minute mark.
Again the teams were in a standstill. For the next 20 minutes the back-and-forth battle continued and it wasn’t until the final moments that France finally put the dagger in the USA side, as Julian Arias scored his second try of the match in the corner and Lionel Beauxis converted and the game ended with France ‘A’ winning 24-10.
“We have definitely seen forward progress since the first match in the Churchill Cup,” lone try scorer Scott Lavalla said. “We have seen improvement in a few areas, but mostly we have become more disciplined in our defence and have sharpened our attack and I think we will only continue to improve from here on out.”
France
T: Arias 2, Forestier
C: Beauxis 3
P: Beauxis
USA
T: Lavalla
C: Malifa Penalites: Malifa
LOS TEROS [URUGUAY] 19-38 RUSSIA
BOWL FINAL
RED BULL ARENA, NEW JERSEY - Saturday 19th June 2010
RUSSIAN boss Steve Diamond saluted his Bears after they claimed the Churchill Cup Bowl with a 38-19 victory over Uruguay at the Red Bull Arena today.
Both teams were winless going into the fifth/sixth place game, but following a solid performance by the Bears they can look forward to returning to Russia with fifth place and some hardware from their first Churchill Cup appearance.
Director of Rugby Diamond said: “We have come a long way in 18 months but the goal setting is going well and over the next 18 as we head towards the World Cup we will get better. The Churchill Cup has been great. The Russians have had a big eye opener about how to prepare for a top competition. It's good to play at the highest level and they have learnt that they need to prepare fully for each game."
Uruguay actually got first crack at putting some points on the board after a penalty just past mid-field allowed the Teros’ a look at the uprights. However, the distance proved too much and Uruguay wouldn’t see any love for nearly 30 minutes.
Russia on the other hand, looked dominant on all accounts in the first half, using a simple pass out wide to get the ball out to the wing Vasily Artemyev for their first try of the day.
Next, Russia’s flanker Victor Gresev picked up and went off the scrum, running nearly 30 meters before touching down the try.
Gresev, took the next one in as well, after the offload from the lineout came out perfectly and Russia was able to touch down their third try with just 13 minutes off the clock. This try was also converted and Russia had built a solid 19 point lead over a stunned Uruguay side.
Finally, Uruguay was able to get their offense together a bit near the 30 minute mark, as its fullback Ivo Dugonjic finally saw some space and touched down the Teros’ first try.
Russia didn’t lose focus, however, and another scrum lent to an easy opportunity by the Bears, as Alexey Makovetskiy scored his first to bring the score to 26-5 just before half.
In the second, Russia was first on the board again, as the scrumhalf Alexander Yanyushkin got a dish off the No. 8 and scored in the 41stminute. Uruguay, however, wasn’t prepared to roll over, and within the next 10 minutes, fans could see the momentum turn slightly in the South American favour.
Following a botched pass off the Russian scrum, Uruguay’s scrumhalf countered and was able to kick the ball ahead, picking it up and sliding into the corner at the 58th minute. Uruguay converted this kick to bring the score to 33-12 with just more than 20minutes left to play.
Although Uruguay looked in control of this second half, they couldn’t quite hold off Russia’s advance forever. And, after several rucks within Uruguay’s five meter mark, Russia finally pushed one over in the 67th minute.
The Uruguayans would score one more of their own via Manuel Martinez, but it couldn’t make up for the 21 point lead the Russians had built in the first half.
CANADA 33 – 27 FRANCE A
INFINITY PARK – Sunday 13th June 2010
CANADA recorded an historic 33-27 win over France A to book a first ever trip to the Churchill Cup Championship finals next week in New Jersey.
In a game that saw multiple lead changes throughout the hard fought 80 minute battle at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado, the Canadians scored a key try by Manitoba native Brian Erichsen in the 70th minute and held off a late French charge for the upset win.
The victory is yet another progression for third year coach Kieran Crowley, the former All Black who took over the coaching helm in 2008.
“I’m really happy for our guys’, they put in a solid 80 minutes," he said. "We put ourselves under the pump a little bit but they showed great character and resilience and came through in the end."
Erichsen's try, set up by an intercepted pass by White Rock, BC's Adam Kleeberger, rocked the French resolve as the gritty Canadians withstood multiple penalties late in the game to hold on to the six point victory.
“I didn’t really know how much room I had, but when I made those first few steps it felt like I was floating on a cloud,” says Erichsen, who left the field earlier in the game to have seven stitches sewn to patch a laceration on his head.
“It feels amazing to beat a quality side like France, we knew it was going to take a lot from us and we had to be ruthless. We had fifteen guys working to the bone and in the end we pulled it out.”
Canada will now play the England Saxons, who beat the USA in the other half of the double header matches in the US.
Canadian team Captain Pat Riordan said it was the biggest win of his 29 appearances for the team.
"This is the biggest scalp I have been a part of," said the BC native. "I am just so happy for the guys, this is huge for us."
“We’re sick of playing in the consolation finals at the Churchill Cup and last year we started out with a win and ended with a couple losses,” says Riordan. “This year, we set a line in the sand and made it happen, and it feels great.”
It almost seemed Canada might be out of the running right from the opening stanza as a penalty to France after 43 seconds saw Les Bleus take an immediate 3-0 lead. France then added to the lead with a Lionel Beauxis drop-goal from 40 metres for a 6-0 lead.
In the 23rd minute it was 22 year old Matt Evans of Duncan, BC who chipped through past the French cover to regather near the French line. From the ensuing ruck Brantford's Aaron Carpenter took the ball across from one metre out to put Canada ahead 7-6 following the Ander Monro conversion kick.
France responded immediately off the restart - as French inside centre zipped up the left wing to beat the Canadian defense for a converted try and a 13-7 France lead.
The tempo of the game increased and Erichsen left the field at the half hour mark to get a deep gash repaired to the tune of seven stitches. Ander Monro hit for a penalty just before half-time to reduce the French lead to 16-10.
In the second half French indiscretions saw a pair of penalties against France allow Canada to claw back even as Newfoundland's Ciaran Hearn hit monstrous penalty kicks from 55 and 47 metres in the thin 'mile high' air to make it 13-13 after 47 minutes.
That tie was short lived as France hit back for a penalty a minute later to take the lead 19-16.
In the 52nd minute Justin Mensah-Coker spotted a gap and then chipped over the top, gathering in his own kick before off-loading to Ander Monro.
The speedy fly-half found outside centre DTH van der Merwe who blazed down the right wing to within twenty metres before offloading to Matt Evans who finished strongly across the line to retake the Canada lead 23-19.
It was a battle of attrition for the next ten minutes until French replacement wing Yohan Audrin hit back for a try in the corner in the 62nd minute to put France back on top by a point after the missed conversion - 24-23.
Just a minute later Ander Monro hit for his third penalty of the game to put Canada back in the lead 26-24. The drama continued in the 68th minute as France hit for another penalty from over 50 metres to lead once more 27-26, setting the table for the key Erichsen try.
The match saw a first time Canada appearance for 27 year old Delta firefighter Eric Wilson who came on to seal the win in the 75th minute, replacing Sean White, who had a massive game at scrum-half. Wilson's platoon mates rallied around him three weeks ago when he was named to the team, covering all his shifts during his near month a way. They were rewarded as the fiery UBC Thunderbird player got in the game as they watched live on TV.
Canada
T: Carpenter, Evans, Erichsen
C: Monro 3
P: Monro 2, Hearn 2
France A
T: Lacroix, Audrin
C: Beauxis 2
P: Beauxis 3
DG: Beauxis
USA 9 – 32 ENGLAND SAXONS
INFINITY PARK – Sunday 13th June 2010
FOLLOWING some questionable calls and unfortunate mistakes, the US Men’s National Team couldn’t seem to catch a break on Sunday, losing to the England Saxons 32-9 in their final pool match of the Churchill Cup.
The USA Eagles showed a lot of intensity throughout this match, but in the first half also committed a couple of early penalties within striking distance for the Saxons. By the seventh minute, the Eagles had already allowed England two penalties and six points on the scoreboard.
A minute and a half later, the Saxons executed their back line offense perfectly, passing the ball quickly through five sets of hands until it reached the England winger, Tom Varndell. Varndell made it look like clockwork as he dove in the corner, late in the eighth minute.
The Eagles were able to slot a penalty kick of their own to narrow the margin a bit, but in a flash the Saxons were back in the try zone after a quick lineout took the U.S. by surprise and saw England’s other winger, Anthony Allen, touch the ball down. The England Saxons converted bring the lead to 18-3.
The 15-point margin only seemed to fuel the Eagles more, however, and for the final 20 minutes of the half, the U.S. dominated possession and finished with another Volney Rouse penalty to put the Eagles at 18-6 at the break. Rouse would finish the day with all of the USA’s nine points, after kicking another penalty through early in the second half to bring the U.S. within nine.
The Eagles kept at it well into the second half, realizing the game was still within their grasp. Although there were some very close looks at the try line, the Eagles’ efforts wouldn’t be rewarded; and finally, during a span of 10 minutes, the Eagles made two costly mistakes that would turn into 14 points by their Saxon opponent.
The score would hold at 32-9 for the remaining 20 minutes and the USA would resign to another England Saxons defeat in the Churchill Cup, marking the sixth time the U.S. would fall to its English counterpart in the eight years of this tournament.
“I can’t be too disappointed,” Eagles Coach Eddie O’Sullivan said. “We had nine changes to this squad and several new combinations. This was a learning experience for our team and when you make errors against a side like the England Saxons, whose players are fully professional, you know they will capitalize on them.
“In the end, our guys kept plugging away and each and every one of them left it all out on the field,” O’Sullivan added.
“I was happy with that.”
USA Eagles
P: Rouse 3
England Saxons
T: Varndell 2, Allen, Narraway
Cs: Goode 2, Myler
P: Goode 2
LOS TEROS [URUGUAY] 10 - 43 FRANCE
INFINITY PARK – Wednesday 8th June 2010
IN their inaugural Churchill Cup tournament appearance, France A took it to Uruguay in the second pool match of Wednesday’s double-header at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo.
From the very start, Uruguay found itself deep in its own territory, fending off the French. The Uruguayan Teros could only hold off France A for so long, however, and by the 12th minute, the French had made their effort felt touching down their first try after the ball had touched nearly half of their players’ hands.
Uruguay continued to fight hard against the French attack, but to no avail. France A scored three more tries before they committed a penalty within Uruguay striking distance in the 37th minute. Uruguay used the opportunity to bring the scoreline to 24-3 at the break.
In the first 25 minutes of the second half, France A showed similar offensive domination, although Uruguay was a bit more diligent in their defense, only allowing 19 points by the French team.
Uruguay was also able to make some headway in the final 20 minutes. With their side down by 40 points, Uruguay had built up some momentum with a near-try in the 55th minute. The Tero’s had finally started to see some space and made several good attacks at the goal line as time wound down. Eventually, in the 71st minute, Uruguay was able to touch down their first try, bringing the score to 43-10 where it remained until the buzzer.
“I was not very happy with our performance,” France A Coach, Fabien Pelous said. “We committed a lot of penalties and made a lot of mistakes. We are happy about winning, but not so happy about the game. We will have to work hard on some things in order to win against Canada.”
Uruguay
T: Benitez
C: Caffera
P: Caffera
France A
T: Kayser, Battut 2, Dupuy, Audrin, Chavancy, Cazenave
C: Wisniewksi 4
ENGLAND SAXONS 49 – 17 RUSSIA
INFINITY PARK – Wednesday 8th June 2010
LONDON Wasps' Tom Varndell scored two tries as England Saxons kicked off their Churchill Cup campaign with an impressive 49-17 win over Russia in Denver.
Andy Saull, Nick Abendanon, Luke Narraway, Micky Young and Stephen Myler also crossed in the seven-try demolition.
Fly half Myler converted all efforts to finish with a 19-point haul and ensure a convincing margin of victory.
Russia, who have qualified for next year's World Cup, did put up some resistance and three penalties from Yury Kushnarev and a well-taken try from wing Vasily Artemyev saw them only trail 28-14 at the break.
Fly half Kushnarev did add another penalty for the Russians, but second half scores from Varndell, Young and Myler completed a comfortable victory in the extreme heat.
England Saxons head coach Stuart Lancaster praised his team's display after the win but emphasised the importance of recovery.
He said: "I'm really pleased with that result. We had one or two errors which let Russia into the match but on the whole it was a good performance under tough conditions.
"You can't fault Russia's effort, they are a tough side and they've done well to come off the back of playing USA last weekend.
"We have to do the same and backup today's performance against the hosts on Sunday and that begins with getting our recovery right."
England Saxons
T: Saull, Abendanon, Narraway, Varndell 2, Young, Myler
C: Myler 7
Russia
T: Artemyev
P: Kushnarev 4
RUSSIA 22 – 39 USA EAGLES
INFINITY PARK – Saturday 5th June 2010
The U.S. Men's National Rugby Team started off a bit rusty in its Churchill Cup pool match against Russia on Saturday, but after working out some of the kinks, the Eagles put in an impressive second half effort to win, 39-22, in its first test match in over six months.
“We struggled with the pace of the game early out,” Eagles Head Coach Eddie O’Sullivan said. “Having not played for over six months, it was expected we’d be a bit rusty. We were happy with the win, but it’s clear we still have a lot of work going forward.”
Russia actually found itself in scoring position first, after a U.S. mistake led to a penalty in the first minute of play. Russia missed, but held some early momentum and was able to touch down the first try 10 minutes later after a great up and under kick fell perfectly into the Russian fullback’s hands. Vasily Artemyev ran it in and put his team up 5-0.
A few minutes later, the Eagles would also find themselves with a penalty kick in close proximity. The USA’s Nese Malifa missed the uprights, but just shy of the 17 minute mark teammate Takudzwa Ngwenya was able to save the ball from touch, passing the ball to Louis Stanfill, who passed it to Mike Petri for five points. Malifa split the uprights from the corner and the U.S. led 7-5.
Both teams stood strong for the next 15 minutes, with Russia holding their own in their set pieces and the U.S. refusing to back down on defense. Leading the way for the USA’s defense was the offensive play-maker Petri, who made a couple of great tackles to save the scoreline in the first half. Also, a saving grace for the U.S. Team was Malifa’s boot, which confidently kicked to space in several instances, gaining some much needed ground in crucial moments for the U.S.
However, following a switch at kicker, Russia slotted its first kick of the day in the 31st minute to regain the lead 8-7. That didn’t last long though, as the U.S. was back at it again moments later. After the restart, a kicked ball was picked up by Paul Emerick, who then found some space, breaking a few tackles and making his way about 20 meters before handing off to Chris Wyles for the try. Malifa again converted and the U.S. was up 14-8 in the 32ndminute
Russia wouldn’t roll over and finished the half strong, breaking away off a scrum in their half, taking it the distance and scoring their second try of the game. Scrumhalf Alexander Yanyushkin converted and the teams broke for half with the score 15-14, Russia.
Following an encouraging halftime speech, the U.S. Eagles came out with a bit more momentum and started the half with a Malifa penalty kick in the 45th minute. Holding the Russians just feet from the tryline, the U.S. was eventually called for being off-sides, though, and Russia took the scrum.
Following a phase of play flanker Evgeny Matveev brought it over the line. The conversion was good and Russians increased the scoreline to 22-17, marking the last time Russia would find itself in the lead.
Just a few minutes later, the U.S. got the ball rolling with a Patrick Danahy try that saw five pairs of hands before he crossed the line. Just a few more minutes later, man of the match, Shawn Pittman, broke away towards goal. The ball eventually found Wyles, who touched one down in the corner, which Malifa also slotted to bring the USA’s lead to 29-22.
The U.S. had obviously found its niche, and Ngwenya found another sweet pass to touch one down. Malifa converted and the U.S. sealed the deal with another penalty kick 15 minutes later to secure the Eagles’ first Churchill Cup pool win in seven years.
RUSSIA
Unreported
USA EAGLES
T: Petri, Wyles 2, Danahy, Ngwenya
C: Malifa 4
P: Malifa, Rouse
LOS TEROS [URUGUAY] 6 - 48 CANADA
INFINITY PARK – Saturday 5th June 2010
CANADA opened the 2010 Churchill Cup with a 48-6 victory over Uruguay at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado. The Canadians dominated in the forward pack led by Man of the Match Chauncey O’Toole and six different backs registering points.
The first half saw Canada control much of the possession but the kicking of Uruguay kept Canada contained in their own half for the majority. Canadian flanker Chauncey O’Toole got Canada on the board 12 minutes in with a beautiful run breaking many tackles and diving over for the first score of the game. Full-back James Pritchard converted.
Canada continued to hold the possession with tough defence and Ander Monro spinning the ball wide to the backs.
James Pritchard took a hard knock from an up and under and had to receive medical attention during a ten minute blood sub, during which Matt Evans came on to replace him. At the 27th minute, Luke Tait finished off a long phase that started from a line break made by DTH Van der Merwe and involved numerous Canadian hands. With Pritchard off the field, Ciaran Hearn converted the score making it 14-0.
With nine minutes remaining in the first half, Uruguayan fly half Emiliano Caffera got his team on the board with a penalty kick from about 35m out. Caffera later unsuccessfully attempted an almost un-makeable kick from 53m out and on the far left side before half time.
One minute into the second half, Caffera kicked another penalty goal to bring his team to within 8, which would be the closest his team would come. The second half was completely dominated by the Canucks as they scored 34 points in the second half to run away with the victory. Pritchard returned to the field to kick two more penalties early in the second half.
DTH Van der Merwe picked up a loose ball off a sloppy Uruguayan pass and ran 35m to score his first try of the tournament. Ander Monro converted. In the final twenty minutes of the match with the win secured, Canada did not let up and scored three more from the backline.
Uruguay
P: Caffera 2
Canada
T: O’Toole, Tait, Van der Merwe 2, Mensah-Coker, Evans
P: Pritchard 2
C: Pritchard, Hearn, Monro 4
