The Rugby League Challenge Cup (as of 2008 known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs across Europe. Originally it was contested only by British teams, but in recent years the entry has been expanded to allow teams from across Europe to take part.
It has been held annually since 1896, with the exception of the duration of the First World War and it involves amateur, semi-professional and professional clubs that compete in it, though lower ranked teams rarely reach the final stages of the competition. For the 2007 competition ninety-four teams entered the tournament.
In previous years the competition has been called the Powergen Challenge Cup but for the beginning of 2007 the cup was named after the competition's primary partner Leeds Metropolitan University's Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
French Rugby League Championship
The French rugby league championship (French: Le Championnat de France de Rugby à XIII) has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France and Monaco since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties.
Except for the first season, a play-off structure leading to a championship final has always been used to determine the fate of the championship. Because the French rugby league championship has several divisions where the teams will change each year depending on final standings and relegation / promotion there have been many teams in the French rugby league championship since its inception.
The championship is divided into several divisions; the top league is currently titled Elite One Championship (French: Le Championnat de France Elite).
Except for the first season, a play-off structure leading to a championship final has always been used to determine the fate of the championship. Because the French rugby league championship has several divisions where the teams will change each year depending on final standings and relegation / promotion there have been many teams in the French rugby league championship since its inception.
The championship is divided into several divisions; the top league is currently titled Elite One Championship (French: Le Championnat de France Elite).
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership (known as the Guinness Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Guinness) is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are, at present, twelve clubs in the Premiership. The competition has been played since 1987, and has evolved into the current Premiership system employing relegation to and promotion from the National Division One competition. Clubs competing in the Guinness Premiership qualify for Europe's two club competitions, the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup. The current champions are the London Wasps.
Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Cup (known as the Heineken Cup because of the tournament's sponsorship by Heineken) is an annual rugby union competition involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board (IRB) tier one nations in Europe: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The competition is organised by the European Rugby Cup, who are also responsible for the secondary championship, the European Challenge Cup. It is one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport. The tournament was launched in the European summer of 1995 on the initiative of the then Five Nations committee to provide a new level of professional cross-border competition. It is sponsored by Dutch brewing company Heineken International (it is known as H-Cup in France because of alcohol advertising restrictions).
Hong Kong 7s
The Hong Kong Sevens (referred to as Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens for sponsorship reasons) is considered the premier tournament on the IRB Sevens World Series in rugby union. It is held annually at the last weekend of March in Hong Kong and is organised by the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU). The tournament lasts 2 and a half days, commencing on a Friday afternoon, and concluding on the Sunday evening.
The Hong Kong Sevens were established in 1976 after a discussion between the chairman of the HKRFU, South African entrepreneur, A.D.C. "Tokkie" Smith, Duncan McTavish (HKRFC then captain) and Ian Gow, a Rothmans' Tobacco company executive. Gow wanted his firm to sponsor a rugby tournament with top teams from throughout the world. McTavish and Smith suggested that a Rugby sevens tournament would be logistically more feasible and be a better spectacle than a 15-a-side tournament. After an initial proposal was refused by the Rugby Football Union in England, the HKRFU changed focus and sent out invitations to Asian and Pacific sides
The Hong Kong Sevens were established in 1976 after a discussion between the chairman of the HKRFU, South African entrepreneur, A.D.C. "Tokkie" Smith, Duncan McTavish (HKRFC then captain) and Ian Gow, a Rothmans' Tobacco company executive. Gow wanted his firm to sponsor a rugby tournament with top teams from throughout the world. McTavish and Smith suggested that a Rugby sevens tournament would be logistically more feasible and be a better spectacle than a 15-a-side tournament. After an initial proposal was refused by the Rugby Football Union in England, the HKRFU changed focus and sent out invitations to Asian and Pacific sides
Middlesex Sevens Tournament
Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which only seven players per side feature, instead of the full 15. The version of rugby union is very popular, with notable competitions including the IRB Sevens World Series and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Rugby sevens is also played at events such as the Commonwealth Games. Although it was conceived as an event for rugby union, rugby league has also adopted the sevens format.
Rugby Six Nations
Play the game and experience the excitement of kicking a drop kick goal from your country.
Get ready! The game is at a crucial stage, the crowd is roaring, heart beating in your ears, the scrum half looks up and signals that the ball is coming to you!
The official RBS 6 Nations newsletter will help ensure that you are kept up to speed with all the latest news, results, podcasts, video highlights, match photos, competitions and much more.
Throughout the championship we will have previews of the up and coming weekend’s matches so that you know who's playing, where and when to help you not miss any of the action.
Following each weekend we will deliver all the action including scores, news, match reviews, pictures from the match action, podcasts, video highlights and much more. All brought direct to your desktop.
Get ready! The game is at a crucial stage, the crowd is roaring, heart beating in your ears, the scrum half looks up and signals that the ball is coming to you!
The official RBS 6 Nations newsletter will help ensure that you are kept up to speed with all the latest news, results, podcasts, video highlights, match photos, competitions and much more.
Throughout the championship we will have previews of the up and coming weekend’s matches so that you know who's playing, where and when to help you not miss any of the action.
Following each weekend we will deliver all the action including scores, news, match reviews, pictures from the match action, podcasts, video highlights and much more. All brought direct to your desktop.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Different Rugby Tournaments
Six Nations, Middlesex Sevens , Hong Kong 7s , Heineken Cup , Guinness Premiership , French Rugby League Championship , Carnegie Challenge Cup
Rugby World Cup History
The Rugby World Cup is now one of the largest sporting competitions in the world. This competition involves sixteen of the world's best rugby nations competing for the William Webb Ellis trophy. This trophy is named after the man who "invented" the sport of Rugby in the early 19th century, when he picked up the ball and ran with it while playing a game of football.The next Rugby World Cup in September and October 2007 is to be hosted by France, and will be the 6th time the William Webb Ellis trophy is up for grabs since the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.The inaugural Rugby World Cup was hosted by Australia and New Zealand, and was won by New Zealand. Australia and South Africa are the only nations to win the competition more than once.The final match results of the previous Rugby World Cup tournaments are as follows:
1987
Winner: New Zealand
Location: Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
Final Score: New Zealand 29,France 9
1991
Winner: Australia
Location: Twickenham, London, England
Final Score: Australia 12, England 6
1995
Winner: South Africa
Location: Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
Final Score: South Africa 15, New Zealand 12
1999
Winner: Australia
Location: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Final Score: Australia 35, France 12
2003
Winner: England
Location: Telstra Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Final Score: England 20, Australia 17
2007
Winner: South Africa
Location: Stade de France, Paris, France
Final Score: South Africa 15, England 6
2011
Winner: ?
Location: Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
Final Score: ?
The New Zealand Rugby Union won the rights to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup after going head-to-head with Japan in the final round of voting on the 18th of November 2005. Japan were firm favourites leading into the final round, however New Zealand came away with a remarkable victory for the small nation of just four million people.
1987
Winner: New Zealand
Location: Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
Final Score: New Zealand 29,France 9
1991
Winner: Australia
Location: Twickenham, London, England
Final Score: Australia 12, England 6
1995
Winner: South Africa
Location: Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
Final Score: South Africa 15, New Zealand 12
1999
Winner: Australia
Location: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Final Score: Australia 35, France 12
2003
Winner: England
Location: Telstra Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Final Score: England 20, Australia 17
2007
Winner: South Africa
Location: Stade de France, Paris, France
Final Score: South Africa 15, England 6
2011
Winner: ?
Location: Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
Final Score: ?
The New Zealand Rugby Union won the rights to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup after going head-to-head with Japan in the final round of voting on the 18th of November 2005. Japan were firm favourites leading into the final round, however New Zealand came away with a remarkable victory for the small nation of just four million people.
Rugby World cup 2011 Teams
TeamsThe IRB has announced that 20 teams will compete for the Rugby World Cup in 2011. This will be the same number of teams that competed in the last three tournaments. The IRB had previously stated that a review of the number of teams would take place to ensure that future tournaments remain competitive and commercially attractive in the future. Since then, the decision that 20 teams will compete in 2011 follows recent impressive performances by developing nations at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. New Zealand's bid for the 2011 Rugby World Cup was based on 20 teams. The number of automatic qualifiers for the 2011 tournament has increased from 8 to 12 places. Therefore the following teams have automatically qualified for the 2011 tournament as the top three teams in each pool in 2007:
Australia
Argentina
England
Fiji
France
Ireland
Italy
New Zealand
Scotland
South Africa
TongaWales
The qualification process for the 2011 Rugby World Cup kicks off with the 2008 Caribbean Championship on April 20. The winner of Caribbean Championship will progress on to play the winner of the South American Division B Championship. These qualification tournaments are part of the new-look global regional qualifying system which by 2010 will produce eight teams that will join the other twelve automatic qualifying nations in competing for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Of the eight qualification places still available, two each will be allocated to Europe and the Americas, one each to Africa, Asia and Oceania, and the last place determined by a play-off.
Australia
Argentina
England
Fiji
France
Ireland
Italy
New Zealand
Scotland
South Africa
TongaWales
The qualification process for the 2011 Rugby World Cup kicks off with the 2008 Caribbean Championship on April 20. The winner of Caribbean Championship will progress on to play the winner of the South American Division B Championship. These qualification tournaments are part of the new-look global regional qualifying system which by 2010 will produce eight teams that will join the other twelve automatic qualifying nations in competing for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Of the eight qualification places still available, two each will be allocated to Europe and the Americas, one each to Africa, Asia and Oceania, and the last place determined by a play-off.
Quick Facts Rugby World Cup 2011
Quick Facts - Rugby World Cup 2011Twenty teams will contest the tournament.
The tournament will occur during September and October of 2011, with the grand final being held on the weekend of 22-23 October.
The grand final and both the semi-final matches will be held at Eden Park Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.
The venue for the quarter-finals, and third/fourth play-off matches will be confirmed later this year.
The twelve automatic qualifying teams will be allocated into pools based on their rankings in December this year. The cut-off date for rankings will be December 1st 2008.
All other matches and their locations, including the base locations for each team, will be confirmed in the first quarter of 2009.
Ticket prices will likely be set in the first quarter of 2009.
Up to 70,000 overseas visitors are expected to visit New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The teams to have automatically qualified for the 2011 Rugby World Cup are:South Africa, England, Argentina, France, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Fiji, Wales, Ireland, Tonga and Italy.
2011 Rugby.
Heineken Cup 2008-09
At last, it’s a proper seeding system - no more ridiculous pools with three top sides that robs the competition of some of the finest teams before the knockout stages.The groups look much more even for next season, although Pool 3 looks particularly exciting.
Heineken Cup 2008/09 :
Pool 1 Munster (Ire) Sale (Eng) Clermont Auvergne (Fra) Montauban (Fra) | Pool 2 Wasps (Eng) Leinster (Ire) Castres (Fra) Edinburgh (Sco) | Pool 3 Leicester (Eng) Perpignan (Fra) Ospreys (Wal) Treviso (Ita) |
Pool 4 Stade Francais (Fra) Llanelli (Wal) Ulster (Ire) Harlequins (Eng) | Pool 5 Toulouse (Fra) Bath (Eng) Newport Gwent Dragons (Wal) Glasgow (Sco) | Pool 6 Biarritz (Fra) Gloucester (Eng) Cardiff (Wal) Calvisano (Ita) |
Vintage Rugby
VINTAGE RUGBY 14 - 20 September 2008 The home of Canterbury and the Crusaders will play host 
to the third World Vintage Rugby Carnival in September next year. With 80 teams from over 20 countries expected to be at the carnival in Christchurch, the language of rugby should be flowing freely around the pubs and clubs of the Garden City Vintage Rugby provides the chance for teams, players and referees to enjoy games in the Vintage Rugby style against teams from all over the world. It is an opportunity for passionate former players of all shapes and fitness levels, to relive past glories on and off the pitch. It provides the chance for those over the age of 35 (two men’s sections Over 35 and Over 46) who still hanker to scrum, ruck and maul with their mates against rivals from around the world.
to the third World Vintage Rugby Carnival in September next year. With 80 teams from over 20 countries expected to be at the carnival in Christchurch, the language of rugby should be flowing freely around the pubs and clubs of the Garden City Vintage Rugby provides the chance for teams, players and referees to enjoy games in the Vintage Rugby style against teams from all over the world. It is an opportunity for passionate former players of all shapes and fitness levels, to relive past glories on and off the pitch. It provides the chance for those over the age of 35 (two men’s sections Over 35 and Over 46) who still hanker to scrum, ruck and maul with their mates against rivals from around the world.
TRination / Bledisloe Cup 2008
TRI NATIONS / BLEDISLOE CUP 2008
June - July 2008 When the three powerhouses of Southern Hemisphere rugby collide, what you get is some of the best action played out anywhere in the world. The Tri Nations of 2008 will see the Springboks, Wallabies and All Blacks play each other two times on a home and away basis and after the dramas of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, it should provide plenty of fireworks as the three sides each looks to begin new eras with .
SEVENS RUGBY The IRB Sevens World Series is without doubt some of the most breathtaking rugby you'll ever witness. With the likes of Fiji's William Ryder, Samoa's Uale Mai and New Zealand's Nigel Hunt – the skills on show have to be seen to be believed. The sevens series spans the globe and tournaments such as Hong Kong and Wellington are
June - July 2008 When the three powerhouses of Southern Hemisphere rugby collide, what you get is some of the best action played out anywhere in the world. The Tri Nations of 2008 will see the Springboks, Wallabies and All Blacks play each other two times on a home and away basis and after the dramas of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, it should provide plenty of fireworks as the three sides each looks to begin new eras with .
SEVENS RUGBY The IRB Sevens World Series is without doubt some of the most breathtaking rugby you'll ever witness. With the likes of Fiji's William Ryder, Samoa's Uale Mai and New Zealand's Nigel Hunt – the skills on show have to be seen to be believed. The sevens series spans the globe and tournaments such as Hong Kong and Wellington are
Monday, 23 June 2008
Rugby Rules
The rules are designed to provide a compromise between those of the two codes, with Gaelic footballers being advantaged by the use of a round ball and a rectangular field (Australian rules uses an oval ball and field), while the Australian rules football players benefit from the opportunity to tackle between the shoulders and thighs, something banned in Gaelic football. The game also introduces the concept of the mark, from Australian rules football, with a free kick paid for any ball caught from a kick of over 15 metres.As in rugby league and Australian rules, early in the history of the two codes in Australia the two codes were interchangeable[citation needed]. Such is the divide today that comments from professional Australian rules players such as Jason Akermanis about switching codes are met with disbelief.[citation needed] Nevertheless, there are still some positions and roles that have commonalities (particularly those that involve kicking and catching such as the backs and second row in rugby union; half forwards and rucks in Australian Rules). Also at amateur level, conversion is quite common, as in the case of many start-up Australian Rules clubs in countries such as France and developing Aussie Rules countries such as New Zealand and Samoa.
Rugby Event Calendar 2008
| Month | Event |
| February 2008 | . Rugby Union – Super 14 Tournament commences though to May · Theatre – Billy Elliot in Sydney |
| March 2008 | · Rugby Sevens – Hong Kong Sevens, 28th – 30th March · Rugby League – 2008 Premiership season commences, 14th March |
| April 2008 | · Rugby League – ANZAC Day Test, 25th April · Rugby Sevens – Adelaide Sevens, 5th - 6th April |
| May 2008 | Rugby League – Centenary Test, Australia V NZ, 9th May |
| June 2008 | · Rugby Union – Tri Nations Series · Rugby League –State of Origin Game II, Brisbane, 11th June |
| July 2008 | · Rugby League – State of Origin Game III, Sydney, 2nd July · Rugby Union – Bledisloe Cup, Sydney, 26th July |
| August 2008 | · Rugby Union – Bledisloe Cup, Auckland 02nd August |
| September 2008 | · Rugby Union – Bledisloe Cup,Brisbane, 13th September |
| October 2008 | · Rugby League – NRL Grand Final, 5th October . Rugby League World Cup 2008 Commences,25th October -22nd November |
| November 2008 | · Rugby League – Rugby League World Cup Final, 22nd November · Rugby Sevens – Dubai Sevens |
Rugby Leauge 2008
After an eight-year absence, the Rugby League World Cup will return next year in Australia.
Comprising of 10 teams divided into three pools, organisers are hoping to avoid a repeat of the one-sided contests which marred the 2000 tournament.
Australia will be red-hot favourites to win their 10th World Cup, but England and New Zealand will also fancy their chances.
England will kick off proceedings against Papua New Guinea on 25 October in Townsville. Four weeks later, the 18th and final game of the tournament will see things decided in the final at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Group A: Australia, England, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea Group B: France, Fiji, Scotland Group C: Tonga, Ireland, Samoa
Comprising of 10 teams divided into three pools, organisers are hoping to avoid a repeat of the one-sided contests which marred the 2000 tournament.
Australia will be red-hot favourites to win their 10th World Cup, but England and New Zealand will also fancy their chances.
England will kick off proceedings against Papua New Guinea on 25 October in Townsville. Four weeks later, the 18th and final game of the tournament will see things decided in the final at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Group A: Australia, England, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea Group B: France, Fiji, Scotland Group C: Tonga, Ireland, Samoa
Rugby News
In this week's Voice From the Stands Marcus Leach looks at the only bright spot on England's tour to New Zealand, Neil Back's divine right to be the next Leicester coach and the untimely passing of two rugby players to neck injuries. Your view?Andrew resolute RFU clamp down 'Auckland Four' to be named?
Will Cipriani make Johnno's cut? Andrew standing by his decision
2nd Test: Borthwick hails the All Blacks Henry left 'reasonably happy'
Mailbox: Your views on England's tour to New Zealand LIVE SCORES
More Rugby News
IRB make an example of Wales U20 and France U20
Munster handed double French test
Back wants to be top dog at Leicester
Gatland wants a change of policy
Scotland to lose assistant coaches
Jerry Collins signs for Toulon
FIND THE GAME FOR YOU
Find your local rugby club
Touch rugby
Tag rugby
Dragon rugby
Women's rugby
Paterson wins recall
You can’t keep a sharpshooter like Chris Paterson down for long.Read More »
The King of Castres Dave Campbell
In movie star terms, Kees Meeuws is the Al Pacino or the Robert de Niro of Castres. Everyone wants a piece of him. Dave Campbell caught up with the former All Blacks prop in the picturesque town Meeuws calls his “home away from home.”Read More »
About Rugby
Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which only seven players per side feature, instead of the full 15. The version of rugby union is very popular, with notable competitions including the IRB Sevens World Series and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Rugby sevens is also played at events such as the Commonwealth Games. Although it was conceived as an event for rugby union, rugby league has also adopted the sevens format.Rugby football is a full-contact team sport played with a prolate spheroid-shaped ball by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field. Rugby league is one of the two major codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union. The league code is most prominent in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and France, where the sport is played professionally. Rugby league is also popular in Papua New Guinea where it is considered the national sport and many national players figure prominently in the Australian Rugby League. The game is played to a lesser extent in several other countries, such as Russia, the United States and Lebanon.
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