Got this from USA Rugby: USA Rugby Brings the 2008 Barclays Churchill Cup to Chicago BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby is hosting a press conference on Monday, December 10, at 3:00 p.m. at the Union League Club of Chicago, to officially announce that the Windy City will host the finals of the 2008 Barclays Churchill Cup in June. The Barclays Churchill Cup is the biggest international rugby tournament in North America and is an alliance tournament between the rugby unions of England, USA and Canada. Six teams will participate in this year’s Barclays Churchill Cup – USA, Canada, England Saxons, Scotland A, Ireland A and a final team to be confirmed shortly. In the USA leg of the Barclays Churchill Cup, the tournament will feature all six international teams in a triple header of final matches at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. Speaking on the announcement, Terry Burwell, Tournament Director of the Barclays Churchill Cup said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for the sports fans of Chicago to witness six top international rugby teams in action on one day. The Barclays Churchill Cup continues to develop each summer, and we are delighted that Chicago is hosting the finals for the first time.” Entering its sixth year, the Barclays Churchill Cup, which has been held across Canada, California, and England in the past, will feature its pool play matches in various locations throughout Canada, before teams converge on Chicago for the finals day of the tournament on June 21st USA Rugby chose the Toyota Park venue after successfully hosting Ireland’s Munster Rugby Club as a Rugby World Cup warm-up match for its National Team, in late August. That match marked the first international rugby match in Chicago in several years and proved a huge achievement for event organizers. “Toyota Park and the city of Chicago proved such great hosts for our Munster match that it would have been senseless to go anywhere else,” USA Rugby’s CEO and Director of Rugby Nigel Melville said. “Chicago has a rich sports history, and is rapidly emerging as the nation’s newest hot spot for rugby. USA Rugby is excited for the chance to bring an international rugby tournament of this caliber to the Windy City.” Toyota Park is home to the Chicago Fire MLS club and is located 17 miles south west of downtown Chicago. Due to the outstanding response in August, USA Rugby is hoping to top 10,000 spectators to the one-day event in June.
This is great news...........GREAT. 1/ I really take my hat off to England RFU. They've organized this, backed it and supported it year in year out, sending the full team and the A team. They've really stepped up to the plate for us. 2/ Rugby USA website still has NO F______ mention of this. They really need to sort out this website in a hurry. It takes a lot of time to weed through the BS to get to what 90 percent of people want to see, the Eagles senior mens 15 team. They have to do better than this. 3/ Rugby Canada (again ahead of us) website has this and a link to tickets up. They are giving away one trip to London (from Toronto) and 2x match tickets to a Scotland v England 6 nations match if you buy the tix between Feb1 and March 28. I've been to the Churchill Cup in Toronto, SF, Edmonton and Vancouver, its really good rugby. I'm pumped about this summer tournament. Kingston is still the closest drive but Chicago is where I'll be. This is great news. I just hope ESPNu sends a better commentator than the last guy for the USA v Munster game. Gareth Rees was good but the play by play guy sounded like he downed a vial full of valium before describing the match.