Churchill Cup
The Churchill Cup (also known as the Barclays Churchill Cup for sponsorship reasons ) was an annual rugby union tournament played by men's and women's national teams from England , Canada and the USA . In addition, three other teams were invited. The tournament was named after the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill .
Overview
The tournament was first played in 2003; Participants were Canada , the USA and the England reserve team . With this tournament, the world association International Rugby Board wanted to bring the North American national teams closer to the top of the world. Because of the great difference in performance , the reserves, known as England Saxons since 2006, participate on the English side . With women, however, the actual national team is involved.
In 2004 New Zealand was invited, represented by the New Zealand Māori men's team and the New Zealand women's national team, the Black Ferns . In 2005 Argentina sent its reserve team to the men's tournament. Originally, the New Zealand Māori were planned, but they had to cancel due to a date collision (game against the British and Irish Lions ). There was no women's tournament in 2005 and 2006 as the Canadians were preparing to host the 2006 World Cup .
Six teams have been taking part since 2006 (previously four). South Africa and Wales had shown interest, but Ireland and Scotland eventually sent their reserve teams. The New Zealand Māori were also involved again before they were replaced by the reserve team of Argentina in 2008. After the tournament has always been held in Canada so far, England hosted it for the first time in 2007. In 2008 a number of games were played in the United States. Georgia first took part in the Churchill Cup at the 2009 edition, the team replacing Scotland's reserve.
Results
| year | Venue (s) | Winner men | Winner women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Vancouver | England A | England |
| 2004 | Calgary , Edmonton | New Zealand Māori | New Zealand |
| 2005 | Edmonton | England A | not carried out |
| 2006 |
Edmonton , Toronto , Ottawa and Santa Clara (California) |
New Zealand Māori | not carried out |
| 2007 |
Stockport , Exeter , Henley , Northampton and London |
England Saxons | not carried out |
| 2008 | Chicago , Kingston , Ottawa and Toronto | England Saxons | not carried out |
| 2009 | Denver , Glendale | Ireland A | not carried out |