The 2008 Churchill Cup

Churchill Cup

The Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....

took place between 7 June and 21 June 2008 in what was the sixth year of the tournament. Six rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 teams took part: , England Saxons

England Saxons

England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...

, Ireland A, Scotland A

Scotland A national rugby union team

The Scotland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Scottish national side.-History:Scotland's status as one of the leading rugby nations in the Northern Hemisphere, made the SRU to field a second team, first known as Scotland XV, and currently as Scotland A, which can play at...

, the , and an Argentinian XV.

Participation

The entry of an Argentinian XV into the competition stems from a decision by the New Zealand Rugby Union not to assemble its 'A' team, the Junior All Blacks

Junior All Blacks

The Junior All Blacks are a New Zealand rugby union team. The Junior All Blacks are not an age grade side, but the second national team behind the New Zealand national rugby union team....

, in 2008; as a consequence, the New Zealand Māori

New Zealand Maori rugby union team

New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...

, who have taken part in the last three Churchill Cup tournaments, replaced the Juniors in the Pacific Nations Cup and were not available for the Churchill Cup

Churchill Cup

The Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....

.

Format

The teams were split into two pools of three teams each. Within each pool, the teams played one another once. All six teams participated in a finals day: the two pool winners competed in the final for the Churchill Cup, the two runners-up played in a Plate final, and the two bottom-placed teams competed for a Bowl.

Venues

After the 2007 tournament, which was the first to be played outside of North America, the 2008 tournament returned to North America again. The pool games were played at three venues in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

: Fletcher's Fields

Fletcher's Fields

Fletcher's Fields is a rugby stadium in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It currently serves as home to the Toronto Rebellion of the Rugby Canada Super League. The stadium, which seats 3,000 people, has hosted numerous Canada national rugby union team matches in the past was one of the venues for the...

, Markham

Markham, Ontario

Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...

; Twin Elm Rugby Park

Twin Elm Rugby Park

Twin Elm Rugby Park is a sports venue in South Nepean, Ottawa, Canada. With five rugby fields and 12 changing rooms,two lounges, a bar and spectator seating for hundreds of people it can accommodate several concurrent matches and serves as the home of several local clubs. The facility is fully air...

, Nepean

Nepean, Ontario

- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...

; and Richardson Memorial Stadium

Richardson Memorial Stadium

George Taylor Richardson Memorial Stadium is a 10,258 seat Canadian football stadium located on the campus of the Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. It was built in 1971 and is the home of the Golden Gaels football team. It is named in memory of George Taylor Richardson, a Queen's graduate...

, Kingston

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

. Finals Day took place at Toyota Park

Toyota Park (Bridgeview)

Toyota Park is a soccer-specific stadium located at 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, Illinois. It is the home stadium of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, members of Major League Soccer . Toyota Park was developed at a cost of around $100 million. The facility opened June 11, 2006...

, Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

.

USA Pool

Place	Nation	Games				Points			Bonus points	Table points
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Difference
1		2	2	0	0	96	22	74	2	10
2		2	1	0	1	58	43	15	1	5
3		2	0	0	2	19	108	-89	0	0

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Canada Pool

Place	Nation	Games				Points			Bonus points	Table points
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Difference
1		2	2	0	0	51	34	17	2	10
2		2	1	0	1	41	43	-2	2	6
3		2	0	0	2	26	41	-15	1	1

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Bowl Final

Plate Final

Cup Final

External links

• Churchill Cup official site