Rugby Showdown announces new ticket prices and kick-off time

Courtesy of Dallen Stanford

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Rugby Showdown announces new ticket prices and kick-off time!

The Rugby Showdown has released a new ticket pricing structure and later kick-off time to ensure that the rugby community in Southern California can experience the exciting fixture on April 13th.

The South African Golden Lions from Johannesburg, who took part in the 2012 Super 15 Rugby competition, will take on the North American All Stars at Cal State Fullerton. The match is now set to kick-off at 7.30 p.m. Pacific Time at Titan Stadium on Saturday April 13th.

The evening kick-off will certainly help boost attendance figures with several rugby teams in the region competing in the various playoff competitions in Southern California.

“This is indeed excellent news for our match against the Lions. Having a large crowd supporting us will definitely add to the excitement of this clash,” said flanker Todd Clever, the North American All Stars captain.

Another element that will aid this cause is the new ticket prices released by the Rugby Showdown:
Youth $5, Students $10, General Seating $25 and Preferred Seating $35.
For more information and to purchase tickets click here!

The April 13th event will see a festival atmosphere with plenty of action planned for inside and outside Titan Stadium on the beautiful Cal State Fullerton campus.

Several local rugby teams are set to move their playoff matches to this venue, with youth, college, club and old boys fixtures on the schedule. Tournament organizers will be announcing news of the live entertainment in the coming weeks, including a rugby banquet, beer garden and giveaways.

In other news: USA Eagles Head Coach, Mike Tolkin, who will coach the North American All Stars - has released three names of his squad that will face the Golden Lions.

These players include Andrew Suniula, Shaun Davies and Graham Harriman.

“Andrew is a hard running veteran centre who brings leadership to the squad. Shaun is a dynamic and feisty young player who got his first taste of international rugby last summer. Graham broke into the Eagles this fall after a promising campaign in the Americas Rugby Championship (ARC). He is a good technical lock who has a bright future,” said Tolkin.

Andrew Suniula  ( Credit: www.rugbyphoto.com / Gary Coldwells )

Suniula (centre) – who comes from a strong rugby background with Eagle brothers Roland and Shalom – has been capped 15 times for the USA Eagles, and played at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. The powerful center is a great addition for the team, providing excellent go-forward ball, and is solid on defense.

Davies (scrum half) – the All-American from Brigham Young University (BYU) earned his first cap for the USA Eagles last year, and is an up and coming talent in the number 9 jersey.

Harriman (lock) – played for the USA Selects in 2012 at the ARC, and has also attended the Sharks Academy in Durban, South Africa. Harriman currently plays for the Chicago Griffins with teammate Andrew Suniula.

“This game brings a great competitive opportunity for our HP (High Performance) players to be involved in during their domestic season.  It also gives the fans an opportunity to watch a great professional organization in their back yard. It will be a brilliant evening, “ enthused Tolkin.

For more information on the Rugby Showdown:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RugbyShowdown
Twitter: @RugbyShowdown
Website: http://www.rugbyshowdown.com/

Podcast Episode 11: Dallen Stanford (Paki's Corner, Tackling Cancer Foundation)

Its been long over due for a new podcast and I couldn't be more chuffed to have caught up with Dallen Stanford, the legend behind Paki's Corner.  

We chat about his early days in the US, how as a South African, he made a name for himself on the International 7s scene with the USA Eagles.  We also talk about his latest work with Tackling Cancer, a foundation which supports cancer research through leveraging the global participation of rugby. 

You can listen to the podcast on the Podcast Page, on iTunes, on Facebook, or via the RSS Feed.

Enjoy!

Fox Soccer Plus announces Tri-Nations and Currie Cup coverage

Courtesy of Chelsea Hettrick, mPRm Public Relations

Los Angeles (June 30, 2010) – The Tri-Nations rugby union tournament, contested annually between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, begins Saturday, July 10 at 3:30 a.m. ET on Fox Soccer Plus with live coverage of the anticipated first match pitting the top-ranked All-Blacks against the defending Tri-Nations champion Springboks.

The opening match, taking place in Auckland, NZ, marks the first of nine to be played in the series.  Fox Soccer Plus is the exclusive U.S. home for all Tri-Nations’ matches through the end of the competition in September.

In addition to the Tri-Nations, Fox Soccer Plus also features extensive coverage of the Currie Cup – South Africa’s premier domestic rugby competition – beginning Friday, July 9 live at 1:05 p.m. ET, with defending champion Blue Bulls’ vs. Pumas from the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.  Eight teams battle it out to for a chance to claim the Premier division title.  Fox Soccer Plus will air tournament matches through the Currie Cup Final in October.            

In conjunction with its live rugby programming, Fox Soccer Plus also features Rugby World, a weekly magazine show premiering each Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET. Expert analysts Dave Sitton, Brian Vizard, Ray Viers and Matt Brown host the series of eight half-hour programs exclusive to Fox Soccer Plus, providing context and perspective on all matters rugby. 

WHAT:           
Tri-Nations and Currie Cup on Fox Soccer Plus

WHEN: 
Friday, July 9 - Currie Cup: Blue Bulls vs. Pumas at 1:05 p.m. ET (live)

Saturday, July 10 -  Tri Nations: New Zealand vs. South Africa at 3:30 a.m. ET (live)

For a complete telecast schedule, visit msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/tvschedule.

For more information about Fox Soccer Plus, visit msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/plus. 

HOW:               
Fox Soccer Plus is available to video providers across the country in high-definition and offered to viewers on DIRECTV, DISH Network, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS as a premium service.

UVU Summer Camp brings top Southern Hemisphere players to the US

Utah Valley University has teamed up with team Blitz to host an exciting rugby summer camp this June. Held on UVU's campus, the 3 day camp is open to male and female players between the ages 17-25 years old.
 
The camp will include expertise of some top International players from the All Blacks, Wallabies, and Super 14 such as Sosene Anesi, Christian Lealiifano, Wycliff Palu, and John Schwalger to name a few!

Covering theoretical and tactical knowledge, and providing positional skills specific training techniques, this is a really unique opportunity for young players. William Fale, UVUs head coach and the camp organizer, was inspired to hold the camp based on his experience as a rugby player.  The exposure and access to top level players was life changing for him and something he passionately wanted players in the US to also experience (there will be more on William in a future podcast...coming soon!).

The camp costs $300 per person and you just need to cover your food, accommodation and travel out to Utah.  The registration deadline is coming up fast, so if your interested, please act soon.

To register and get further details, head on over to www.teamblitzsports.com

Nations Cup Update #4

Here's a quick round up of yesterdays matches:

England 25 - 0 South Africa
South Africa's final match ends in defeat to the English. Click here for the full story

Canada 10 - 15 USA
Last minute try by the Eagles denies the home side a draw. Click here for the full story

The final matches will now take place on Saturday with the US taking on France at 2pm and Canada versus England at 4:30 pm

Nations Cup Update #3

Here's a quick round up of yesterdays matches:

Canada 7 - 12 France
The French kick their way to a win over Canada. Click here for the full story

USA 39 - 0 South Africa
The Eagles dominate South Africa with a pounding win. Click here for the full story

Nations Cup update #2

Here's a quick round up of yesterdays matches:

Canada 35 - 17 South Africa
Solid win for the home side in their first game of the tournament. Click here for the full story

England 43 - 8 France
England continue their winning streak with a win over the French. Click here for the full story

Nations Cup update

Here's a quick round up of yesterdays matches:

France 17 - 17 South Africa
Last minute try by the french gets them the draw. Click here for the full story

England 36 - 7 USA
Tough game for the Eagles as they go down to England. Click here for the full story

Womens Nations Cup kicks off next week

The US Womens National team head off North next week to take on Canada, England, France and South Africa in the Nations Cup. This is the 2nd Nations Cup tournament and will be played in Oakville, Canada from August 10th through 22nd. For more details, head on over to Rugby Canada and if you can make it in person to see the games, you catch them live online at ustream.tv

The schedule of the games are as follows (all kick off times are GMT -4 hours EDT i.e same as EST)

August 10th

France vs South Africa 4:30 PM

England vs USA 6:30 PM

August 13th

France vs England 4:30 PM

Canada vs South Africa 6:30 PM

August 16th

South Africa vs USA 2:00 PM

Canada vs France 4:00 PM

August 19th

England vs South Africa 4:30 PM

Canada vs USA 6:30 PM

August 22nd

USA vs France 2:00 PM

Canada vs England 4:00 PM

Wall Street Journal article on South African Rugby

The Toughest Team in Sports?South Africa’s rugby players maul their way to the top; a punch in the scrum

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204619004574318422042017930.html

All Blacks off to a great start in the Tri-Nations

New Zealand start their Tri-Nations campaign with a 22-16 win at home against Australia. The Aussies led the first half 10-13 with a try from Berrick Barnes, and conversion and penalties from Matt Giteau. All Blacks Captain Richie McCaw scored their only try (also in the first half) and superb fly-half Stephen Donald sealed the deal with fours penalties in the second half. The All Blacks will now head to South Africa for the next two matches in the tournament.