Following his side’s first training session at Broadstreet RFC on Monday in preparation for the 2011 Churchill Cup – kicking off this Saturday – Rugby Canada Head Coach Kieran Crowley is determined to build on last year’s success, which saw Canada make it all the way to the Cup final against England Saxons.

“We’re looking forward to it. We’ve got a lot of work to do in six days before our first game but it’s an exciting time with this tournament and then looking a bit further down the track so the guys have got a lot to play for.

“The Churchill Cup is a great tournament. It’s been critical for the development of rugby in Canada because we don’t get the level of Internationals games that other countries get and we don’t get the chance to get together as a group because of the distances, so the Churchill Cup has always been a primary competition for Canada. We’re treating it within its own right.

“Our hopes for this tournament are that we can build on last year, when we got to our first ever final in the tournament against England Saxons. This year it’s a different set of people and a different tournament – we have Italy A first up on Saturday who will be a real challenge for us.

"From a coaching perspective, we want to build on the way we play the game and ultimately, get some of our players noticed by overseas clubs.”

Rugby Canada open the 2011 Churchill Cup this Saturday 4 June at Franklin’s Gardens when they face Italy A, kickoff 9:30am Eastern, 6:30am Pacific. Following that game, England Saxons will take on the USA at Noon Easter, 9am Pacific

Photos Ed Hagerty

Baker Field, Columbia University, New York, NY - In preparation for the upcoming National Collegiate All Star Championship June 9-11 in Glendale, Colo., the Northeast RFU College All Stars took the field against Old Blue in New York City, dropping a 25-17 decision.

Considering that his college players had first assembled just two hours prior to the match against Old Blue’s combined Super League / DI side, Northeast Collegiate Coach Mike Hodgins was happy with the result.

“Today was our first assembly in a very busy rugby calendar and I’m pleased with what the team accomplished,” said Hodgins.

First Half
Old Blue went out to a 10-0 lead over the Northeast Collegians with tries by Elliott Rechtin and Kevin Kimble in the 12^th and 24^th minutes. A try by Northeast #8 Bob Mc Mahon (Columbia University) in the 33^rd minute brought the halftime score to 10-5.

Second Half

The Northeast took a 12-10 lead 16 minutes after the restart when flanker Derek Lipscomb (Columbia) touched down the first of his two tries on a pushover from the five and flyhalf Gabe Cunningham (Harvard) converted.

Old Blue responded with unconverted tries by Vincent Duncan-Calendar and former Eagle Mark Griffin to give the hosts a 20-12 lead.

Elliott Rechtin’s second try extended Old Blue’s lead to 25-12 in the 34^th minute but a length of the field movement in the 40^th, touched down by the Northeast’s Derek Lipscomb, would bring the final tally to 25-17.

Northeast RFU Collegiate All Stars

Player                     School           Position
Tony Aquilina         SUNY Cortland        Scrumhalf
Mike Burbank           Dartmouth     Wing
Mike Compton          SUNY Cortland        Prop
Kyle Corbett              SUNY Brockport       Hooker
Gabe Cunningham     Harvard          Flyhalf
Nick Finger   Yale    Prop
Kyle Harris    Syracuse       Fullback
Andy Kozak SUNY Stony Brook  Flanker
Derek Lipscomb       Columbia       Flanker
Bryan McCorckle     Hobart            Fullback
Bob McMahon          Columbia       No. 8
Colin Murray             Iona    Lock
Tyler Norris    University of Buffalo     Center
Matt Papa      University of Connecticut   Hooker
Phil Pepe      Southern Connecticut  Wing
Sean Rafferty           SUNY Stony Brook  Center
Alex Reeves             Wooster Polytechnic Flyhalf
Chris Rosa    Southern Connecticut Scrumhalf
Aaron Smith St Anselms    Wing
Eric Soto        SUNY Stony Brook  Lock
Landon Turley          Brown            Lock
Shawn Verma          Iona    Center