As two-time defending Churchill Cup champion, the England Saxons know how to butt heads, literally, with the best rugby competition this side of the prime meridian. Like a scrum full of brutes, England regularly goes against the top squads in the world, from New Zealand and Argentina to South Africa and Ireland.
But this Churchill Cup — a three-week, six-team tournament of the best teams in the Western Hemisphere and several European stalwarts — is different. It will be the first Cup held in the United States when it starts Saturday at Infinity Park in Glendale.
“We want to play an open, expansive style,” Saxons coach Stuart Lancaster said Thursday. “It’s an opportunity for our players to express themselves. But our main challenge, beyond a tough test against Argentina, is dealing with the altitude.”
The USA Eagles and the Canada national team, longtime rivals for North American bragging rights, join Argentina as the best of the West. They will be playing against England, Ireland and Georgia.
The Saxons on Saturday take on the Argentina Jaguars in the tournament opener at 2 p.m. Canada will face Georgia in the second game.
England and Ireland are loaded with professional players. The Saxons, for example, have a pro at every position on the roster, including fly half Dan Cipriani, a standout on the London Wasps of the Guinness Premiership league, and captain lock Stuart Hooper (Bath). They also have two of the more promising young players in the world in scrum half Joe Simpson (Wasps) and prop Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers).
The U.S. team, by comparison, is led by Taku Ngwenya, a winger who stars for Biarritz Olympique in the French Top 14 league, and flanker Todd Clever, who plays for the Golden Lions of South Africa.
“We’re developing a team that’s closing the gap,” said Nigel Melville, USA Rugby chief. “The Churchill Cup will be an opportunity to benchmark ourselves against the top squads in the world.”
For the U.S. players, the Churchill Cup will be a chance for them to push back.
“There’s a big difference in power and pace,” Melville said, explaining what separates the best teams in the world. “They have a high level of physicality in Europe. So we built a big, physical squad to compete.”
The U.S. likely will sport a roster with several players who are at least 250 pounds. And Clever, from a skill position, is listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds.
But stakes are high in the Churchill Cup, and the games will be decided by more than might. World Cup posturing, international careers, pride — all are on the line.
“Our motivations are game to game. We want to win every game,” Melville said.
Churchill Cup
Six-team, 15-sided rugby union tournament
Schedule
Saturday at Infinity Park in Glendale: England Saxons vs. Argentina Jaguars, 2 p.m.; Canada vs. Georgia, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday at Infinity Park: Canada vs. Ireland A, 4:30 p.m.; USA Eagles vs. Argentina Jaguars, 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 14, at Infinity Park: USA Eagles vs. England Saxons, 1 p.m.; Georgia vs. Ireland A, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 21, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park: Championship match, 2:30 p.m.; consolation matches, noon and 4:45 p.m.
Players to watch
With professional club listed
USA
Taku Ngwenya, flyer-winger, Biarritz Olympique; Todd Clever, backer, Golden Lions
Canada
DTH van der Merwe, winger, Glasgow; Jamie Cudmore, attack, Clermont Auvergne
England
Nick Abendanon, backer, Bath; Dan Cipriani, fly half, London Wasps; Joe Simpson, scrum half, London Wasps; Tom Varndell, winger, Leicester Tigers
Ireland
John Muldoon, N8, Connacht; Neil Best, flanker, Northampton Saints
STAY ON THE COUCH
Big day for this Bird?
Mine That Bird, the longest shot to ever win the Kentucky Derby, sprinted to prominence in the first leg of the Triple Crown, then placed, barely, behind winning filly Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness.
Now for the third and final leg of the biggest North American races, Mine That Bird is back to the fore as the odds-on favorite to win Saturday’s 141st Belmont Stakes in New York. Race coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. on ABC (KMGH-7).
But more than the gelding, the jockey is the one to watch. Calvin Borel, who rode Mine That Bird in Louisville and Rachel Alexandra in Baltimore, could become the first rider to win a jockey’s triple crown on two horses. No jockey has won the three races since 1978, when Steve Cauthen rode Affirmed.
Rachel Alexandra will not race in the Belmont, which left Borel an easy choice to ride Mine That Bird on Saturday. “I’m glad she’s not running,” Borel said this week.
GET OFF THE COUCH
Cycling event really rocks.
If the Cherry Creek Sneak marks the unofficial start to the Colorado running season, then Elephant Rock certainly kicks off the cycling season.
The 22nd edition of the Elephant Rock Cycling Festival starts Sunday morning in Castle Rock, with races ranging from 7 to 100 miles.
Included is the 24 Hours of Erock relay race, which takes riders around an 8 1/4-mile loop through Greenland Open Space for an entire day.
Throw in the family rides, the parties and the benefits, and Elephant Rock is more than a series of races. It’s a celebration.
Check for information.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Great advice: Take a hike.
The American Hiking Society and hikers across the country will celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday with more than 1,500 events. At least 17 will take place in Colorado.
National Trails Day, started in 1993 in honor of America’s trail system, will include trail maintenance events, paddling, biking, horseback riding, birdwatching, running and, of course, hiking.
The area events include a Trails Day 5K in Aurora, the Arvada Trails Celebration, grand opening of East Plum Creek Trail in Castle Rock, and the Greyrock Mountain Trail Maintenance Day in Fort Collins.
Check for a full schedule and to find a trail.
AP file photo
