World Rugby Shop to Help Christchurch Recovery Efforts with Sales of New Zealand All Blacks Polo

On February 22, 2011, the world was shocked by news of the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake. The timing of the 6.3-magnitude quake could not have come at a worse time. It struck at lunchtime in New Zealand when office buildings were full and streets were packed. As a result, hundreds were injured and the damage was estimated to be in billions of dollars.

With the combined efforts of the iRB, adidas and the New Zealand All Blacks, World Rugby Shop is raising funds for the rebuilding efforts with the sale of the All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup Christchurch Relief Polo. 100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to Christchurch Relief via The Red Cross and The American New Zealand Association, Inc. (ANZA), which is an organization that funds educational programs for youth and schools in New Zealand.

Purchasing this polo allows rugby fans around the world to help the people affected by the deadly earthquake and provides a substantial and meaningful way to support one another no matter where they live or where the need is.

Bernard Frei, CEO of World Rugby Shop, said “The Rugby family is a community. New Zealand has been a magnificent contributor to the Rugby family over the years and it is right that we all get involved to do our part to support Christchurch, now. America is a wonderful, giving nation and the level on interest in helping out has been incredible. I’m glad that the iRB, All Blacks, adidas and World Rugby Shop were able to help to get this initiative off the ground. I’d also like to thank our World Rugby Shop customers who have been unflinching in their support of the global rugby community over the years”.

In the past, through similar disaster relief fundraisers, World Rugby Shop has raised funds for Hurricane Katrina victims, Haitian citizens and the people of Chile and Japan, contributing a total of more than $450,000.

If you would like to purchase your All Blacks Rugby World Cup Christchurch Relief Polo, please visit www.WorldRugbyShop.com.

Time for the Hong Kong Sevens!

This weekend sees the 5th leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series – and is the most famous of them all - the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens.

The tournament will feature 24 teams instead of the usual 16, and will be played over three days, taking place Friday March 25th to Sunday March 27th. Due to the increased number of teams the points on offer also increases with the winner of the Hong Kong edition claiming 30 IRB points.

Things are definitely heating up in the Series with both England and New Zealand tried on 80 points. The Kiwis have won two tournaments, and despite England only winning in Dubai, they have been the most consistent team making three appearances in finals. England may have the edge this time round as have always enjoyed the largest fan base inside a sold out Hong Kong Stadium. The team that lifts this weekend’s title will have some serious momentum leading into the final three tournaments.

South Africa stunned both England and Fiji in Las Vegas last month storming to their first win of the season. If the Blitzbokke can get another sparkling performance from playmakers Cecil Africa and Branco Du Preez then they could narrow the gap on the point’s table. Meanwhile Fiji and Samoa are locked on 64 points each, both capable of winning any tournament. However, Samoan coach Stephen Betham has left out his countries all time top try scorer, Mikaele Pesamino. Hopefully that decision won’t come back to haunt his side.

The USA are also due for a big outing, with the return of veteran Todd Clever a major boost for his team. Head coach Al Caravelli has done a superb job with his core group of players and are ready to produce some major upsets. Last year the Americans reached their first ever Cup final at the Adelaide Sevens, and will want to finish within the top 10 teams again this year.

The pools for Hong Kong are:

Pool A: New Zealand, France, Portugal, Korea.

Pool B: England, USA, Japan, China.

Pool C: Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, Mexico.

Pool D: Fiji, Kenya, Russia, Malaysia.

Pool E: South Africa, Wales, Hong Kong, Spain.

Pool F: Australia, Argentina, Canada, Zimbabwe.

[Click on each team above to see what items are available from World Rugby Shop!]

HSBC Sevens World Series Results

Dubai – England 29 Samoa 21

George – New Zealand 22 England 19

Wellington – New Zealand 29 England 14

Las Vegas – South Africa 24 Fiji 14

HSBC Sevens World Series Standings

Team		DUB	RSA	NZL	USA	HKG	AUS	ENG	SCO	Pts
1		ENGLAND	24	20	20	16	0	0	0	0	80
		NEW ZEALAND	16	24	24	16	0	0	0	0	80
3		FIJI	16	16	12	20	0	0	0	0	64
		SAMOA	20	16	16	12	0	0	0	0	64
5		SOUTH AFRICA	12	12	8	24	0	0	0	0	56
6		AUSTRALIA	8	6	16	6	0	0	0	0	36
7		ARGENTINA	4	8	6	6	0	0	0	0	24
8		WALES	6	6	6	0	0	0	0	0	18
9		KENYA	0	0	4	8	0	0	0	0	12
10		SCOTLAND	0	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	8
11		UNITED STATES	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6

For more information on the HSBC World Sevens Series visit the IRB website.

This Saturday, don’t miss the Hong Kong Sevens World Series LIVE @ 9pm PST/Midnight EST on-air and online only on Universal Sports. Use code "HSBC7s" to get 50% off the full series and make sure to "Like" Facebook.com/UniversalSports.

Why You Should Visit Christchurch for Rugby World Cup 2011

As you certainly know, the city of Christchurch, New Zealand was devastated by a 6.3 earthquake on February 22 this year.

On March 15th, the IRB reluctantly decided to move the seven Rugby World Cup 2011 matches scheduled for Stadium Christchurch later this year to other venues in New Zealand.

Although the decision was understandable due to safety concerns and the need for extensive repairs to the stadium, the decision is still heart-breaking for a city that displayed tremendous enthusiasm for hosting the event and, more importantly, was relying on tourism to provide a substantial economic impact on the area.

However, despite matches no longer scheduled for the city, we're calling on Rugby fans around the world to support Christchurch and visit the city anyway this Rugby World Cup.

According to NewZealand.com,

"New Zealand is a country where tourism is the number one contributor to GDP, where the Minister of Tourism is the PM - that is how important tourism is. "This is the travel community saying hey go to NZ - if there is one place that should be on your travel list this year it is NZ," says Dan Roberts of Travel Generation.

"This is something that as the travel community we can do to support not only all the businesses in Christchurch but everyone in New Zealand."

Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism says the earthquake affected just 1% of the South Island and while part of the city's central district remains cordoned off, the wider region continues to welcome visitors.

Popular tourist destinations like Akaroa, Kaikoura, the Mackenzie Country and Hanmer Springs are operating normally. Within Christchurch city, 18 hotels and lodges, 105 motels, 14 holiday parks, six backpackers hostels and 12 B&Bs are open.

Many tourism activities are also operating including the Tranz-Alpine train, Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, the Air Force Museum, Black Cat Cruises as well as hiking, horse trekking, jet boating and other adventure and sightseeing tours.

The Christchurch airport is open and fully operational. Experience the genuine, laid back kiwi spirit in a land is a microcosm of the world.

As we say in Rugby, there is a brotherhood that connects players around the world. How about extending a hand to our brothers in Christchurch this Rugby World Cup and pay a visit to a wonderful city that needs our support in this desperate time?

England aim for 6 Nations title

The Six Nations rugby competition – which features England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy – has produced another exciting year of rivalry.

Thanks to BBC America, there has been some coverage of the tournament in the United States. The network has shown several of the matches live with British hosts Michael Davies and Roger Bennett. The show has also included an American football star guest who has done a fantastic job of decoding the sport for the local audience.

France lead the Six Nations titles with five wins; England have three; Wales have won it twice; with Ireland lifting the trophy once. Currently England are the only team unbeaten and if they can defeat Scotland and Ireland in their remaining fixtures they could take the 2011 edition. England produced a clinical 17-9 victory over last year’s champions France, as well as a narrow 26-19 victory over Wales. Italy almost caused one of the upsets of the tournament against Ireland, but just fell short, going down 13-11 in a thriller. Ireland then played France in another nail biter, almost scoring on fulltime to win the match, but a knock-on gave France a 25-22 victory. Ireland kept up the close finish trend by hanging on to beat Scotland 21-18 in their most recent match.

Only six matches remain until the winner will be crowned on March 19th. Interestingly England last won the competition back in 2003, the same year that they won the Rugby World Cup.

Team	Position		W	on Draw	Lost	For	Against	PD	T F	Points
	1	England	3	3	0	0	102	41	61	11	6
	2	Wales	3	2	0	1	67	48	19	5	4
	3	France	3	2	0	1	68	60	8	5	4
	4	Ireland	3	2	0	1	56	54	2	7	4
	5	Scotland	3	0	0	3	45	79	-34	3	0
	6	Italy	3	0	0	3	40	96	-56	4	0

Six Nations 2011 Results

4 February Wales 19 England 26 (Cardiff)

5 February Italy 11 Ireland 13 (Rome)

5 February France 34 Scotland 21 (Paris)

12 February England 59 Italy 13 (London)

12 February Scotland 6 Wales 24 (Edinburgh)

13 February Ireland 22 France 25 (Dublin)

26 February Italy 16 Wales 24 (Rome)

26 February England 17 France 9 (London)

27 February Scotland 18 Ireland 21 (Edinburgh)

Six Nations 2011 Fixtures

12 March Italy vs. France (Rome)

12 March Wales vs. Ireland (Cardiff)

13 March England vs. Scotland (London)

19 March Scotland vs. Italy (Edinburgh)

19 March Ireland vs. England (Dublin)

19 March France vs. Wales (Paris)

For more information on watching the Six Nations in the USA visit BBC America.