, also known as '''
IRB North America 4''' and often abbreviated to '''NA4''', is a
North America n
Rugby Union competition launched in 2006. The competition is contested between two newly formed representative teams from each of
Canada and the
United States .
Canada West are the 2006 tournament champions.
The competition is funded by the
International Rugby Board (IRB), and is part of their three-year global strategic investment programme which is designed to increase the competitiveness of international rugby union in Canada and the United States. The tournament is intended act as a pathway to more exposure of domestic players and to the national sides (
Canada and
United States ).
The teams competing are
Canada East and
Canada West , and the
USA Falcons and
USA Hawks . Each team was founded in 2005 by the NA4 committee, comprising the IRB, Rugby Canada and USA Rugby.
See Also: Canada West (rugby team)
Coached by Tony Medina, who is assisted by Ian Hyde-Lay, Canada West won the inaugural competition. Captained by scrum-half Ed Fairhust the team won their first match 98-0, the largest win of the compeititon. Fairhurst has represented Canada at test level, as well, the team has a front row with test experience.
1
See Also: Canada East (rugby team)
Coached by Simon Blanks, with assistants Jeff Prince and Greg Thaggard, Canada East finished third in 2006 after winning the consolation final. The team was captained by Derek Daypuck who also finished their leading points scorer on 78.
See Also: USA Falcons
Coached by Jim Love who is assisted by Kevin Battle. Their captain was Patrick Bell. The team finished runners-up after losing the competition final.
See Also: USA Hawks
They are coached by Pete Steinberg, assisted by Bernie Hogan and Gordon Macpherson. The team finished last in the competition. They finished with one win from their seven matches.
The tournament consists of twelve games played over two legs. Each team plays the other twice, the top two teams then play in the competition final, the other two in the consolation final. Points are awarded for a win or a draw, four points for a win, two for a draw. Bonus points are also awarded, one for scoring four tries or more in a match, also one for losing by less than seven points. If two teams have the same number of points at the end of round robin play, then the team with the the greatest difference in points scored over points conceded is ranked higher. The competition is run by the NA 4 committee, which is made up of the IRB,
Rugby Canada and
USA Rugby , who operate and finance the competition.
The IRB is investing $
CAN 3.12 million over a three year period to establish the competition as part of the "Tier 2 initiative", which aims to promote rugby in countries where the sport is less popular.
2 The tournament was created to provide an elite level of rugby below the international level for both Canada and the United States. The IRB and representatives from both
Rugby Canada and
USA Rugby held meetings during September 2005 in
Boston ,
Massachusetts to finalise the inaugural tournament.
The
2006 Competition was held in both
British Columbia and
Columbus, Ohio .
British Columbia hosted the first leg in May, 2006, and Ohio hosted the return leg two months later, in July.
In the future, it is hoped that the competition will eventually introduce professional rugby to North America.
3 It is proposed that by 2008, cities and private owners will take ownership of the franchises. It is also proposed that the competition will expand to six teams, and then eight. Two teams are most likely to be added in 2008, most likely one each from Canada and the USA.
