According to Rugby365, U.S.A. Eagles captain Todd Clever will captain the U.S. Invitational side that will play the Golden Lions in Los Angeles on April 13th. The move is subject to approval from his club team, the NTT Shining Arcs, but that doesn't appear to be a concern. Golden Lions Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer Manie Booysen confirmed the news and related that the Lions expect the U.S. to bring their best domestic players. In our conversation with Eagles coach Mike Tolkin a little while back he mentioned that the Lions would be bringing in seven or eight players to compliment the U.S. players. In the Rugby365 article George Smith is mentioned as one of the possible players.
Filling in as captain for the U.S. Invitational team makes perfect sense. Not only has he been the captain of the Eagles for the past several years, but he also spent several years with the Lions, appearing for the team in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup.
What do you think of the news? Are you looking forward to the fixtures?
Looking forward to the two game series with the Lions. It is an interesting opportunity. Professional level rugby that isn't an international event. The attendance figures could be very telling. I hope they are broadcast in some form. It would be a shame if the only way to see the games was to be in LA or Vancouver.
ReplyDeleteTo find out more info on the series go to www.rugbyshowdown.com
ReplyDeleteI am very excited about the Golden Lions series. We need more games like this in the US.
ReplyDeleteAll this talk about Super Rugby coming to America...then why isn't SANZAR sending these teams over to spark interest in their competition?
It is too bad that between SANZAR and Europe we can't get fixtures like this every year for our Select XV.
ReplyDeleteEvery Feburary the Selects could play a series with a Super Rugby team coupled with a camp and extended ARC. In August the Selects could play against a European team before heading into camp to get ready for the first leg of the ARC.
They should just make a US and Canada All Star combined team and comptete against a team every yr....either compete against a pro team or nation...basically a US/Canada version of the British and Irish lions...
ReplyDeleteNo Way! Bringing in the top names in International Rugby is just what we need in USA to fill the seats. You are not going to get the interest if it's USA/Canada All Stars.
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