Super Powers Cup
The IRB has announced the launch of the IRB Super Powers Cup, a tournament comprising China, Japan, Russia and the USA.
The IRB has announced the launch of the IRB Super Powers Cup, a tournament comprising China, Japan, Russia and the USA.
The first IRB Super Powers Cup will begin in April 2003 with the intriguing encounter between Russia and the USA. Five games later, on 12 July, the tournament will conclude when China take on the USA.
The four countries have a long history of sporting rivalry and the IRB Super Powers Cup allows rugby to leverage the competitive spirit between them.
The IRB firmly believes that the tournament, like the Six Nations and the Tri Nations, will act as a focal point for the development of the game in China, Japan, Russia and the USA. Furthermore, as a regular high-quality competition on the rugby calendar, it is hoped that the competition will assist these countries in closing the gap between themselves and the top-tier Member Unions.
IRB Super Powers Cup 2003 schedule>
April *: USA v Russia.
17 May: USA v Japan.
25 May: Japan v Russia.
31 May: China v Japan.
28 June Russia v China.
12 July: China v USA