U-19 World Championship: Day Six Bulletin

IRB U-19 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – DIVISION B DAY THREE RESULTS:

Zimbabwe 7 USA 22, Queen’s, Belfast
Chile 20 Uruguay 30, Bangor
Chinese Taipei 10 Cook Islands 10, Malone, Belfast
Romania 7 Canada 15, Bangor
Russia 6 Georgia 24, Malone, Belfast
Tonga 6 Italy 8, Queen’s, Belfast

DIVISION B PLAY-OFF FIXTURES:

– Monday, April 16 –

10th v 11th – Chinese Taipei v Romania, Queen’s, Belfast, 5.30pm
9th v 12th – Cook Islands v Russia, Malone, Belfast, 5.30pm
6th v 7th – Uruguay v Chile, Bangor, 5.30pm
5th v 8th – Tonga v Zimbabwe, Bangor, 7.30pm
2nd v 3rd – Canada v Georgia, Malone, Belfast, 7.30pm
1st v 4th – Italy v USA, Queen’s, Belfast, 7.30pm

TEAMS ON THE MOVE: – Tonga players are at Ballymena RFC for the senior team’s finals day on Saturday where they will be joining the club in their end of season celebrations.

Earlier in the week the squad were at RAF Aldergrove using their gym and pool facilities. Tonga also met and exchanged gifts with the officers based there.

– Uruguay enjoy the sights of Belfast on Saturday and learn about its history when they visit the Shankhill Estate and the Peace Wall, before heading to the city centre.

– Whilst most players will be thinking only of rugby during the 2007 IRB Under-19 World Championship, earlier in the week five Canada players had scholarly matters on their minds, when they had to sit university exams whilst in Belfast.

Prop Mauro Perizzolo who attends Simon Fraser University, and University of Victoria students – out-half Nathan Hirayama, winger Scott Manning, hooker Ryan Hamilton and flanker Ian Manly – were back in college mode before their final Division B clash with Romania, whom they beat 15-7 at Bangor. The subjects included Climatology, Bio-Mechanics and Physiology, Earth and Ocean Science and English.

Canada made their way down to Dublin today. Whilst there, the team enjoyed a tour of the Guinness brewery, courtesy of the company’s sponsorship of the Canadian senior squad, and no doubt they sampled its famous product following their semi-final qualification!

– Today also saw Chinese Taipei took in the spectacular scenery of Strangford Lough. The team boarded the Portaferry ferry and made the age old crossing to Strangford, before climbing Scabo Tower to enjoy the views over Belfast.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR PLAY-OFFS: This U-19 World Championship has been very well supported and it is a credit to the Ulster rugby public that there have been impressive crowds at all six match venues, particularly at Ravenhill where Ireland’s three pool stage matches have drawn 22,688 spectators in total.

Tonight’s Division A double header – New Zealand v England and Ireland v South Africa – brought a 9,605-strong crowd to Ravenhill and further big attendances are expected at next week’s play-offs.

Tickets are now available for those games at www.ulsterrugbytickets.com – you can get a Day Pass for the encounters between host nation Ireland and Japan, and England and Argentina, at Shaw’s Bridge on Tuesday evening (kick-offs at 5.30pm and 7.30pm). The pass costs only £6 for adults and £3 for children.

Ravenhill also hosts the ‘top four’ semi-finals (Australia v South Africa and New Zealand v Wales) on Tuesday, with both matches being televised live on BBC 2 Northern Ireland. Day Passes are available from ulsterrugbytickets.com and the Ravenhill ticket office at £6 (adults) and £3 (children).

DID YOU KNOW? POOL STAGE STATISTICS: – New Zealand, runners up in 2005 and 2006, have been the top try scorers so far in this year’s tournament with 28 – more than double the next best Division A side, South Africa (12). Division B sides Tonga and Italy have each scored 16 in their three matches. By contrast, Russia have scored only one – against Canada
 
– A total of 1,404 points were scored in the three rounds of pool matches, 739 of them in Division A and 665 in Division B

– A total of 195 tries – 100 in Division A and 95 in Division B – were scored in the pool stages. Conversions were kicked by 30 different players, New Zealand’s Daniel Fitzpatrick leading the way with 12, three more than German Albanell of Uruguay

– German Albanell of Uruguay is the leading points scorer so far with 40 points, one more than Wales’ Leigh Halfpenny and Sione Toke of Tonga with New Zealand’s Daniel Kirkpatrick on 37. Japan’s Keisuke Masuda, Albanell of Uruguay and France captain Morgan Parra have kicked the only drop goals of the tournament so far

– The pool stages have seen four red cards with one apiece for Australia, Uruguay, the Cook Islands and Samoa – double the number in the entire tournament in 2006. 32 yellow cards have been handed out so far, four of them to both Russian and Fijian players

– New Zealand winger Kade Poki is the leading try scorer with five in three matches, one more than his team-mate Luke Braid, Australian pair Andrew Barrett and Blair Cooper and Tongan hooker Lepaola Taueli