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This June will see an extensive schedule of international matches for the rising forces in world Rugby.
A key part of the IRB-supported programme is the IRB Nations Cup, which will be held in Romania and features Emerging Ireland, Russia, Uruguay and the host nation.
The round-robin competition will be played across three match days – June 13, 18 and 22 – at the Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest.
The tournament, which was first played in 2006, plays an important high performance role for participating nations and for the ongoing growth of Rugby in Romania.
With the IRB Tbilisi Cup in Georgia, an expanded IRB Pacific Nations Cup and a strong programme of international matches for Samoa, Fiji, USA and Canada against Tier One Unions, the top Tier Two nations will again be exposed to a highly-competitive June Test schedule as they build towards Rugby World Cup 2015.
IRB Head of Competitions and Performance Mark Egan said: “We are already starting to see the benefits of an expanded June Test match programme for Tier Two nations, and I have no doubt that this year’s IRB Nations Cup will be a highly competitive tournament, with Romania looking to defend its title.”
“The IRB is committed to assisting Tier Two Unions close the competition gap to Tier One through a combination of investment in high performance programme support and a £3.3 million investment in competition structures for the senior national teams. The IRB Nations Cup plays a major role in that objective.”
President of the Romanian Rugby Union Alin Petrache said: “I’m very excited that this prestigious event will be held in Romania. We have a tradition of organising the IRB Nations Cup in Bucharest and I hope that this year we will have a very successful and competitive tournament.”
IRB Nations Cup 2014 Fixtures (all times are local)
Friday, June 13
17:00 – Emerging Ireland v Russia
19:00 – Romania v Uruguay
Wednesday, June 18
17:00 – Emerging Ireland v Uruguay
19:00 – Romania v Russia
Sunday, June 22
17:00 – Russia v Uruguay
19:00 – Romania v Emerging Ireland
