Backed and funded by World Rugby, the exciting new tournament will be played at Villajoyosa’s El Pantano stadium over two match days, with USA facing Brazil and then Spain playing Canada on 11 November, with a third-place play-off and final on 18 November. Tickets for both match days are now on sale.
All four nations came close to competing at Rugby World Cup 2023 and are now ramping up preparations for the next cycle of qualifying for Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia. USA, meanwhile, will host the 2031 showpiece in eight years.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Rugby World Cup 2023 has demonstrated how much our performance unions benefit from playing regularly, not only against the best teams in the world but also in competitive matches against each other.
“As well as broader discussions on the calendar, World Rugby is continuing to work extremely hard to create and fund opportunities like this, working with new towns and partners with the ultimate goal being to increase competitiveness across the board.”
Rugby in the winter sun
At the tournament’s unveiling the Mayor of Villajoyosa Marcos Zaragoza was joined by the Director General of the Federación Española de Rugby Miguel Ángel Martín, who promised “magnificent facilities, enviable weather and a city committed to supporting the event through its passion for sport and rugby”.
“This type of event puts us on the map,” added Mayor Zaragoza. “For fans desperate to watch more international rugby after the Rugby World Cup, or maybe for those who didn’t manage to get tickets for France 2023, we are here with four wonderful test matches. For us, this is a chance to promote our town and welcome new visitors from overseas.”
President of La Vila Rugby Club, Guillem Carrión said: “For four days in November, La Vila will be at the epicentre of world rugby, which is a matter of huge pride. It is unprecedented to host an international competition of this stature in Spain and the name of Villajoyosa will be beamed around the world.”
Match schedule (all times local CET)
11 November, 2023
16:00 – Match 1 – USA (18) v Brazil (26)
20:00 – Match 2 – Spain (19) v Canada (23)
18 November, 2023
16:00 – Loser Match 1 v Loser Match 2 (Third place play-off)
20:00 – Winner Match 1 v Winner Match 2 (Final)
Confederação Brasileira de Rugby CEO, Mariana Miné said: “The upcoming test matches are crucial for the development of the Tupis and Brazilian rugby. During Rugby World Cup, we are seeing the South American teams achieving great results and this encourages us to continue working hard with the aim of following in the footsteps of our neighbours. The opportunity to face other emerging teams such as the USA, Canada and Spain guarantees precious games for our long-term development, offering valuable experience for our players who need more challenging games to continue evolving.”
Rugby Canada CEO, Nathan Bombrys said: “We are greatly looking forward to sending Canada’s men’s rugby team to Spain in November. We are pleased to have two more fixtures for the team this year and know that the players are excited to be back on the pitch representing Canada. Thank you to World Rugby and the Spanish Rugby Union for their work in organising this competition.”
USA head coach Scott Lawrence said: “We’re grateful for the opportunity to spend additional time together, preparing and playing in test matches as we wrap up 2023 Project Mercury. We aimed to get the right players on board this year, and believe we have a solid core both on tour and extended through the player pool that will compete well in Spain and push positive momentum into 2024.”
Campfire Mama
Sport Trivia: Apart from a team event bronze medal in 1992, Ghana won three other individual Olympic medals in the 20th century. These were all in the same event. Which event was this? Answer: Boxing. Ghanaian boxers won silver in Rome in 1960, bronze in Tokyo in 1964, and Munich in 1972.
Fast Flak
Although there are 31 countries that play cricket in the international stage, only 12 have qualified for Test status. The first countries to acquire this status are England and Australia (1877) and the latest is Afghanistan (2018).