FLASHINFO 137 SEPTEMBER 2012 Flash Info 137 EDITO 120902 U20 Team photo PL BUSZ AGEND ON AND OFF THE PITCH In the FIRA-AER vocabulary the term "season break" does not exist! The official 2011-2012 XV and Sevens competitions hardly finished and Beach-rugby (with 10 participating nations) took over on the pitch and the traditional seminar with the IRB for the implementation of the action plan and Grants opens the new cycle off the pitch. Another vital chapter was written with the final drafting of the 6 Nations agreement which will be submitted for approval to the Executive Committee then to the General Assembly for ratification. The Executive Committee meeting will also look at the GA preparations, homologation of venues, Grants (with the outcomes of the RDM meeting in Dublin), the recruiting of the "Commercial manager", common software for registrations, the Commissioners training course in Luxembourg, the Women's Committee meeting and the General Secretaries and NTDs course in Brussels. There will also be discussions on the attribution of development kits to 18 nations, last season 12 U17 camps, etc. Let's also mention the visit by our President Jean-Claude BAQUÉ to Latvia (promotional Olympic day combined with the Sevens tournament) and Lithuania (refereeing masters in collaboration with Patrick ROBIN), and the new headquarters in Paris nearing completion. Back to the pitch: Portugal, Spain, France, Georgia, Scotland have joined the automatic qualifiers (England, Wales, Russia) for the RWC Sevens 2013 in Moscow. Lastly, the cherry on the cake, the full success of the U20 championship in Prague, in both sporting and organisational terms, and highlights such as the single accommodation for the 8 teams, which tends to be the norm for similar top European competitions. As you can see, activities on all fronts and no break! HENRI GATINEAU 5, rue de Liège - 75009 PARIS - Tél. : +33 (0)1 53 21 15 22 / Fax : +33 (0)1 42 81 00 04 Site web : www.fira-aer-rugby.com - Email : [email protected] Table of Contents NEWS...................................................................................................................................................... 1 Alfredo Gavazzi, new President of Italian Rugby Union................................................................... 1 Hungary Kicks Off Rugby World Cup 2015 European Qualification ................................................ 1 U20 - Poland crowed in Czech Republic.......................................................................................... 2 RWC 7 2013 - The 8 FIRA-AER countries representative are known ............................................. 2 Seven's Baltic League U25 (Cross border Tournament).................................................................. 2 IRB/FIRA-AER Level 3 Coaching Course, Part 1, Madrid, 20-22 July 2012.................................... 2 IRB/FIRA-AER Level 1 Coaching Course, Liechtenstein, 14-15 July 2012 ..................................... 3 U16/U17 - FIRA-AER training camp with Denmark, Sweden and Norway ...................................... 3 IRB/FIRA-AER Level 2 Coaching Course Part 1, Bratislava, Slovakia ............................................ 3 Sweden - level 1 Match Officials course .......................................................................................... 3 Georgia - Strength & Conditioning for Rugby Training & Education, Tbilisi, 5th-7th September ..... 4 Seven's Rugby - Baltic League ........................................................................................................ 4 RESULTS................................................................................................................................................ 5 NEWS Alfredo Gavazzi, new President of Italian Rugby Union Alfredo Gavazzi was elected President of the Italian Rugby Federation at FIR's General Assembly held in Rome on Saturday, 15th September. Alfredo Gavazzi has taken over from Giancarlo Dondi, who chaired the Italian Rugby Union for 16 years serving four terms as FIR's President and who had annouced earlier this year that he would no longer stand for a further 4-year term. During the General Assembly, a very large crowd of attendees paid tribute to Mr Dondi's outstanding work and precious contribution to the growth and development of Italian Rugby and, on that occasion, Giancarlo Dondi was appointed Honorary President of the Italian Rugby Federation in recognition of his merits and achievements. Hungary Kicks Off Rugby World Cup 2015 European Qualification - European teams participate in the largest regional process - Europe central to tournament planning and success - RWC 2015 to boost Rugby in the Region The global qualification process for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England is gathering pace and next month teams from across Europe will join the party. Hungary will host Bulgaria in Kecskemét, situated 80 km from the capital Budapest at 14:00 local time on October 6 in a match that will signify the beginning of a European process that will involve 32 nations and 100 matches over two years. In 2010 Georgia, Russia and Romania - the latter via the final place play-off - advanced from the FIRA-AER European Nations Cup to secure a place at New Zealand 2011 after a captivating qualification process and this time around is set to be just as exciting as Spain and Portugal will be looking to secure places having missed out last time. It is the first time that either country has been involved in the opening regional qualification match and with the Webb Ellis Cup in attendance, the match will provide the perfect opportunity to showcase the passion and strong support of Rugby which exists outside of the world's top Rugby nations. It will also be a significant occasion for Rugby World Cup 2015 organisers, who aim to inspire greater interest and participation within Europe through Rugby's showcase event. IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "The beginning of the European qualification process is a significant landmark for Rugby World Cup 2015 from a competition and culture perspective." "This qualification process will also play a large role in engaging fans throughout Europe and cementing the IRB, ER 2015 and FIRA-AER's joint strategic objective as delivering an outstanding Rugby World Cup for Europe." The London 2012 Olympic Games showed the UK's excellent ability to roll out the welcome mat to sports fans and tourists from around the world and ER 2015 are focused on delivering an event that showcases the best of Britain, the best of Rugby and delivers a world class experience for all visitors near and far. England Rugby 2015 (ER 2015) CEO added: "It is great to see Europe embark on the road to Rugby World Cup 2015 with the qualifier between Hungary and Bulgaria in October. One pillar of ER 2015's strategy is a programme to engage and boost Rugby within Europe so the qualifier really kicks off Rugby World Cup 2015 in the Region." "We are committed to delivering the best ever Rugby World Cup to date and will be working closely with FIRA-AERs to ensure that Europe is a key stakeholder; be that through fan engagement, the volunteer programme or creating the lasting legacy for the sport post tournament." With the three years to go landmark rapidly approaching, planning and preparation for the eighth Rugby World Cup is on schedule. Already this year an initial round of assessment for potential match venues has been completed, tournament dates finalised and key appointments made within the ER 2015 organising body. On December 3, the Pool Allocation Draw will see the 12 directly qualified teams seeded into three bands according to their IRB World Rankings and then drawn across the pools, providing a fitting climax to what has been a big year in the delivery of Rugby's showcase event. Source : http://www.irb.com 5, rue de Liège - 75009 PARIS - Tél. : +33 (0)1 53 21 15 22 / Fax : +33 (0)1 42 81 00 04 PAGE 1/5 Site web : www.fira-aer-rugby.com - Email : [email protected] U20 - Poland crowed in Czech Republic Poland won the U20 2012 European title having beaten the Czech Republic in Ricany (CZ) by 44 to 8. Czech Republic second is followed by Ukraine and Hungary. Czech Republic did not satisfied the Czech crowd anf lost the final by 44 to 8. Poland has proposed during the 3 games a pleasant rugby with important progress, 22 tries scored during the competition. For the 3rd place, Ukraine and Hungary played an open game for a final score of 53 to 21 for Ukraine. Luxembourg won 1 place in ranking after having dominated Switzerland 21 to 5. Moldova has won the 7th place face to Latvia by 48 to 13. Congratulations to Czech Republic Union for the outstanding organisation. RWC 7 2013 - The 8 FIRA-AER countries representative are known England, Wales and Russia were qualified for the RWC 7 in Russia (Moscow) in 2013. The tournament in Algarve (Portugal) has given a ticket to Portugal (winner), Spain, France, Georgia and Scotland to Moscow. Seven's Baltic League U25 (Cross border Tournament) The 2012 Baltic League U25 (Seven's) was held on 11 August at Slauliai (LT) with teams from Latvia, Russia and Lithuania. This tournament had a godd sport level including Rugby' Atmosphere. The title of Baltic Champion was given to RC BaltRex Siauliai (LT) Vs RAA Latvia (LV) on the score of 28-12. The third place for RC Siauliai (LT) against RC Universitetas by 31-26 on extra time. The final ranking was completed by RC Miesnieki Riga (LV) and RC Atlanty Kaliningrad (RU) IRB/FIRA-AER Level 3 Coaching Course,