The RFU Championship XV is an invitational rugby union team composed of English qualified players from the second tier competition, the
RFU Championship
The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men’s English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when ...
. The team was originally formed for a one–off match against a strong
Māori All Blacks team
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
as part of the
2012 end-of-year rugby union tests
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
. However, on 10 September 2014, it was announced that the team will be re-formed for an uncapped match against
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
for the
2014 end-of-year rugby union internationals The 2014 end-of-year rugby tests, also known as the 2014 autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, were international rugby union matches predominantly played between visiting Southern Hemisphere countries and European nations.
Brazil, Cana ...
.
The 2014 fixture will see Martin Haag, head coach of
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, take over from
Mike Rayer
Michael Anthony Rayer (born 21 July 1965) Scrum.com is a former
Bedford Blues
Bedford Blues are a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The Blues are a semi-pro ...
head coach, who led the XV side to a 52–21 loss in the Māori All Blacks fixture. On that occasion, the match was played on 17 November 2012 at Castle Park, as part of the 2012 Māori All Blacks tour of United Kingdom, where the Māori side won two from three matches; 24–32 loss to
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...
, 52–21 win over RFU Championship XV and finally a 32–19 win over the XV's next opponent Canada.
Squads
2014 Squad vs Canada
On 10 October, Martin Haag announced the first 21 players that would represent the team against Canada on 2 November.
On 16 October, James Phillips was added to the squad.
On 27 October, Haag added a further 2 players to the team, in Jonny Arr and Max Maidment.
1 It was later announced that Jonny Arr had replaced Ryan Glynn, who withdrew from the squad due to injury.
2 On 31 October, Kieran Hallett was added to the squad to replace Dan Mugford, who was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury.
The final team to face Canada was announced on the 31 October.Championship XV team to face Canada unveiled /ref>
*Head coach: Martin Haag
2012 Squad vs Māori All Blacks
Previous matches
Māori All Blacks (2012)
Coaches
*
Mike Rayer
Michael Anthony Rayer (born 21 July 1965) Scrum.com is a former
Kevin Maggs
Kevin Michael Maggs (born 3 June 1974) is a former Irish rugby union centre. He is currently a scout for the IRFU Ireland national rugby union team. He previously played for Bristol, Bath, Ulster and Rotherham Titans. Started his adult rugby c ...
2012–13 RFU Championship
The 2012–13 RFU Championship is the fourth season of the professionalised format of the RFU Championship, the second tier of English domestic rugby union competitions, played between August 2012 and May 2013.
After an appeal, last seasons ch ...
*
2014–15 RFU Championship
The 2014–15 RFU Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the Greene King IPA Championship, is the sixth season of the professionalised format of the RFU Championship, the second tier of the English rugby union league system run by the Rugb ...
*
New Zealand Heartland XV
The Heartland XV is one of several New Zealand representative rugby union teams, although it is at a lower level than the All Blacks and the Māori All Blacks. The side is drawn exclusively from players for provincial unions that compete in the He ...