he International Rugby Board has revealed an exciting line-up for the fifth IRB Nations Cup taking place in the stadionul National Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest, Romania.
The key international tournament, which will be played over three match days from June 11-20, features hosts Romania, Georgia and Namibia with defending champions Scotland A, Italy A and the Argentina Jaguars completing the blend of A teams from Tier One Unions and full test teams from Tier Two Unions.
"We are delighted with the line-up for this year's IRB Nations Cup and particularly pleased to welcome Namibia back following their last appearance in 2007 and Georgia who played in last year's Churchill Cup," said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.
"The IRB Nations Cup is a very important event for our Tier Two Unions as they prepare for Rugby World Cup 2011 and equally important for Argentina who are increasing their elite playing structures in preparation for inclusion in an expanded Tri Nations tournament from 2012 onwards."
IRB Head of Development and Performance Mark Egan added: "A key element of our Strategic Investment Programme is to provide targeted Unions such as Romania, Namibia and Georgia with an expanded international match programme for their elite players."
"In addition Tier One Unions such as Italy, Argentina and Scotland find this tournament an invaluable platform for developing their A team programmes which play a very important role in expanding their pool of players capable of making the step up to full international honours."
Match Day 1 - Friday, June 11
Namibia v Romania
Argentina Jaguars v Italy A
Scotland A v Georgia
Match Day 2 - Tuesday, June 15
Italy A v Georgia
Scotland A v Namibia
Romania v Argentina Jaguars
Match Day 3 - Sunday, June 20
Georgia v Namibia
Italy A v Romania
Argentina Jaguars v Scotland A
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