A photograph taken by Andrew Orchard has been unveiled as the IRB/Emirates Airline Rugby Photograph of the Year 2007.
The announcement was made by the International Rugby Board at the launch of the IRB World Rugby Yearbook at the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens today.

The winning shot, titled ‘Commitment’ depicts a forlorn Rachel Poolman, the Wales fly half, shielding herself from the torrential December rain during her side’s 31-7 victory over Italy at Glamorgan Wanderers RFC in Cardiff, Wales in December 2006.

“Andrew’s image is particularly striking in that it encapsulates the true spirit of the Game. The fact that it was taken at night and in the pouring rain certainly adds to the atmosphere of the occasion where the commitment of the two teams really comes to the fore. This is an image that all who have played the Game at any level can relate to and is a worthy recipient of the IRB/Emirates Rugby Photograph of the Year award,”

said International Rugby Board Chairman, Dr Syd Millar.

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Defending champions Guyana have retained the NAWIRA Sevens crown after edging Jamaica 7-5 in the final of the men’s event at the Winton Rugby Centre in Nassau, the Bahamas, over the weekend.

Guyana and Jamaica had both finished top of their respective pools on each day and met in the final after overcoming Martinique 17-5 and Trinidad & Tobago 10-0 respectively in the Cup semi-finals on Sunday.

The twelve participating nations had been divided into three pools on the opening day with Guyana beating the Turks & Caicos Islands 26-5, Barbados 29-0 and Mexico 26-5 to finish top of Pool A.

Jamaica ran out Pool B winners after overcoming Cayman 24-0, Bahamas 22-5 and Trinidad & Tobago 19-12, while representative team USA South topped Pool C with victories over Martinique 31-10, St Vincent & The Grenadines 31-0 and Bermuda 40-14.

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The International Rugby Board ( IRB ) and MediaZone have announced that fans will be able to view all the matches from Rugby World Cup 2007 (RWC) online through an exciting official broadband video service, RWCPlus. The product, which will go LIVE on July 31, will be streamed through the official Tournament website www.rugbyworldcup.com.

RWCPlus will offer fans an RWC Pass that includes 24-hour delayed coverage of all 48 matches from the 2007 IRB Rugby World Cup, as well as LIVE audio feeds, match previews, halftime and fulltime highlights, interviews, and archived Rugby World Cup content for US$49.99. Individual matches are also available on a pay-per-view basis.

Existing MediaZone Rugby All Access Pass customers in eligible territories can purchase the package at a discounted rate of $39.99. Fans interested in purchasing both the RWC Pass and the MediaZone Rugby All Access Pass can buy a combined package for $139.98.

RWCPlus is produced in association with MediaZone Rugby, the world’s top provider of online Rugby video, with coverage of more than 250 live matches per year and a wide variety of additional content from highlights and previews to viewer participation forums. Together, the IRB and MediaZone will offer the most comprehensive and far-reaching coverage of Rugby’s showpiece tournament.

“Rugby World Cup 2007 promises to be the most successful Rugby World Cup to date. Ticket sales are on course to reach record levels, while the global TV audience looks set to reach the 4 billion mark. The provision of a dedicated official online video service where all 48 Tournament matches can be viewed further enhances global coverage and will ensure that more Rugby fans than ever before will be able to watch all the action," said Head of Rugby World Cup Department, Kit McConnell.

“In addition to providing online coverage of premier events like Wimbledon, the Indianapolis 500 and the New York City Marathon, MediaZone is the worldwide leader for access to Rugby online, so it is a perfect fit for us to partner with IRB to deliver the world’s biggest sporting event in 2007,” said Patrick Guthrie, MediaZone’s Director of Rugby. “We are absolutely thrilled to provide this affordable option so rugby fans worldwide can see every single scrum, lineout, ruck, maul and try while they support their favorite teams throughout the Finals Tournament.”


About the International Rugby Board

The International Rugby Board ( IRB ) is Rugby Union’s governing body. There are currently 120 Unions in membership of the IRB within six Regional Associations. The IRB funds and runs major International Rugby tournament’s all over the world including its most prestigious event, Rugby World Cup (RWC), which is held every four years. RWC is now the world’s third largest sporting event and this year’s tournament in France is widely anticipated to be the most successful in the tournament’s 20-year history. Over 2 million fans are expected to attend one or more of the 48 matches while a worldwide audience of over 4 billion will watch RWC on TV. RWC plays an important part in the global development of the Game with funds generated pumped into the Game at every level in the form of high performance, union infrastructure and tournament initiatives designed at increasing the overall competitiveness of the Game.

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