That “A” is a key letter in the team name, as it indicates that the side is Ireland’s second side and not the “true” side. That might imply that their matches don’t mean as much, but you wouldn’t so from looking at the Irish side as they won the tournament final 49-22 over their English counterparts, the England Saxons.

The contest between these representative sides brings to mind the broad variety in the names so many nations provide for their second-tier side. It can cause a bit of confusion, particularly given that at the club level many sides choose to refer to their first side as an “A” side and can thus misinterpret the “A” designator’s meaning at the national level. To help out any confused parties, here’s a list of prominent national second-level sides in rugby union with a brief explanation of each:

• “A” sides: In addition to Ireland, a number of other nations refer to their second side as the “A” side. Scotland, France, Italy, Wales, and Australia have all fielded “A” sides in recent years, though the latter two of these countries are not presently fielding an “A” side.
• England Saxons: The Saxons used to be referred to as England “A” (and previously as England “B,” to add to the confusion), but have been known as the Saxons since 2006.
• Junior All Blacks: Though the term “Junior All Blacks” might suggest an age-grade side, the Junior All Blacks are New Zealand’s second-grade side and do not have any age association.
• New Zealand Māori: Not technically a second-level side, New Zealand Māori can be mentioned on this list as a similar and unique national rugby union side. Players for the side are New Zealanders with at least one-sixteenth Māori heritage. Although the Junior All Blacks are New Zealand’s actual second-level side, the New Zealand Māori outfit has sometimes functioned as something similar to a second-tier New Zealand side by occasionally participating in tournaments such as the Churchill Cup and the Pacific Nations Cup in the Junior All Blacks’ stead.
• Emerging Springboks: Like the Junior All Blacks, the Emerging Springboks might sound like an age-grade side, but they are South Africa’s second-level representatives. Given that they earned a draw against the touring all-star British and Irish Lions yesterday, some might say they’ve already emerged!
• Argentina Jaguars: Like the Saxons, the Jaguars have a dedicated nickname that differs from their first-grade counterparts the Pumas.

In rugby league, officially-named second-tier national sides are featured less frequently, though there are some interesting representative sides such as:

• New Zealand Māori, which has the same eligibility requirements as the union version of the side,
• Indigenous Dreamtime, an Australian counterpart to the NZ Māori whose players are all at least one-sixteenth aboriginal in heritage, and the
• Prime Minister’s XIII, a side picked each year by the Australian Prime Minister to play against Papua New Guinea.

Hopefully that will help you keep track of all the monikers given to these second-string sides, which provide as much excitement as their first-grade versions in tournaments all over the globe each year.

Are any “A” sides missing from the list? Post a comment if so.

Those without access to ESPN360 can also see a one-hour special about the 2009 USA Sevens on the ABC network on Sunday, 22 February, at 5:00 p.m., but you’ll have to make do with this short highlight reel from the 2008 event for now:

• 7 June: New Zealand 21, Ireland 11.
• 7 June: South Africa 43, Wales 17.
• 7 June: Argentina 21, Scotland 15.
• 14 June: New Zealand 37, England 20.
• 14 June: South Africa 37, Wales 21.
• 14 June: Australia 18, Ireland 12.
• 14 June: Scotland 26, Argentina 14.
• 21 June: New Zealand 44, England 12.
• 21 June: South Africa 26, Italy 0.
• 28 June: Australia 34, France 13.
• 28 June: Italy 13, Argentina 12.

So far, then, that’s a 9-2 victory count in favor of the Southern Hemisphere. France takes one more chop at Australia this Saturday, but the trend is pretty well set. Keep in mind, though, that some of the traveling sides have been worn and depleted, and there have been some close finishes that could have easily gone the other way. All in all, though, the visitors have not fared well.

Southern hemisphere sides head north in November, where some of the same troubles tend to plague the visitors then as well.

The end result is at least one newspaper editorial calling for an end to the obligatory annual tours, perhaps to be replaced by less frequent visits of more substance and more June matches with smaller Southern Hemisphere sides. Armchair Playmaker is intrigued, but dares not comment. Do you?

Wales never looked like challending South Africa as the Springboks crushed the visitors.

And finally, Scotland had a slim two-point lead over Argentina with under ten minutes remaining before spotting los Pumas a penalty goal, a final minute try, and the win.

There are plenty of summer tour tests left on the schedule, and we have to remember that the Northern Hemisphere sides are on the road, but the end result suggests a disparity in the geographical distribution of the best sides right now. We’ll see how the rest of the summer test matches go. This weekend, Wales gets another crack at the Boks and Scotland tries Argentina out again, while New Zealand greets England and Australia hosts Ireland.

Although it’s hard to extrapolate from club competitions to test matches, the weekend also casts doubt on claims by former All Black and current Ospreys halfback Justin Marshall that the Heineken Cup is a better competition than the Super 14. To be fair, a lot of what Marshall was talking about was diversity in competitors and schedules. Then again, Marshall does have a little bit of a flair for the dramatic: