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.

Despite the loss, the Eagles must be optimistic about the future contributions of new coach Scott Johnson, who was an Australia assistant coach in 2007 and joined the Eagles just before the tournament. Johnson expressed frustration with the side’s fitness, noting that “we can play forty minutes of footy” and “they were spent at halftime.” Johnson also suggested changes ahead, though, promising to “find the players that can come out of this great nation” and claiming, “We’ve got to find people that don’t use lack of money as the excuse. We want professional people, and that just doesn’t mean money. That means attitude.” in a post-match television interview.

Johnson also appears to have also brought along former Australian defensive coach John Muggleton for some quick help before Muggleton begins his tenure as an assistant with the Llanelli Scarlets in Wales. Muggleton, who was seen on the sideline for the United States in a first-half television interview, had finished with the Wallabies under stormy terms and believed that he was considered a “mungo” during his time with the Wallabies due to his rugby league history, must have been glad to visit the United States, where most don’t know what a mungo is–or what rugby league is, for that matter.

The good news is that Canada’s Under-20 side broke the North American losing streak in the Junior World Championship by beating Fiji 17-10.

The bad news is that the win put North American representative sides at 1-7 on the week. In the Churchill Cup, the United States fell to Ireland “A” 46-9 while Canada lost 17-16 to Argentina “A.” In the Junior World Championship, the United States was beaten 20-6 by Samoa and 41-14 by Scotland, and Canada’s lone win over Fiji was tempered by a 60-18 hiding from England. Meanwhile, England Counties won a rematch over a U.S. Select side 31-16, then put down a Canada select side 31-6.

And then there’s the ambiguous news. A North American side is guaranteed to win (or at least not lose in case of an honorable draw) a Churchill Cup match Saturday, as the United States and Canada are set to play for the Churchill Cup’s wooden spoon (a.k.a. the “bowl final”).

In the Junior World Championship, Canada will take on Scotland while the United States matches up with Fiji. Both of those matches are scheduled for Wednesday.

• In the Barclays Churchill Cup’s opening weekend, the United States took a 64-10 beating from the England Saxons (England’s second-level national side, previously known as England “A”), while Canada was beaten by Scotland A (Scotland’s second-level national side).
• Meanwhile, in the Junior World Championship (world championship for national teams of players under twenty years of age), the scorelines were more lopsided. South Africa cracked the ton on the United States 108-18, while Canada fell 81-12 to Australia.
• Finally, the England Counties side, a touring team put together in 2002 to provide amateur and semi-professional English players international playing opportunities, won 27-3 over a U.S. select side (essentially a U.S. “A” made up of players who did not make the U.S. Churchill Cup side).

It’s important to point out that there is no great shame in those results, as the representative sides each North American side played were packed with great players, but hopefully things will look better for the North American sides this week. In the Churchill Cup, the United States will next take on Ireland “A” on Wednesday, while Canada will face Argentina “A” on Saturday. In the Junior World Championship, the USA lines up against Samoa and Canada faces England, with both matches scheduled for tomorrow. The U.S. select side also gets one more crack at England Counties tonight.

Below are brief highlights from the North American sides’ first Churchill Cup outings. Most of the action is from the European sides, with exceptions: