Other Rugby Cups

In the wake of the enthralling and exhilarating World Cup, you may feel slightly depressed, bored, and downright sore (that is, if you played in it). The apathy that follows a momentous event, whether in sporting or in another arena often leaves people depressed, looking for something else to which they may dedicate their time. For instance, the new release of the Backstreet Boys album "Unbreakable" has left me with many of these feelings.

But on to more relevant things.

While the World Cup may be over, there are still many tournaments to look forward to in the coming months. Indeed, things can only get better for rugby, a sport that now garners over 3 billion viewers. So here are a few of the largest tournaments and their breakdowns for you and other your friends.

The Tri-Nations Tournament is a competitive series of games including Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The games are held every summer, and have been since around 1996. Recently, countries like Fiji, Tonga, and Argentina have been trying to join the fray. The cup is exciting and traditionally New Zealand has taken home the title.

The Six-Nations is another very aggressive rugby tournament, with teams coming from England, France, Ireland, Wales, Italy, and Scotland. The tournament is held every spring so as not to conflict with the Tri-Nations. The tournament was previously called the Five Nations, until Italy joined in 2000, which begs the question as to why the governing rugby bodies keep titling their tournaments after such transient numbers.

Look for more tournaments on Wikipedia's list.

If you're really itching to see some rugby, don't lose hope! There are plenty of places you can find rugby on television. In fact, for many of these games you can watch online. If you go to my Rugby World Cup post and follow the instructions you may watch these games over the web for free. But don't forget, rugby is always much better live. Go to my post on Rugby in Durham, North Carolina, or check out USA Rugby. The world awaits.