Lisbon's Universitario de Lisboa will provide the backdrop for the inaugural IRB Nations Cup, which gets underway in Portugal on Tuesday evening. The exciting new tournament involving A sides from Tier 1 Unions Argentina and Italy as well as Tier 3 Test sides Portugal and Russia will be played in a round-robin format over three match days.

The fourth new tournament to be introduced by the IRB this year, the Nations Cup is aimed at providing an expanded match programme for Tier 1 A sides, while also allowing the flexibility to provide a high standard of international rugby for Unions such as Portugal and Russia.

Exciting format

While the tournament composition is not set in stone (the IRB hope to introduce more A sides from 2007), the present format provides the perfect opportunity for tier 3 unions to test their mettle against strong opposition.

For hosts Portugal, the competition not only represents an important developmental tool, it also presents the opportunity to heighten the profile of the Game in a country where interest in Rugby Union is on the increase, underlined by Portugal's formal expression of interest to tender for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009.

"Hosting the inaugural IRB Nations Cup is extremely exciting, said Portugal coach Eduardo Carvalho. "The competition presents a great opportunity to continue the preparations for our Rugby World Cup 2007 qualifying campaign as the three games over the next two weeks in Lisbon will give the players invaluable experience in a high level competition."

Developmental tool

For Argentina A and Italy A the tournament represents a unique chance to have a look at a number of players on the periphery of Test selection in what is a competitive camp environment against quality opposition.

Both Italy and Argentina are running A sides for the first time in several years, and the unions will use the tournament as a development tool for up and coming players, giving them exposure to a competitive tournament environment.

Indeed, between the two squads there are just nine players who play their rugby outside of the country of their birth, highlighting both unions' desire to blood locally-produced talent.

"We are very excited about participating in this new tournament," said Argentina A head coach Patricio Noriega. "The players involved are reserves for the Test squad and this is a great opportunity for them to develop in a competitive tournament environment and press a claim for a Test place."

Massive investment

New IRB tournaments such as the Nations Cup, Pacific 5 Nations, North America 4 and Pacific Rugby Cup are all a key part of the IRB's US $50 million investment in the Game through the Strategic Investment programme. Aimed at increasing the overall competitiveness of the Game at Test level and Rugby World Cup, the IRB hopes that increased exposure

Round One of the IRB Nations Cup kicks-off when Argentina A face Italy A and Russia face hosts Portugal in Lisbon on June 13. Two further rounds will be played over a two-week period before the inaugural IRB Nations Cup champions are crowned.

IRB Nations Cup schedule

June 13 16:00 Argentina A v Italy A Estadio Universitario de Lisboa, Lisbon
June 13 18:00 Portugal v Russia Estadio Universitario de Lisboa, Lisbon
June 18 15:00 Argentina A v Russia Estadio Universitario de Lisboa, Lisbon
June 18, 17:00 Portugal v Italy A Estadio Universitario de Lisboa, Lisbon
June 24, 15:00 Italy A v Russia Estadio Universitario de Lisboa, Lisbon
June 24 17:00 Portugal v Argentina A Estadio Universitario de Lisboa, Lisbon