RUGBY league will take on rugby union in a mouth-watering opener to this year's York International Nines Festival next month.

York Ironsides, the side made up of the area's top rugby league players, will clash with the representatives from York RUFC in what is sure to be a classic cross-code encounter.

The pair will meet in group one of the five qualifying groups. Each qualifying group contains one seeded team, one overseas team, with the 16 British teams filling the remainder of the positions in the groups.

The tournament will take place in York over the weekend of June 21 and 22, at the Heworth Rugby Club.

Last year's champions, London Koogas were paired with Les Hussards de Paris, while much-fancied French side and joint-favourites, FC Lezignan Corbieres were drawn in group five along with the South Asia Bulls, Edinburgh, Cambridge and Lancaster.

History-making Russian team and joint-favourites Strela Kazan will join group four along with unknown team, Zuid Holland and that group will be completed by Durham, Belfast and the Royal Navy.

The top three teams from each group will qualify for the knock-out stages, and will be joined by the best placed losing team from the group stages. The ten remaining teams will enter the newly-introduced Shield Competition.

The draw - Group One: York Ironsides, East Coast Eagles, York RUFC, Carlisle Centurions, Liverpool Buccaneers, Bridlington Bulls.

Group Two: London Koogas, Les Hussards de Paris, Bristol Sonics, Glasgow Bulls, Royal Air Force.

Group Three: Avignon, West Indies Exiles, Leeds Akademiks, Worcester Saints, British Army.

Group Four: Strela Kazan, Zuid Holland, Durham Tigers, Belfast Bulls, Royal Navy.

Group Five: FC Lezignan, South Asia Bulls, Edinburgh Eagles, Cambridge Eagles, Lancaster.

Updated: 10:43 Thursday, May 22, 2003