It is finals time at all levels of the rugby tree in the United States, be it club, college or high school. It’s been a landmark 12 months, with unprecedented participation across all levels and movement aplenty at all levels.
In the rugby Super League, they have just witnessed one of their highest quality seasons in many years, with the expansion team, the Utah Warriors, proving to be a worthy entrant, just missing the finals series.
San Francisco Golden Gate of the West Conference, appears to be on a collision course with Life University in the East. Both have had dominant seasons, with both progressing through their respective regular season, undefeated.
The RSL board has hinted at future expansion, aiming to restore the championship to past subscription levels.
This appears to be a three to four-year plan.
It is likely, they will first look to even the numbers by bringing in a sixth Western team, more than likely in the form of the Glendale Raptors.
In college rugby, the first season of the college Premier Division is approaching its crescendo.
The season started off rather lopsided, with the usual suspects in BYU and Cal blowing away their opposition; however, as the season has progressed, it has become evident that the teams are putting in the time and effort with the overall standard rising steadily throughout.
Both, BYU and Cal look likely once again, but for the first time in a long time, there are competitors emerging that may not challenge this season but in the preceding.
Add to this, the establishment of the Atlantic Coast Rugby League (University of Maryland being the inaugural champions) for 2011 and new conferences such as the South-East and South-West, the re-structure is changing the landscape at a rapid rate.
The standards are increasing and the right structures are now being set in stone.
High school rugby is the boom area.
With an ever-increasing profile, the game is beginning to draw in athletes from football and track and field into its ranks.
Not only is this a campus-based phenomenon, but in the local media as well.
Rugby Washington has done a fantastic job, getting local coverage of their High School Championship via a weekly High Schools sports program called ‘Varsity News’.
The competitions are too numerous to recap and many are still wrapping up but rugby is in a very good place, moving into an exciting future.
Finally, as the spring season draws to a close, a congratulations to the much maligned USARFU.
Through their hard-graft, rugby is in a far healthier position than this time last season and will hopefully continue to move forward next season.
They have recently launched another initiative to complement its rookie-rugby program.
Branded ‘Rugby in a Box’ this provides inexpensive kits ($300 per unit) to PE departments.
This user-friendly unit has the potential to reach more kids than ever before and is being directly marketed to schools en masse.
gWhite
Guest
$35.00 covers just money that goes to USA Rugby. Clubs will charge more than that in dues to cover referee's fees, around $100 per game, and team kit that goes with it. My club pays $325 to cover registration fees (72.00 per player), referees fees, travel, and kit: shorts, socks, warm-up, sweatshirt. They did just land an insurance deal for $200 to cover the entire team. That will be included in that too.
BrenStap
Guest
Why is USA waiting for the Super 15 To come calling. There is Great potential to have your own Super 15 with the other Pacific nations and Japan. Its all about the feeding system of players. Nothing makes players do better if they know the sky is the limit. If they play well for say a local team in the LA league they know they will be picked for the LA Regional Team and if they play well there they could Play for the Southern Surfers which would be the regional team playing in the USA/Can League. The colleges in Ireland Play in the Club League so one under the Province. If the Colleges played each other in the college league but also competted in the local league eg calafornia, Utah, North East Leauges. Players that don't go to college would know they can still make it to the top level. If you contract national players playing over seas to regions they could compete with the region in their summer break in the 32 Region competion. Lots of 3N players play in europe and super 15 as you can't play for SANZAR countries if not playing at home. If you think that any of these ideas would work i would love to do up a plan of how it would feed in. Even though I am sure he are much better as i do not know that american sceen very well as you can tell but know how it works over here.
BrenStap
Guest
sorry for bad spelling
BrenStap
Guest
I am from Ireland and our set up would suit ye well. You have a certain amount of players paid by the USARFU and CRFU that would most likely be part time or full time but it is all on money. They are put into a certain amount of regional teams. We do province you could do state or even college. If BYU college team feed into the Utah Cugars an took in the south Utah rugby league etc. In Gaelige Football the rural areas have regional teams so places were there are just local leagues the top players form a regional team that could compet in a cup with the league teams. One issue the scotland and walsh have is the lack of loyality with the regional teams as they are either city teams or made up regions. The USA is mad into college so if they are based on the college but ovbiously not the college team there would be that loyality. The key to Irish success is the way we feed people into their max level. If you are better you move up and so on till you are at the top. Other options are you have a month tournament of say 32 regional teams from the americas. Arg, Usa and Can provide 4 each, Uragy 2 and the low countries could enter their country teams. Have it on TV for each of the countries and devided the pot. US has great potential but it has to have top players playing at a top level. Playing in a league with the Pacific, Japan and the top American countries every year or every second year would provide more high level games. Italy just by haveing two teams in the Magners will make them much better even if they get beat badly it is still better then winning mike mouse games.
kovana
Roar Pro
Is this true???
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
Mostly twitter and GGR, also busy with uni.
Dave
Guest
Nigel, We have heard that the American national rugby league has try to set up a professional rugby league competition in the USA and that they approach NBC to fund it. We laso heard that they approach NBC and using USA rugby union participation numbers to help their chances of getting professional rugby league up and running. Is it true?
Damo
Guest
Yes Nigel , you are spot on about at least one thing- the need to look at these things from the right direction. I am assuming you have been talking to JO'N? Whatever he practical problems he must see the potential of a market of 300 million people.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
Three of the four Qf games have been played with BYU accounting for Navy comfortably 64-13. Navy were below par for this game from reports. I suspect they played their final in the last regular season game against long time Academy services rivals Army. Cal easily bested Life University 43-10 and Arkansas State overcame St Mary's for the second consecutive year 30-17. Army takes on Utah in the final QF later today. Go Army.
kovana
Guest
Thought i would post this... Rugby College Premier Semis and Final to be on ESPN! May 5, 2011 "USA Rugby College Premier Division Semifinals and Final to Air on ESPN3.com, ESPNU and ESPN International" BOULDER, Colo. — The semifinals and championship game of USA Rugby’s College Premier Division (CPD) will air live exclusively on ESPN3.com and tape delay on ESPNU and ESPN International. The semifinal matches will take place at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo., and will kick off live at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET on Saturday May 14 on ESPN3.com. ESPNU will show both matches on same day tape delay basis at 10:30 p.m. and midnight ET. Live CPD Championship game coverage on ESPN3.com will start at 7 p.m. MT on May 21 from Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Kickoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. MT. The game will air on ESPNU at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday May 22. The re-air dates and times on ESPN International’s regional carriers have not yet been finalized.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
You're most welcome. I have really enjoyed your highlights packages of the entire CPD season and the ACRL final. Keep up the good work.
College Rugby Films
Guest
Thanks for the shout out WCR. You are the first media outlet to mention us so it is much appreciated!
Nigel Melville
Guest
Maybe the opportunity to sit with SANZAR Unions and discuss this would help, set up a Pacific conference with USA, Canada, Japan and a couple of Islands...looks different now...just needs to be looked at from a different perspective.
Daniel Robinson
Guest
Nigel First of all - Thank you for commenting on the roar I've found your comments to be interesting and informative. Rugby in USA has come along way by itself what realistic practical help could SANZAR or the IRB provide to USA rugby, AKA what would your wish list be from one of the power-house rugby competitions to assist further growth?
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
RF While it would be good to see the USAR assist Mexico in its development efforts, they still have a monumentus job to do in the United States before they could even consider looking at undertaking philanthropic exercises in regards to their neighbouring Unions. The IRB have been assisting Mexico with a general restructure of its Union. Additionally, Sevens has been accepted into the Mexican High School games which provides it with the impetus to spread in reach throughout each and every schools district in the nation. Mexico would be a targeted nation for mine in the next four year cycle, and I agree that building a strong Mexico would provide North America with a good regional competition.
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
RF, Good to see you back on the roar. your input has been missed. Have you been hanging out in GGR instead?
Damo
Guest
Personally I think this sort of expansion has limits and contrivance attached. Time zones are the crucial factor for Players and audiences. Local comps should limit travel to a certain time zone width. That is why the Americas idea above has merit -keep games in a similar time zone. Then the internationals could kick in and we could have a 5 nations instead of TriNations with Argentina and a North American team.
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
Nigel The 350,000 children is an impressive number. I'm interested in the recent numbers compiled detailing that over 1 million Americans participated in Rugby last year. What's the breakdown of those numbers? Also, with USAR's admission into the USOC sports list apart from accessing training facilities, what other advantages and opportunities has or will it offer in the future?
Working Class Rugger
Roar Guru
Boston and New York in the Magners League would actually be a very good idea as would a couple of west coast franchises in Super Rugby. I wouldn't rule it out. Both the NZ and Australian conferences will need to source teams to even out the competition when if rumours are to be believed that in 2013 when the Southern Kings are scheduled to enter. You could source your talent not only domestically within the USA but I'd bet there'd be more than a few Canadian rugby players keen for a shot. Furthermore, with the need to integrate Argentina into Super Rugby, two teams on the west coast would be ideal.
Nigel Melville
Guest
PS: have you heard about our Rookie Rugby programs? 350,000 kids played Rookie Rugby, a non-contact game for 6-12 year olds last year in schools and after school clubs...that's just the tip of the iceberg...