This Is American Rugby: Video: Super 7s Full Match

This Is American Rugby: Video: Super 7s Full Match: One hope for professional rugby in the near future is Super 7s. Although a highlight reel was released a little while ago few had seen the w...

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opinion on MLS-Rugby

This is going to be as short as i can make it, dont want to get to much into this topic.

TIAR posted yeaterday an article about how the MLS of all maybe the ones who get Professional rugby going in America.

I dont believe that the MLS them selfs ( wether its is all of them or a few teams) will be the reason why Rugby finally gets off the ground here in america, but i do believe that a handful of clubs will be the ones to start up teams in a so called league and the MLS teams will be partners in one of the many groups who are "talking" about starting up a league (union). right now we have NRFL and USA Rugby who want to get tings going, and so far NRFL are the only ones who have made progress, sort of, and USA Rugby has been all talk. Now these few mls teams who are mulling over the idea of wanting in the rugby scene are probably split on which direction to go with and it maybe a few years till we see everyone jumping on board with ether of the groups. If the NRFL does get going, and teams and players are announced we may see one or two MLS owners buying in and using there own stadiums (Huston,chicago) along with various other ownerships. if they are showing "succes" after year 2 or three that's when we could see maybe Lew wolff and Fisher here in the bay area agree to placing a team in the NRFL and same with the folks up in Seattle. OR what may happen is like i said before we could see a split of owners placing teams with different groups , those owners who want to start a rugby team.


Rugby in America is in a very strange place, people need to understand that its not just the other sports rugby has to compete with to gain a foot hold here, its the fact that its the middle child of two also popular sports SOCCER and FOOTBALL. But that doesn't mean its a bad thing. Rugby has the chance to take from both sports and professional leagues. like soccer Rugby teams need to have academies to introduce the sport in there local area to younger kids and get there skills fine tuned before they are to much older but like football rugby has the physical factor and gladiator image where they can potentially suck in your average football fan and player to convert over to rugby. football players even though may not have the endurance to keep up with the fast pace of the game make up for it with the physicality of ball handling and tackling.

Do i believe that MLS teams/owners will be involved with the Growth of rugby, absolutly! but how many are willing to stand up or are they willing to start there own rugby league, who knows?
I believe that there is at lest 4-5 potential MLS owners who do or would be good fits to start there own franchise.
1) Bay Area ( Earthquakes)
2) Huston ( Dyanmo)
3) Seattle ( sounders)
4) colorado ( rapids)
5) chicago (FIRE)
6 Columbus ( Crew)

Northern California Youth Schedule (12/6)

the 2015 Northern California High school rugby scheduled has been completed, some games are subject to change. Along with the posting of the opening weeks first games in late January, LLR will also be posting for this coming season scores from United Youth Rugby and all the youth programs associated with the organization.

week one will be January 31
Varsity single school:
Dixon vs. Riordan
Clayton Valley vs Bellarmine
De La Salle vs Jesuit

Varsity Gold :
Penn Green vs. Danville
Ck Mcclatchy vs. Granite Bay
Davis vs. Jesuit
Vacaville vs. Mother lode
Hayward vs. Oakland
SFGG vs. North Bay

Varisty Silver:
Buchanan vs. Clovis
Roosevelt vs. Clovis West
Bullard vs. Fresno
Roosevelt vs. Tualre
* central valley teams will start a week earlier

Middle school Open
 Sac PD PAL vs. Granite Bay
Cougars vs. Granite Bay
North Sac . Warriors vs Mother Lode
Jr. Titans vs. Mother Lode
Chico oaks vs.Sierra Foothills
Elk grover vs. sierra Foothills
Land Park vs. Gridley
Bowling Green vs. Gridley

Girls Varsity Gold

Bullard vs.

Renegade Rugby

BOD vs.

Pleasanton

Sierra Foothills vs.

Lancers

Danville vs.

Dixon

USARL - B13's

With the still fairly recent news on USARL being granted the "sole National Federation of Rugby League"  , there was still some questions i still wanted, and im sure some of you out there wanted to know going forward. so i decided to reach out to one of the founding members the Boston 13's.I am truly excited for the recent development and very much look forward to the 2015 season and the National Team matches going forward, i also hope that going forward the League code begins to expand westward and we can begin to see the development of Rugby Union and League flourish in this country.

LLR- There is a time table to have the USARL as full members of the RLIF by 2016 and criteria that has to be met, what exactly is it that USARL must meet?

Boston 13’s- Looking at the criteria on the RLIF website (http://www.rlif.com/about-rlif/membership_criteria) the items that I assume we are still working towards are as follows:

-                   -500 registered participants (We must already be very close to this if we haven’t already achieved it)

-                  -Junior & Schools competitions

-                   -Accredited coach education scheme

-                  -Accredited referee education scheme

LLR- How about the next world cup, will USA have to go through the same qualification to participate?

Boston 13’s- In August the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) announced the qualification  details for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC). While we don’t have the full details about qualification, we do know that one team from the Americas will play in the RLWC. I’d anticipate that would be a qualification series between the US, Canada & Jamaica. All 3 nations have good domestic competitions and access to heritage players so it should be a great competition as the 2013 RLWC qualifiers were which saw the US face Jamaica and South Africa.

LLR- What everyone wants to know, what of the Tomahawks, will USARL still use the same name or essentially create a new National Team and will that team consists of more American based players?

Boston 13’s- That’s a big question on the name and one that I don’t have an answer to right now although there has been rumors that the Tomahawks name and branding is owned by a third party which might make the decision for the USARL. With regards to the team, I think it’s safe to say there will be more domestic players included going forward.

LLR- Will we see more National Team games being played going forward compared to the usual colonial cups games with Canada and just World Cup qualifications.

Boston 13’s- With the USARL just recently being accredited by the RLIF there are lots of things that will be resolved in the coming months. The national team schedule is obviously one of them but I think the rivalry with Canada is certainly here to stay. We owe them big time after the Colonial Cup game in August 2014 where an understrength USA team got beat 52-14.

LLR- Are there any AMNRL teams that has reached out to join USARL

Boston 13’s- There were five that applied right before the 2014 season but logistics meant it was too late to make it happen for 2014. I very much hope that they all applied again for 2015. I know some that have for sure.

LLR-  What headlines can we expect from the League and governing body in the coming months leading up to the start of the 2015 season.

Boston 13’s- Well hopefully you recently saw that Leeds Rhinos are holding a training camp in Florida in January and will play a game versus the USA Pioneers in Jan 11^th. You’ll certainly see announcements about new teams for 2015 as well as the competition schedule. There are also things that are being worked on that can’t be released just yet but stay tuned to www.usarugbyleague.com as well as the individual club websites for up to date information.

Napa Stormers

In my latest Q&A here on LLR the NAPA stormers are the center of attention. Founded in 2012 the Stormers have experienced nothing but amazing success for such a relatively new program, tucked away in the North Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area it is quite easy to overlook this small program in such a major rugby hot bed in America. Napa is known to be wine country and a place to visit for honeymoons or getaways, but what Napa is also slowly becoming is a Rugby Town. Thanks to the Napa valley Register residences in and around Napa last year were able to fallow there teams season, for a high school rugby team to get constantly written up in the local paper in the bay area speaks volumes to how rugby is coming to light in a very crowded Sports market.

LLR- Name and Rugby history, position held within the program?

 TT- My name is Trevor Terrill, I am one of the coaches for the Napa Stormers, and I also serve on the Board of Directors as the Vice President, in charge of marketing. I previously played prop for San Francisco Golden Gate in 2012, and 2013. I still try to sneak in a few games here an there when i'm not coaching.

LLR- When Where the Stormers founded ?

TT- The Stormers were founded in the late winter months of 2012. Our Captain, Bernard, was born and raised in South Africa. When he moved to the U.S.A he had the dream of playing professional rugby. Well when he got into high school, there wasn't a rugby team in the immediate area, and was convinced by his football coach to "start his own". Well he took the advice, rounded up some friends and started a team. They didn't have to look too far to find Head Coach Phil Hansell, but the South Africans did have to suck up a bit of pride to allow themselves to be coached by a Kiwi!

       

LLR- Why stormers?

TT- This question is kind of funny.  The Stormers name and logo inspiration comes from the South African Super Rugby Team. I think the story goes that when they were deciding on a team name, the house was divided between their favorite teams; the Cheetahs, and the Bulls. Neither side wanted to give in, and they selected the Stormers as the neutral choice! We then also found out after the club was formed, that the local Napa Valley College "mascot" was called the Storm, so it worked out just fine! Our primary colors of Navy and Gold were chosen because they were the only two colors not currently being used by another team in our league, and they look sharp.

     LLR- How has the city of NAPA and the surrounding area       embraced the club

 TT- The Napa Valley has really embraced the Stormers, it has been incredible. I think a big part of it has to do with the wine industry, and the people that come to the valley from all over the world. Rugby is one of the top sports in every other major wine growing region of the world (France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa etc.), and people from these countries move to Napa all the time to study and make wine. On average, we have had about 200+ people attend each of our home games, and our first major fundraiser last year was sold out, and saw an attendance of 300+ people. The kids love playing in front of a big crowd, and we have a jersey full of local business sponsors that support the club.

LLR- Have you found it easy or hard to recruit kids to play rugby, and how has the reception been with local high school football coaches when you try and talk to football players to come out

TT- Recruiting really has not been a problem at all. It all started with that first group of players (our founders as we call them), and getting all of their buddies to play after football was over. That very first season we played with one Varsity Silver team, and i think we had about 30 kids. Of those 30, only Bernard had ever played rugby before, and we still finished with a winning record, and our first playoff appearance. With the success of the first season, we put it out there that we wanted to field a Junior Varsity team (made of 8th-10th graders), and the boys again did their own recruiting to fill both the JV and Varsity teams. We have been pretty blessed that as coaches we have not had to do any actual recruiting, the boys have done all the work to bring the bodies in. Once they come to their first practice, they are usually hooked. 90% of our players do come from playing football in the fall, and the reception just keeps getting better. I think at first the football coaches were concerned about off-season injuries etc, but quickly realized the benefit when their players come back after a season of rugby much more confident, skilled in tackling, and fit. We have developed a great relationship with our high school football coaches.

LLR- How many kids are expected to be registered this year ?

TT- I think we are expecting about the same amount of kids to register this year as last, which would be between 50-60 for the combined two teams. Realistically, this is also what we are comfortable with as a coaching staff without having to make the decisions of adding additional teams, or reducing playing time of the field.

LLR- What division in the NorCal Youth Rugby Association do the stormers play in?

TT- We have two teams, JV Silver (8th to 10th graders), and Varsity Silver (typically 11th-12th graders), both playing in the Redwood Empire of the Northern California Youth RugbyAssociation.

LLR- Last year was a pretty remarkable year for the program, how do you being to build off of it?

TT- Last year was an incredible year. First, our Varsity team loses only one game during the regular    season, wins their first playoff game, and finishes fourth at the NCYRA championship. Then, our JV shocks us with an undefeated regular season, and wins the JV Silver Championship. Needless to say, we have definitely set the bar high for ourselves going forward. We had a fairly small graduating class last year, so fortunately we have a lot of the same player personal. The fun part is that most of our JV team has moved up, and will be trying to fit into the Varsity squad this season. We're not going to fix something that’s not broke, and stick with a similar game plan. We'll ramp up the speed a bit, but I’m looking forward to seeing this core group of guys that have been playing for three years together to show their experience and carry this team to the next level.

LLR- For those who are interested in watching a game or want to see practice where do the stormers practice and play home games ?

TT- We will start practices with our annual Kick Off Camp on November 30th at 10am at Napa High School. After that we will go into our normal practice schedule of Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights, also at Napa High. Once we get into games, we will play our home games at Redwood Middle School, or locally known as "Raiders Field" as this is the facility that the Oakland Raiders host their annual preseason camps at. It should go without saying that the fields are fantastic, and makes for a great place to play rugby.

  
LLR- Is there any news comeing we should keep an eye out for ?

TT- I think the biggest piece of news that will come out of the Stormers camp within the next couple weeks will be the announcement of our annual fundraising event, the Frosty Toss and Brewskies Corn Hole Tournament. As I mentioned earlier, this event was a HUGE success last year as we sold out a full 64 team corn hole tournament, and had a ton of fun doing it. People still talk about this event all the time, and let us know how much they are looking forward to the next one.

LLR- How can people outside of NAPA help support the Stormers this year and going forward?

TT- Its funny you ask this, because for some reason over the last 3-4 days, we have had a bizarre influx of likes to our facebook page from all over the world. Paraguay, France, Italy, Norway, Argentina, Iran and South Africa have somehow found the Napa Stormers online and are fans! If there are people that would like to support us, donations are always welcome to help off-set our low player dues, and we also recently teamed up with WorldRugbyShop.com to offer our logo'd apparel on their website. We are an official non-profit organization, so most donations to the club would count towards a tax deduction.


Twitter: @napa_stormers
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Napastormers
Website:  http://www.napastormers.com/

*now it should be noted the reason why i do these Q&A's is to help bring to light rugby programs that maybe getting over looked in other media outlets and in turn help people become familiar with these club over time and to revisit them with updates to help keep ruggers locally , nationally and internationally up to date with how these programs are doing.
with that said , i absolutely wish the Stormers all the best this coming year and hope they have another amazing season. there truly is something special being done up in the north bay and it is only going to get better.   keep eyes out for fallow up Q&A at end of season to recap how the stormers did.

American Duo Enjoying Bristol Trial

Pacific West Rugby Confrence

The Pacific West rugby conference has now released there 2015 schedule

HIGHLIGHTS: Romania-USA (08.11.2014)

SJSU 2014-2015 schedule

slightly late, but here is the SJSU Rugby club 2014-2015 schedule  going forward

All Blacks vs. USA Eagles - Highlights (Chicago 2014)

This Is American Rugby: Pacific Rugby Premiership Announces Its 2015 Sched...

This Is American Rugby: Pacific Rugby Premiership Announces Its 2015 Sched...: DENVER, CO. OCTOBER 29TH 2014 –The Pacific Rugby Premiership returns in 2015, following a hugely successful first season that raised the...

This Is American Rugby: Video & Photo Gallery: Eagles Press Conference

This Is American Rugby: Video & Photo Gallery: Eagles Press Conference: The Eagles and the All Blacks had press conferences earlier today.  Here is the video of the Eagles press conference. Take the ...

USA ROSTER V. ALL BLACKS

Men's Eagles | v New Zealand All Blacks
1. Eric Fry
2. Phil Thiel
3. Olive Kilifi
4. Samu Manoa
5. Hayden Smith
6. Todd Clever (C)
7. Scott Lavalla
8. Danny Barrett
9. Mike Petri
10. Adam Siddall
11. Brett Thompson
12. Andrew Suniula
13. Seamus Kelly
14. Blaine Scully
15. Chris Wyles
Men's Eagles | Reserves
16. Tom Coolican
17. Nick Wallace
18. Mate Moeakiola
19. Tai Tuisamoa
20. Louis Stanfill
21. Shalom Suniula
22. Folau Niua
23. Troy Hall
New Zealand All Blacks | Starting XV
1. Joe Moody
2. Nathan Harris
3. Charlie Faumuina
4. Jeremy Thrush
5. Patrick Tuipulotu
6. Victor Vito
7. Sam Cane
8. Kieran Read (C)
9. TJ Perenara
10. Aaron Cruden
11. Charles Piutau
12. Sonny Bill Williams
13. Ryan Crotty
14. Cory Jane
15. Israel Dagg
New Zealand All Blacks | Reserves
16. Keven Mealamu
17. Wyatt Crockett
18. Ben Franks
19. Brodie Retallick
20. Liam Messam
21. Augustine Pulu
22. Daniel Carter
23. Julian Savea
USAvAllBlacks | Saturday, Nov. 1
Pre-game show on Universal Sports: 2 p.m. CT
NBC Coverage: 2:30 p.m. CT
Kickoff: 3 p.m. CT

This Is American Rugby: All Blacks Name U.S., European Touring Squad

This Is American Rugby: All Blacks Name U.S., European Touring Squad: The All Blacks have named their team for their tour of the U.S. and Europe. As expected the big names will be making the trip, including ...

Spartan Rugby part 2.

As stated at the end of last weeks Q&A with James Fonda from SJSU, there was a part 2 being written up and having the final touches added on. This years team president Michael Gonzalez also answered a few questions sent over.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LLR- What preparations is SJSU taking this year to get back to the 7s nationals?

MG- We have simply put more concentration on 7's. We held two a day practices the week leading up to the beginning of school in order to be ready for our first tournament. We have also stated splitting our practices in half having by having our 7's program completely concentrate on 7's and have our newer players become prepared to played 15's.


LLR- How are the 7’s and XVs squads developed?

MG- 7's players tend to be the most experienced rugby players in the program. To get in the 7's program a player must prove himself in 15's first. Rarely do first year players to the program get to play 7's unless they have developed quickly or have had past rugby experience.


LLR- What do you think of the change  USA RUGBY made to there National 7s tournament this year?

MG- We are disappointed to see it being held in Spring. The preparation for every team will be more difficult this way since they will be concentrating on 15's in Spring. Nonetheless, we want to get there again for the second straight year.


LLR- Will SJSU also participate in the Las Vegas invitational?

MG- As of now we are not.


LLR- What “pre-season” games will sjsu play this year before conference play starts up in the winter?

MG-  Our 15's Preseason will begin in Mid November and we will only play two games. We will have home matches against Santa Clara to open up and then Sonoma to close out the Preseason.


LLR- What do you think about the new additions to the Pacific west conference?

MG- We are excited to see two solid teams in Sacramento State and UC Davis enter the conference. We had the opportunity to compete against both in 15's last season and already have gotten a glimpse of how good Sacramento States 7's is this year when we faced them at their tournament in September. Both are used to the highest of competition being former D1A teams and we look forward to opportunity of taking them down in both the 7's Conference tournament and 15's as well.


LLR- How is recruiting going this year with the beginning of a new school year?

MG- We really worked hard on recruitment this year and are excited about the talent and dedication these new players have. The numbers are not as high as we would like, but we want players who are going to make sacrifices for our program and I think that is what we have this year.

*thank you to both Michael and James for taking the time to answer these questions and helping provide some insight into the Spartan program for those who tend to over look this improving Rugby Club.

SPARTAN STRONG, GO FORWARD GO SPARTANS.

San Jose Spartans RFC part 1.

  Over the past years I have done a few Q&A's with team presidents over at San Jose State and with SJSU meaning so much to me it was only natural that I eventually have a Q&A with James Fonda. James is the current head coach and Pacific west conference commissioner. San Jose State is enjoying a big upswing, more then at any other time in recent history of the program. SJSU 7's side is more competitive then ever before and last year for the first time ever the Spartans made it to the USA 7's national tournament . This year they don't only hope to replicate last years success but plan to push further in the national tournament.


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LLR- Besides the  west coast 7s tournament will SJSU also be looking to go and play in Vegas for the invitational or any other 7’s tournament.  

 

JF- The Spartans will be playing in the Battle in the Bay as well as the Pacific Western Rugby Conference Tournament. 

 

 

LLR-Do you like that USA rugby has moved there 7s national tournament , is this a good or bad move.

 

JF- I am not sure about it yet.  It is something that is being in conjunction with big and better things.  It really depends on travel costs for the teams who make it to both 7's and 15's National Runs.

 

 

LLR-What went into the decision to adding the new teams to Pac west conference, what do these new teams help bring to the conference.  

 

JF-The real decision on having Sac State and UC Davis was too get back into making a solid competition again.  The competition is great right now and these two schools just add on to this.  Anyone of these teams can beat each other.  This makes it a tough competition and a little less travel.  There is no reason for teams to travel long distances where the competition is here.  We are looking to add one more school that can deliver on that. 

 

 

LLR- A while ago you and I spoke briefly about some issues going on in college rugby. One of the topics I wanted to ask your opinion on is the college ranking system. There are those sites out there that have taken upon them self's to rank programs and place them on a ranking system 1-25, what is your thoughts and is the current ranking system the best we can do?

 

JF-I believe there should be a ranking system.  Currently there is none.   It should be governed by USA Rugby.  Other sites can have their polls which is like they do with NCAA football.  A Conference Commissioner Poll is something I would like to see as well.  Conferences need to do a better job on reporting scores on a timely manner so that USA Rugby has more info for them to make their decision.  I think also that the ranking should be done by divisions.  

LLR-Has SJSU taken 7s more seriously, how are practices over the summer & fall conducted ?

JF-We take all of our rugby seriously. Coaches have had to adapt the most.  We spend more on 15's because there is more to be done there.  The goal is the same whether it is 15's or 7's.  Practices have gone well and we have some very promising young players.  

LLR-The Spartans play Stanford every year in one way or another and same with Santa Clara, why hasn’t CAL come up on the schedule?

JF- Stanford is in our conference so we play them every year like you mentioned.  We have not played Santa Clara in two years and we plan to play them.  As for Cal, we will be playing them in 7's but not in 15's.

LLR-Last few questions, are there any trips planned or being discussed to travel around the USA or over seas to play other college programs?

JF-Not at this time.

 

LLR-What’s your  own opinion on the ALL Blacks test match against the USA being played in Chicago on November 1st?  

JF-I think it is great.  The All Blacks are the greatest and it is great to see them on US soil.  I would love to have the USA host the world cup in the future.  

 

     
LLR- Is it time to stop the Varsity Cup, DI & DIAA labels and just form everyone into one division, if college football can rank, schedule games, and have conferences for the 100(+) DI football programs , why can’t rugby achieve the same in America?

JF- The Varsity Cup is their own separate entity. So, I am not sure about their status unless they are loosing some teams.  As for USA Rugby the D1 and D1AA are already starting to blend.  We are the same path as college football but we have heaps of work to do just as long as USA Rugby does not change the main structure we will get there.

 

LLR-Does SJSU have a relationship with youth programs and any Men’s clubs in the area?  

JF-We do and we try to help out teams as much as we can.  

 

 

LLR- Last question, if college rugby was at the point where you are able to go in a recruit players such as college football, what can be said about the program to convince those high school players around the country to come play rugby for the Spartans.

JF- San Jose State Rugby is becoming more and more popular with a winning environment.  The program is more than a social sport as we are trying for a national championship year after year.  There is a proud well established program that only is interested in men who want to be a part of that, a Spartan tradition.  




*part two will be released in the coming days, team president Mike Gonzalez answers some more questions. If you wish to fallow the Spartans there are plenty of ways to keep in touch and up to date, if you wish to contact James and find out more information about the growing program then visit www.sjsurugby.com

 

Destination Sevens: Australia's Gold Coast, Round 1 of Rugby Series!

Destination Sevens: Australia's Gold Coast, Round 1 of Rugby Series!

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USA 7S SQUAD NAMED

CHULA VISTA, Calif. – Following the latest of the three Men’s Eagles Sevens High Performance Camps, Head Coach Mike Friday has selected the traveling squad for Gold Coast Sevens, the first stop of the 2014-15 IRB HSBC Sevens World Series.
Sixty-one athletes were tested and pushed to the limits at the Olympic Training Center at camps held throughout the summer. The 12 selected for Gold Coast Sevens have proved to the Eagles coaching staff they can help the team pursue Olympic qualification.
“There have been some tough decisions in putting this 12 together and I have to hand it to those boys that have gained selection for the hard work they have put in over that last few months,” Friday said. “Whilst non-selections are disappointing to the boys that have missed out, it will fuel their fire to push on and compete for the next tour as competition makes for a healthy squad and an honest, hard-working environment.”
Familiar faces on the team include Residency Eagles Andrew Durutalo, Nic Edwards, Carlin Isles, Zack Test, and Maka Unufe. Perry Baker will be making his first appearance on the Sevens World Series circuit, while Danny Barrett will be available after his trial at Aviva Premiership’s Gloucester Rugby. Garrett Bender, who was selected to three of last season’s tournaments, will also travel to Australia.
Dartmouth College’s Madison Hughes was named captain by the coaching staff. The 21-year-old scored 98 points in three Series stops last season.
“Madison is a selfless player who has both the respect of the squad and the ability,” Friday said. “He is not a shouter but understands the game and speaks with authority, calmness, and clarity on what he wants from the boys and has shown the leadership in driving the squad in what we are looking to achieve with the ball and without the ball.”
Pat Blair and Folau Niua help flesh out the squad, while Peter Tiberio will make his first appearance for the Eagles since the 2011-12 Series.
“There is a good balance of physicality and power, as well as obvious pace in this squad, and I am looking forward to seeing where we are on our journey from ‘participants to contenders’ on the Sevens World Series,” Friday said. “We know it’s going to be immensely tough with the traditional super rugby powers on the sevens circuit of New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji, England, Australia, and Samoa, and our immediate aim is to become an opponent that these teams are nervous to play against.”
The Eagles were drawn into Pool D with Argentina, Canada, and England for the Oct. 11-12 Series opener. The Eagles held a 1-0-7 record combined against the three opponents last year, who each claimed a top-10 spot in the 2013-14 Series standings.
With the 2014-15 Series set to determine four participants for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the Eagles cannot afford a lackluster start as in previous years. Since the 2010-11 Series, the Eagles have not gained more than six of a possible 20 points from the first circuit stop.
“We fully expect there to be bumps on the journey, but they are the bruises to getting better and it is how we react to these obstacles as we need to be resilient and stay on task and move forward,” Friday said.
The Eagles will kick off their season against border rival Canada Friday, Oct. 10, at 6:12 P.M. ET. Watch Gold Coast Sevens on Universal Sports and follow live match updates on Twitter by following @USARugby.
Men's Eagles Sevens | Gold Coast Sevens
1. Garrett Bender
2. Andrew Durutalo
3. Zack Test
4. Nic Edwards
5. Pat Blair
6. Madison Hughes (C)
7. Folau Niua
8. Peter Tiberio
9. Danny Barrett
10. Maka Unufe
11. Carlin Isles
12. Perry Baker
Men's Eagles Sevens | Non-Traveling Reserves
Aladdin Schirmer
Pila Taufa
Mike Te'o
Men's Eagles Sevens | Gold Coast Sevens
v Canada - Friday, October 10 - 6:12 P.M. ET
v England - Friday, October 10 - 8:51 P.M. ET
v Argentina - Saturday, October 11 - 12:07 A.M. ET

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This Is American Rugby: Top Teams Gather For West Coast 7s: Many of the top teams on the West Coast will gather at Cal Poly this weekend for the West Coast Sevens. The tournament is the first st...

Rugby supports Autism Awarness

I want to be clear from the beginning this is not a For Profit campaign, this is purely to help support the growing community businesses who are set up to help families and those who have autism and to help bring awareness to the Autistic community.

My daughter who is 4 years old was recently diagnosed with being mild Autism also preciously known as Asperger's , and from the start we, my wife and I, have been running from support group to support group in hopes of getting our daughter in rolled in any forms of therapy. sadly our insurance will not help because she is not sever enough, and we are waiting on local clinics in getting back to us if they are even willing to help. thus far Parents Helping Parents have been a small miracle in what seems like a never ending battle for anyone to just help us.

 Rugby is my biggest passion and I wanted to bring both worlds together by engaging both passions I now have to help raise as much funds possible to give back to local organizations and non profit companies and to help bring more awareness to the entire Autism spectrum, sever or mild everyone deserves the best there is out there.

so will you please join me in helping me Fund my campaign to help give back to many support groups and non profit organizations out there such as PHP and many others out there by simply placing a order in for a T Shirt , there will be no money withdrawn from your account until my goal of 55 shirts have been sold. once the Goal is met then your shirts will be processed and shipped out to you.
http://teespring.com/llrugby

Espanol Rugby Mexico Preguntas y respuestas

Al ser un mexicano-americano (y alemán) la decisión de querer hacer un Q & A era natural, por supuesto, ha sido un tiempo en llegar, pero por fin tengo el Q & A entre la vida del amor de Rugby y la Unión de Rugby de México. Francisco era muy lo suficientemente amable para sacar tiempo de su apretada agenda para responder a algunas preguntas que tocan en todos los niveles de rugby con en México, y también compartir sus pensamientos sobre las conversaciones de tener un horario "Global" y cuando pudimos ver la hombres y los equipos nacionales de mujeres que compiten en el escenario de los mundos.

 LLR- Para aquellos que no son conscientes, lo que es su nombre y título con FMRU y cuánto tiempo has estado involucrados con el rugby en México?

Francisco Echeguren (Presidente FMRU). He estado trabajando en el Rugby desde hace 24 años y 3 años como Presidente FMRU.
 

LLR- ¿Cuántos usuarios registrados hay?

FE- Más menos 4.900 registrados y alrededor de 2100 sin registrar 

LLR- Rugby nunca ha sido un tema candente en México, pero últimamente parece que el deporte está creciendo cada vez más, por qué es eso, lo que está contribuyendo?

FE-Una organización de liderazgo de FMRU y los principales clubes del país que da estructura a los concursos y programas para el desarrollo y la educación de entrenadores, árbitros y administradores. La inclusión de este deporte en los juegos nacionales de la juventud y en el circuito de los Juegos Olímpicos. También el apoyo financiero de la IRB y Conade (Ministerio de Deportes de México)
 

LLR- ¿Qué tan grande de un momento es que en México la historia del rugby con la M (U) 19 niños XV equipo nacional ganador del campeonato NACRA.

FE-Es algo que viene natural después del trabajo y los esfuerzos de años anteriores, una mejor organizar los programas y el desarrollo de una estructura más del campeonato Sub-19 con los juegos de la juventud ha sido un impacto en el número de jugadores y la calidad de los mismos. Los resultados han dado la validación a las personas detrás de ellos y esto espero dar un impulso en el próximo proceso.
 

LLR- Con la aceptación en el ranking IRB qué la Federación ha planeado para comenzar a subir y entrar en el estado T2?

FE-La primera será continuar con una línea de la estructura de trabajo que integra el local con las competiciones nacionales con la ayuda de patrocinadores locales para dar una exposición marchitan al rugby en México. Además de tener más competiciones en las que los equipos nacionales están implican, para que sean más competitivos en el terreno internacional. Alta con un grupo de atletas se especializan en el deporte, se centran en la preparación de los equipos nacionales con una preparación desde su juventud.
 

LLR- En volver a la juventud, la mejor manera de hacer crecer un deporte y conseguir mejores jugadores es conseguir la mayor cantidad de niños pequeños jugando, ¿qué pasos y hay un plan para llegar a más jóvenes involucrados en Rugby?

FE-Creo que los dos grandes factores en esto son la inclusión del rugby dentro de los Juegos Nacionales de Juventud con u16, u19 y u23 en varones y u19 y u23 en las mujeres, y las presencias del programa entrar en Rugby
 

LLR- ¿Y el fútbol femenino, ¿cómo es el lado femenino del juego creciendo, los jóvenes y los más viejos?

FE- Para rugby ahora mujer en México sólo se han estado desarrollando en 7 de, la inclusión de dos categorías en los Juegos Olímpicos Nacionales para que los jugadores más jóvenes, y el equipo nacional ha sido más competitivo, ganando el Campeonato del Caribe y ha invitado a los torneos importantes como Hong Kong.
 

LLR- Otro equipo nacional también ganó un campeonato de este verano, los hombres ganaron el sietes Saratoga, cuántos 7s torneos hace equipos nacionales participan en anuales (hombres y mujeres) y ¿hay planes para participar en la serie de sietes mundo se detiene?

FE-Para el equipo masculino será alrededor de 9 torneos y para el equipo femenino 6. Los equipos están creciendo y que será el deleite en participar de nuevo en la serie sietes mundo, el equipo masculino ha sido en los EE.UU. el 7 de, y Hong Kong en unos pocos ocasiones, y le encantaría ver de nuevo junto con el equipo femenino.
 

LLR- ¿Qué es un calendario realista que se desea lograr tener calificar tanto de hombres como de mujeres para la Copa Mundial de Rugby de xv y tener las Selecciones Nacionales de 7 participan en el Circuito Mundial de Seven con regularidad?

FE-El equipo de los hombres será de 9 años para XV años de y 5 años para el 7 de. En las mujeres esperamos que será de alrededor de 12 años y XV de 7 en 7 de.

 

LLR- Ha habido un gran debate aquí en los estados en el paisaje constante y desigual competencia de la universidad, cómo se establece la competencia de la universidad en México?

FE-Por el momento se encuentra en un estado de desarrollo (estado de la competencia de 10 de lado) ha habido un gran crecen en los equipos involucrados (de 4 a 36) en los últimos años.
 

LLR- ¿Qué tan involucrado está FMRU en la competencia de la competencia y el club de la universidad

FE-Está totalmente involucrado en la organización de los torneos y el desarrollo de nuevos equipos.
 

LLR- ¿Cómo funciona el FMRU obtener su financiación y cuál es su presupuesto annual

FE-CONADE, IRB, Patrocinadores, y auto-ingreso.
 

LLR- NACRA es el organismo que rige el rugby regional, ¿cómo ha NACRA tenido éxito hasta el momento y lo que más hay que hacer?

FE- NACRA como líder estratégico en el desarrollo del rugby en la región y también por la organización de los torneos que ayudan como plataforma para las competiciones internacionales más grandes han sido excelentes, y también por el miembro de la federación más pequeña que ayuda a tomar cursos del IRB en todo el mundo para su desarrollo ha sido un gran aporte en el rugby local.
 

LLR- Argentina ha hecho un buen trabajo ayudando a naciones hermanas de América del Sur a desarrollar allí escena rugby y dar las naciones vecinas partidos dignos, ¿hay alguna presión de los miembros compañeros NACRA conseguir Canadá y EE.UU. para jugar partidos contra otros países de la región, como sus seres Bahamas y Jamaica?

FE-La EE.UU. y Canadá envían equipos representativos de la NACRA 7 Campeonato de EE.UU. y envían un equipo regional para la competencia de la XV. También siempre han albergar diferentes equipos nacionales para sus torneos locales (Serevi 7 de entre otros), e invitar a sus cursos para ayudar al desarrollo de personal bien preparado dentro de los sindicatos y federaciones de la zona. 

 

LLR- últimas preguntas se centran en el rugby en todo el mundo, ¿cree personalmente que es mejor para el rugby de tener una competencia calendario global?

FE-Será lo mejor; lamentablemente es un tema difícil debido al clima, la cultura, etc
 

LLR- ¿Va a ti mismo oa los demás asistirá al partido de los All Blacks en Chicago?

FE-No voy a estar allí, pero unos amigos de México lo haré.
 

LLR- ¿Qué tamaño de un efecto dominó que podría tener con la ampliación de rugby en México si los EE.UU. o Canadá, donde a la tierra el 2023 o 2027 copa del mundo?

EF-Tendrá un gran impacto, algunas personas de México ya están haciendo el esfuerzo de ir a las copas del mundo en el pasado, por lo que tenerlos tan cerca sin duda aumentará el número de mexicanos que asistieron a la competencia, y también, si es posible para México será sede de un partido sin duda traerá más atención al rugby en el interior de México.

 

LLR- Última pregunta, hace poco hubo un gran pedazo hecho en Chock López en Canadá acerca de su experiencia de jugar al rugby hasta el momento y lo que va de nuevo a jugar con la selección nacional sub-19 de este pasado campeonato NACRA, podríamos ver más jugadores como él va a otros países para adquirir experiencia y lo mismo para el equipo nacional masculino, ¿hay un esfuerzo para que los jugadores más de mar para participar en una mayor competencia y, a cambio de volver y ayudar a impulsar el NT para una graduación más alta.

FE-Hay algunos jugadores con experiencia similar a la de Chock, algunos jugando en Canadá y los EE.UU., y teníamos un jugador en Nueva Zelanda y otra en Francia, pero han sido más por iniciativa personal.

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 que ves ahora México está en muy buena posición para tener Rugby realmente crecer y convertirse en una potencia regional para ayudar a competir contra Canadá y EE.UU., porque el rugby es tan cruda hasta la Federación tiene la oportunidad de modelar Existen programas y sistemas de los que dentro y fuera de la región que trabaja para otros países de zapatos similares o un poco más adelante. Estoy de acuerdo con la tabla de tiempo para los hombres y las mujeres de competir a nivel internacional, hay muchas grandes cosas que suceden con el juego y su crecimiento en México. más y más niños jóvenes están recurriendo a Rugby y programas universitarios están empezando a aparecer en las universidades de todo el país. Siempre he dicho que el fin para Canadá y EE.UU. a ser aún mejor y subir más alto en el IRB puntuación (antes del Mundo de Rugby) que necesitan tener los sindicatos que rodean competir en un nivel superior, Nueva Zelanda o Inglaterra no serían quienes son ahora si Irlanda, Escocia o el sur de África y Australia, donde los sindicatos débiles y no había nada para alentar a los jugadores a querer tener un mejor desempeño contra rivales más débiles. sino porque Irlanda es fuerte y Sudáfrica puede competir, empuja a los jugadores de los All Blacks y Inglaterra sean y se esfuerzan por ser aún mejores jugadores de rugby. Si México, Jamaica, Bermudas y otros en NACRA dónde mejorar y crecer allí juegos al mismo nivel que EE.UU. y Canadá y luego ambos países tendrían una razón para empujar allí respectivos jugadores para ser mejor, para llegar a los clubes a organizar mejor ellos auto de y lo más probable es realmente conseguir la bola rodando en una competición profesional (cof cof NRFL?) y enderezar el elefante feo en la sala, la instalación de juegos de la universidad.

* si quiere mantenerse al día con Rugby en México hay un montón de maneras de barbecho hay crecimiento.

1) mexrugby.com

2) Twitter:Rugby_Mexico

3) Instagram: rugby_mexico

4) Facebook: www.facebook.com/RugbyMexicoFMRU

Mexico Rugby Q&A

*HABRÁ UNA TRADUCCIÓN AL ESPAÑOL EN ESTA SEMANA PARA LOS QUE DESEEN LEER ESTO EN Española

Being a mexican american (and german) the decision to want to do a Q&A was only natural of course, It has been a long time coming but I finally have the Q&A between Life Love Rugby and the Mexican Rugby Union. Francisco was very gracious enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to answer some questions that touch on all levels of rugby with in Mexico, and also share his thoughts on the talks of having a "Global" Schedule and when we could see the men's and women's nation teams competing on the Worlds stage.

LLR- For those who are unaware, what is your name and title with FMRU and how long have you been involved with rugby in Mexico?

Francisco Echeguren (FMRU President). I have been working in Rugby for the last 24 years and 3 years as FMRU President.

 

LLR- How many registered members are there?

FE- More less 4,900 registered and around 2,100 unregistered

 

LLR- Rugby has never been a hot topic in México but lately it seems that the sport is growing more and more, why is that, what is contributing?

FE- An organize leadership from FMRU and the main clubs of the country giving structure to the competitions and programs for developing and educating Coaches, Referees, and Administrators. The inclusion of the sport in the national youth games and in the Olympics circuit. Also the financial support of IRB and Conade (Mexican Sports Ministry)

 

LLR- How big of a moment is it in México rugby history with the M(U) 19 boys XV national team winning NACRA championship.

FE- It’s something that comes natural after the work and efforts of previous years, a better organize program and the development of a more structure u19 championship with youth games have been an impact on the number of players and the quality of them. The results have given validation to the persons behind them and this will hopefully give a boost in the next process.

 

LLR- With acceptance into the IRB rankings what does the Federation have planned to start climbing and break into the T2 status?

FE- The first will be continue with a structure line of work that integrates the local with the national competitions with the help of local sponsors to give a wither exposure to rugby in Mexico. Also to have more competitions in which the nationals teams are involve, for them to be more competitive in the international ground. Added with a group of athletes specialize in the sport, focus in preparing for the national teams with a preparation since their youth.

 

LLR- In going back to the youth, the best way to grow a sport and get better players is to get as many young kids playing, what steps and is there a plan to get more youth involved in Rugby?

FE- I think the big two factors in this are the inclusion of rugby inside the National Youth Games with u16, u19 and u23 in males and u19 and u23 in females, and the presences of the program Get Into Rugby

 

LLR- How about the women’s game, how is the female side of the game growing, youth and older?

FE- For now female rugby in Mexico have only been developing in 7’s, the inclusion of two categories in the National Olympics Games to bring younger players, and the national team been more competitive, wining the Caribbean Championship and been invited to major tournaments like Hong Kong.

LLR- Another National Team also won a championship this summer, the men won the Saratoga sevens, how many 7s tournaments does National teams participate in yearly (men and women) and are there any plans to participate in the World sevens series stops?

FE- For the male team will be around 9 tournaments and for the female squad 6. The teams are growing and we will be delight in participating again in world sevens series, the male team have been in the USA 7’s, and Hong Kong in few occasions, and we will love to see it back along with the women’s team.

LLR- What is a realistic timeline that you wish to achieve to have both men’s and women’s qualify for Rugby world cup xv’s and to have the 7’s National Teams participate in the sevens world series regularly?

FE- The men team will be 9 years for XV’s and years 5 years for 7’s. In women’s we hope it will be around 12 years XV’s and 7 in 7’s.


LLR- There has been great discussion here in the states on the constant and uneven college competition landscape, how is the college competition set up in Mexico?

FE- By the moment it’s in a state of development (been the competition of 10’s aside) there have been a great grow in the teams involved (from 4 to 36) in the last years.

LLR- How involved is FMRU in the college competition and club competition

FE- It’s totally involved by organizing the tournaments and the development of new teams.

 

LLR- How does the FMRU get its funding and what is their annual budget

FE- CONADE, IRB, Sponsors, and self-income.

 

LLR- NACRA is the regional rugby union governing body, how has NACRA been successful thus far and what more needs to be done?

FE- NACRA as a strategic leader in the development of rugby in the region and also by organizing the tournaments that help as platform for bigger international competitions have been excellent, and also by helping member of the smaller federation to take IRB courses around the world for their development have been a great contribution in the local rugby.

 

LLR- Argentina has done a good job helping fellow nations in South America develop there rugby scene and give surrounding nations worthy matches, is there any pressure from fellow NACRA members to get Canada and USA to play games against other countries in the region, such as your selves Bahamas and Jamaica?

FE- The USA and Canada send representative teams to the NACRA 7’S Championship and USA send a regional team for the XV’s competition. Also they have always host different national teams for their local tournaments (Serevi 7’s between others), and invite to their courses to help the development of well-prepared staff inside the unions and federations of the zone.

 

LLR- Last few questions focusing on rugby around the world, do you personally think it is best for rugby to have a global calendar competition?

FE- It will be the best; unfortunately it’s a hard topic because of weather, culture, etc.

 

LLR- Will you your self or others be attending the ALL Blacks match in Chicago?

FE- I will not be there but some friends from Mexico will.

 

LLR- How big of a ripple effect could it have with expanding rugby in Mexico if the USA or Canada where to land the 2023, or 2027 world cup?

FE- It will have a great impact, some people from Mexico are already making the effort to go to world cups in the past, so having them so close will certainly will increase the number of Mexicans attending the competition, and also, If possible for Mexico to host one match will certainly bring more attention to rugby inside Mexico.

 

LLR- Last question, recently there was a great piece done on Chock Lopez in Canada about his experience playing rugby thus far and him going back to play for the u19 national team for this past NACRA championship, could we see more players like him going to other countries to gain experience and same for the men’s national team, is there an effort to get players over sea’s to participate in higher competition and in return come back and help propel the NT to higher ranking.

FE- There are some players with experience similar to Chock’s, some playing in Canada and the USA, and we had one player in New Zealand and other in France, but it have been more by personal initiative.

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you see now México is in great position to have Rugby really grow and become a regional power to help compete against Canada and USA, because rugby is till so raw the Federation has the chance to model there programs and systems from those in and outside the region that works for other countries in similar shoes or a little ahead. I agree with the time table to have the men's and women's competing internationally, there are many great things happening with the game and its growth in Mexico. more and more youth kids are turning to Rugby and college programs are beginning to pop up on universities all over the country. I have always said that In order for Canada and USA to become even better and climb higher in the IRB Rankings (soon World Rugby) they need to have the surrounding unions compete at a higher level, New Zealand or England wouldn't be who they are now if Ireland, Scotland or south Africa and Australia where weak unions and there was nothing to encourage those players to want to perform better against weaker opponents. but because Ireland is Strong and South Africa can compete, it pushes the All Blacks & England players to be and strive to be even better Rugby players. If Mexico, Jamaica, Bermuda and others in NACRA where to improve and grow there games to the same level as USA and Canada then both those countries would have a reason to push there respective players to be better, to get Clubs to better organize them self's and most likely really get the ball rolling on a professional competition (cough cough NRFL?) and straighten up the ugly elephant in the room, the college gaming setup. 

 

 

*if you want to keep up with Rugby in Mexico there are plenty of ways to fallow there growth.

1) mexrugby.com  

2) Twitter: @Rugby_Mexico

3) Instagram : rugby_mexico

4) Facebook: www.facebook.com/RugbyMexicoFMRU

 

*THERE WILL BE A TRANSLATION INTO SPANISH IN THE COMING WEEK FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO READ THIS IN Española

HABRÁ UNA TRADUCCIÓN AL ESPAÑOL EN ESTA SEMANA PARA LOS QUE DESEEN LEER ESTO EN Española