United States of America: State of Rugby

[RC]

Yeha, there are problems in american rugby, but from what i've seen in just the past few years, there are some real positives to be had as well.
You've had a few of your players move to Europe (Hercus, Ngwenya etc.) and they've been given a chance to play very high quality rugby consistently. To even experience HEC rugby for one season as a pro must do you a world of good.
But, looking more to a fundemental point of view, i am seeing so many more american teams touring wales these days.
I mean, Canada (ever since i can remember as a school boy) has always sent teams of all ages here to play, but in the past 2 or 3 years i've seen a meteoric rise of kids from high school and i've had plenty of encounters with male and female rugby tours from universities as well.

Maybe what america needs is an icon, a rugby hero.

Nate, where are you?

 

[Brodizzle]

Get Jonah playing in the US and there's your icon, I'm sure even the yanks know him...

 

[RC]

Yeah, I mean it sounds like a stupid idea, but how much Croatia enjoy tennis before Ivanisevic came through Wimbledon as a wildcard and won it in a storming final.
If America had a person they could relate to like that (e.g. Someone skinning Habana and others on a regular basis) then i'm sure the news would quickly be picking up on this american protege, thus hopefully encouraging an interest in the country.

 

[O'Rothlain]

I'm right here, and I'm so ready to be that Icon.

Ha.

Yeah, problem with American Rugby is few players here know of international rugby. You can't really talk teams, or competitions, let alone players. Oh, everyone knows about the Haka, but seriously, it's still hard to have a real conversation about international rugby. The sport itself is growing, but I feel it's a bit out of touch with the rest of the rugby community. It's a bit isolated. Most teams adopt their foreign coach or players favourite teams or whatever, but can't really tell you anything other than "Oh, South Africa are the best rugby team ever, wouldn't you say?" And, no offense, I'm like "No." Then they reply with "that's not what so and so said" and I have to be all like, well why don't you go look it up and read. Then they looked all shocked and confused as if rugby information were still to be passed down by oral tradition as if we are stuck in 250BC.

We're a bit out of touch here. "Jonah Lo-who? " That's what you'd most likely get.

 

[RC]

I'll sort that out!
Come summer time, i'll teach all of you!!!
Mwahaha...ahem.


Ooh, there should be an advert advertising magners league games on Setanta sport...you know, a time when there will be lots of people watching. It doesn't cost much to have an advert on during the superbowl, does it?

 

[melon]

I'll sort that out!
Come summer time, i'll teach all of you!!!
Mwahaha...ahem.


Ooh, there should be an advert advertising magners league games on Setanta sport...you know, a time when there will be lots of people watching. It doesn't cost much to have an advert on during the superbowl, does it?
[/b]

Nah, only US$2.4 Million for a 30 second slot. Works out at 80 grand a second. Peanuts.

 

[thegoods14]

Yeah, I mean it sounds like a stupid idea, but how much Croatia enjoy tennis before Ivanisevic came through Wimbledon as a wildcard and won it in a storming final.
If America had a person they could relate to like that (e.g. Someone skinning Habana and others on a regular basis) then i'm sure the news would quickly be picking up on this american protege, thus hopefully encouraging an interest in the country.
[/b]

I agree with that. If the U.S. team won some high profile games against big teams, it would at least make the papers. Look at it this way, before Lance Armstronag started to win all of those Tours, all the TV time it got was a few hours on Saturday afternoon. Now, every stage is televised and shown twice sometimes three times a day. Also, someone mentioned Setanta sports. Im pretty sure that it is a station that you have to buy extra like HBO. So some people wouldn't have access to it to watch the Intl. rugby games.

 

[DR749]

I have been involved on a limited basis in rugby in the Midwest of the US. My college was in Div I (Palmer) and I currently help out as a trainer/team doctor (chiro) and physio for a Div III team in the midwest (the Fox Cities Gargoyles). I would love to work with a DI team in the UK, it would be my goal. Rugby seems pretty strong here, we have youth, women and high school teams that are already developed. But it seems to be stagnent.



I would love to see a pro series develop, but I look at the pro Lacrosse league, or even the pro soccer league and it still a very niche market. A summer time sport like rugby would be great, but we also had the XFL, an "extreme" version of the NFL that failed after one year, run by one of the biggest marketing firms in the way of the WWE, the wrestling group.



Someone asked about rugby on the east coast, due to the Scottish and Irish immigrents. I know I was checking out the Seacoat rugby team in New Hampshire when I planned to move out that way for a chiropractic practice. That seemed to be a pretty big organization.



Logistics will always be an issue. We would have to set up regional divisions first and play more locally, with maybe the top teams from each division then traveling cross country for some sort of playoff. If we go full-on national right off the bat, the travel I feel would be a big hurdle. What is nice about rugby that you dont see with other professional stick and ball sports in the US is sponsorship. If we get the major sponsors on board, it would make things much more easy.



Doc

 

[DR749]

I forgot to mention that pro rugby is getting more attention here in the states. The Munster v Eagles game appeared to be quite popular and I had heard talks that the All Blacks and England were planning a game here. The World Cup games were available on the Vs cable network along with Setanta. So, public awareness of the sport is at least there, something to grow with.

 

[RC]

...and I had heard talks that the All Blacks and England were planning a game here. [/b]

Now that is actually a very good idea.
If you're looking for a way to try and get a sport integrated into a country that doesn't fully accept it, you've got to promote it with some teams who are already established in the sport and can put on a good display.
I mean, look at what the NFL have done in Britain. They played in Wembley (was it the giants and dolphins? Can't quite remember...) and it totally sold out. They have already scheduled another game for next season in wembley and even Cardiff is bidding for a game the season after.
Rugby League has done the same thing by bringing a weekend of games to wales. Where the sport should be big, but it just hasn't kicked off yet.

So whoever had the idea of bringing England and the All Blacks to play there should stick to this plan and not only that, but then try and get the bigger teams (like new zealand etc.) to play the eagles on a regular basis.
The last top 10 team i can remember going out to USA to play against te Eagles was Wales a few years back in the summer, and not even then did they send out a full team.
This is not how rugby should be treated in America. The America vs Wales game was not hugely popular and it goes to show - either go all in or not at all.
Would wembley have sold out if it was 2 teams from NFL Europe playing?
Hardly.

 

[Flyin Ryan]

^ You can get people to show up for the circus, that's not the hard part. It's getting people to care about where the circus came from or where it goes to next that's the hard part.

I think people need to sit down and figure out what the goal is. If the goal is to create a winning World Cup side, we can buy off enough good young players to immigrate and create a killer side alongside the few players we develop in the NA4/8 competition that is played in front of 14 spectators. But that doesn't necessarily mean anyone here would care, and I don't think anyone in the rugby universe really wants a world champion in the sport whose populace couldn't give f*** all about it. Heck, I'd love to play the sport just for fun but the closest club to me is 60 miles away and it's not like I live in the sticks either.

If the goal is to grow the sport, do it through the colleges, get on smaller TV coverage, get Sevens in the Olympics cause people will then watch it and go "wow, this sport is a lot like football but is very free-flowing" as their introduction to the game. There's no silver bullet. Soccer thought after the 1994 World Cup that they could create a pro soccer league and people will flock to it with little to no effort. There was a novelty factor but after that wore off the league had significant growing pains and became a punchline to jokes, and I don't think any American on this board would state rugby is anywhere close to soccer's stature in this country currently.

Get regular rugby on TV and the sport will receive a novelty interest from watchers. For this to happen, Setanta is going to have to give up their PPV money, and I'm not holding my breath. NA4: even if you make it NA8, the tournament is nothing more than a welfare check unless there's TV coverage and an audience develops that follows it.

 

[O'Rothlain]

Rugby in America is on course. It's not going to take off and be mainstream anytime soon. I honestly believe we need to focus on the task at hand and quit starring off so far into the future wishing it were today.
We must improve rugby on the grass root level. USA Rugby would be wise to offer coaching clinics, ect for current coaches. Let's improve our game, raise awareness and we'll see great results. The sheer number of people that know a little about rugby today, compared to 10 years ago when I started is amazing enough to me. We are a growing sport and people are starting to take notice. We just have to give it time and all improve our game, our techniques and our strategies.

 

[Busko]

I think the problem with rugby in the US is pretty much the same problem football (or as they for mysterious reasons call it Soccer) was facing.

After the football world cup something started moving for it, a new tournament has been held and after ten years of very intelligent development it's starting to be profitable (e.g. it's not losing millions monthly and people are suddendly starting to populate the stadiums).

And i think american rugby enthusiasts can be pretty optmistic, all is needed is a serious management and a "on the game" approach, organizing from the children playin' after school to the national championship.

 

[jeffb]

Would Americans watch Rugby League. Would that not appeal more to the Amercan public, more than Union??



Jeff

 

[fcukernaut]

The last top 10 team i can remember going out to USA to play against te Eagles was Wales a few years back in the summer, and not even then did they send out a full team.[/b]

It's not quite to your point but the best team to come to north america outside the All Blacks in the early 1900's had to be the Maori in 2003. It was a stacked team with guys like Carl Haymen, Greg Feek, Christian Cullen, Ron Cribb, Rico Gear and Troy Flavell. Just thought I'd throw that tidbit out there. Mind you they only played Canadian teams.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

It looks as though the Eagles have found their new head coach:

Former Wales caretaker coach Scott Johnson is set to take charge of the United States team.

BBC Wales understands his appointment will be confirmed this weekend, a fortnight after he turned down a chance to join the Cardiff Blues.

The Australian has been offered the head coach's role of the American Eagles by USA Rugby chief executive Nigel Melville.

[/b]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_unio...lsh/7307336.stm

He'll be a high calibre appointment who'll bring the Eagles skill levels way up.

 

[excitation]

I disagree. USA rugby has come along way since the beginning of the professional era. And they've had the better of thier neighbours, Canada, in recent years. The sheer size of the US makes them high up on my future potential list. But like you said, it'll take awhile. Americans need to buy an atlas and see that there's a world outside thier 'world'.

And about that creating a rivalry with another nation thing, I think England or Argentina will be their rivals one day. BTW which country do the US have the longest rugby history with?
[/b]

Better then the Canadians?

You are joking right? the qualifier for the last world cup Canada stomped the US by 50 points... actually Canada has beaten the US by a 90 point spread the last two international tests.

University of British Columbia just beat the #1 ranked US college team UC Berkley, with basically has 15 times the student population and is the best US team by far. So' you' better check you stats and read up as you said the US should do.

 

[O'Rothlain]

<div class='quotemain'>
I disagree. USA rugby has come along way since the beginning of the professional era. And they've had the better of thier neighbours, Canada, in recent years. The sheer size of the US makes them high up on my future potential list. But like you said, it'll take awhile. Americans need to buy an atlas and see that there's a world outside thier 'world'.

And about that creating a rivalry with another nation thing, I think England or Argentina will be their rivals one day. BTW which country do the US have the longest rugby history with?
[/b]

Better then the Canadians?

You are joking right? the qualifier for the last world cup Canada stomped the US by 50 points... actually Canada has beaten the US by a 90 point spread the last two international tests.

University of British Columbia just beat the #1 ranked US college team UC Berkley, with basically has 15 times the student population and is the best US team by far. So' you' better check you stats and read up as you said the US should do.
[/b][/quote]
I always forget they have a country up there until they beat us in rugby...

 

[USA_Rugby]

http://www.thegreenhead.com/imgs/canada-am...t-tshirt-sm.jpg


lol

 

[RC]

Woah, if the comments are true, that America really have contracted Scott Johnson to be their national coach then they really are starting to take these things a little more seriously.
It's great to see they are throwing a bit more money at the game, because America are surely a team that has to be recognised soon.

Wales will be touring America in the summer of '09, i wonder if gatland will stick to the same "we're only sending 1st teams on tour" attitude, but I'm sure Scott will relish the opportunity to play against Wales.