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Columns | 01.17.19
Deadline for Nominations is February 1, 2019
The U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame was founded in 2011 and 60 individuals and three teams have already been enshrined. The Class of 2018 included Dr. John Chase, Reldon "Bing" Dawson, Don Haider, Gary Lambert, Mike Saunders, Denis Shanagher Sr., and Alexandra "Alex" Williams.
The Class of 2019 will be honored at the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame Induction Dinner... Read More
Columns | 01.15.19
On a slow day in rugby media - make that a very slow day – when the only global article of note was about South African players dressing up as Marvel Super heroes, Rugby Today offers “Now for Something Completely Different.” It’s the blowing up of the next to last section of the old Tappan Zee Bridge that connected Westchester and Rockland Counties on the Hudson River, north of New York City
“... Read More
Columns | 01.14.19
A New Year’s resolution for everyone in rugby media, and for all others, too, is to stop using the term “sleeping giant” to describe the state of rugby in the United States. The term – now an inaccurate cliché – seems to have found a permanent home in the Anglo-Irish and ANZAC sports media. And, it is overused by many in the US media as well.
In the... Read More
Clubs | 01.11.19
Major league Rugby’s highly-anticipated second season kicks off in a couple of weeks. Friday through Sunday, all but one of the league’s nine teams are in preseason action. As week one approaches, watch this space as we examine top storylines, project breakout players and prognosticate the season.
Three big-picture narratives will dominate the MLR’s second go – sustainability, expansion and... Read More
Columns | 01.10.19
Today, an obituary for A. Jon Prusmack is in the NY Times. This posting followed a generous outpouring of sympathy and tributes from the world's rugby community on his passing. Many heartfelt comments appeared on the USA Sevens Facebook page.
An in house memorial remembrance was held last week at United World Sports, the company Jon founded that operates the USA Sevens in Las Vegas, the Penn... Read More
Columns | 01.08.19
During this early January lull of matches at home and abroad, it’s time to assess the state of key elements of rugby in the United States and compare it to remarks from years gone by. At the outset, with the cessation of Gainline, Kurt Oeler’s informative USA rugby blog that offered the community a platform for internecine comments, the drumbeats for criticism and change have all but disappeared... Read More
Columns | 01.07.19
Mark Bingham was one of the passengers on United 93’s flight on Sept. 11, 2001, who helped take down the plane before it was able to reach its target in Washington, D.C. He was gay and an active rugby and flag football player.
The new hour-long documentary from World Rugby spends time with various people in IGRAB, as well as Bingham’s mother, Alice Hogland, who has embraced the gay-rugby movement... Read More
Columns | 01.03.19
On the first page of today's NY Times"Sports Thursday," is an article that details a two-hour lecture on safe tackling delivered inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys. More than 450 Texas high school football coaches attended this seminar to familiarize the state's junior high and high school coaches with the innovative rugby-tackling system proposed by Atavus.
Atavus, a familiar name to the... Read More
Columns | 01.02.19
For the Air Force Academy in 1989, maybe it was playing in front of the home crowd. Most certainly, it was not having to play Cal Berkeley. But, after ten frustrating years with six appearances in the Final Four, Air Force triumphed in the National Collegiate final, a 25-7 victory against Cal State Long Beach.
Army defeated Penn State 18-9 in the consolation match.
In May, the Final Four was held... Read More
Audio | 01.02.19
Giant's Conscience is a new podcast featuring Rugby Today head writer Pat Clifton and contributor Jake Frechette. The two seasoned rugby journalists will talk about the news du jour in American and world rugby. On this week's episode, the guys discuss the weekend of rivalry games in the Pro 14 and a dust-up between Ireland's flyhalves, Greg Peterson's move to France, some observations from the... Read More