PRO Rugby Preview – Ohio

This week at Americas Rugby News, we are gearing up for the start of the inaugural PRO Rugby season. Each of the next few days, we’ll be previewing a different PRO Rugby team. We’ll take a closer look at their rosters, speak with team management, and hopefully shed some more light on each of the teams as they prepare to embark on a historic journey.

First up on our schedule is Ohio. One of the last teams to be named for PRO and the only one East of the Mississippi, Ohio sits in a unique position in the competition and not just because of their geography. If any team in the competition has a chip on their shoulder, it is Ohio. Many fans and pundits sneered when the Ohio squad was announced and joked when their venue was announced to be a park in a small town outside of Columbus.

When player announcements started rolling in, Ohio didn’t get some of the more glamorous names that began to pop up on the West Coast rosters. However, what they were getting was a growing collection of players that had something to prove. Players that may have been on the fringe of the Eagles squads or only getting brief looks. Players with something to prove.

“For a lot of the players this is a second chance, so we are using this for motivation,” said Head Coach Paule Barford.

Ohio slowly but surely assembled a squad of players that reflected the hard working area of the country that they now represented. The team started to build a following that quickly surpassed their western foes. As the only squad in the eastern part of the USA, it wasn’t a big surprise to see the fan response.

Then, some bigger names started to roll into the roster with former All Black, Highlanders, and Chiefs prop Jamie Mackintosh joining Ohio. A group that looked strong in the forwards then added capped Eagles JP Eloff and Roland Suniula in the backs as well as England Saxon Dominic Waldouck. Top to bottom, Ohio has one of the more well rounded rosters in the entire competition. How it all plays out ultimately depends on how the squad comes together. The coaching staff has involved the squad in the development of their structure and game plan.

“The team is evolving as new players arrive every week,” said Barford. “Off the field we haven’t had time for a social. It’s an opportunity for all on the team players and coaches to learn with each other.”

PROP

Ohio is looking strong up front with capped Eagle Demecus Beach and Eagle pool player Angus MacLellan. The addition of Jamie Mackintosh should be a massive boost for the side. Despite only receiving one cap for the All Blacks, the massive Mackintosh is widely respected and has 89 Super Rugby appearances for the Highlanders and Chiefs to his name. His lack of more caps for the All Blacks is more a product of his competition at prop than his ability.  At age 31, this is a great opportunity for Mackintosh to lead a young group of front rows into professionalism.

The aforementioned props are joined by Anthony Parry and Cam Falcon who should see time at both prop and hooker. Parry played club rugby for Park City Haggis and Columbus RFC before signing with Ohio. Falcon has been on the cusp of an Eagles cap for sometime. He was one of three developmental players sent by USA Rugby to New Zealand in their Taranaki Development Program.

HOOKER

Falcon is joined at hooker by Dylan Fawsitt and Chris Shade. Fawsitt grew up in Ireland before playing at Life University where he was a teammate of Demecus Beach. Fawsitt, like Falcon could also see some action at prop. Schade, another Columbus RFC product, rounds out the group and provides cover.

LOCK

If there is a position in the entire competition that is lean, it is in the second row. Ohio is no different as they only have two traditional locks on their roster. Capped Canadian international Kyle Baillie leads the group and is going to be expected to put in a big effort. Baillie is also capable of playing in the back row, but is expected to see most of his time in the second row.

Pierce Dargan, an Irish born flanker, also expects to see some time in the second row as could Aaron Davis and Dominic Pezzutti. Team sources suggest that another overseas player could be brought in to fill the gap left when Nick Civetta couldn’t commit to the season in Ohio.

BACK ROW

As is generally the case in American rugby, the back row is where most teams have their most talent and depth. Ohio is loaded with back row talent which should come in handy as a few of them may be called upon to play in the second row. Dargan represented the USA at U20 level and played at Trinity College as well as Clontarf RFC before making the move to Ohio. Italian Filippo Ferrarini should bring a massive amount of experience to the back row. Only 25 years old, Ferrarini has played for Italy A as well as Parma, Aironi, and spent the last three seasons playing for Zebre in the Pro 12.

Australian Chad Joseph and Peter Malcolm provide depth at flanker. Matt Hughston could see time at both center and flanker for Ohio. The battle for the No. 8 spot should be heated as Aaron Davis, Chilean Sebastian Kalm, and Dominic Pezzutti are all capable of filling the role.

SCRUMHALF

Ohio has two solid scrumhalves. Both of which have been capped by the Eagles. Robbie Shaw is the elder statesman at 32 years old and brings a wealth of experience to the side. Shaw has put together a workmanlike professional career having played for London Welsh, London Wasps, Bristol, Leeds, London Scottish, and Esher. After being capped 12 times by the Eagles, Shaw fell out of favor. His return to the USA should provide a great deal of leadership for BYU product Shaun Davies who is looking to get back into the Eagle scrumhalf picture. Chris Saint was also set to play for Ohio, but has been moved to another team to help with the lack of scrumhalves in the competition.

FLYHALF

Flyhalf is another position in which Ohio should have plenty of competition. JP Eloff was capped four times during the most recent Americas Rugby Championship and has a ton of ability, but his future with the Eagles could be at fullback. He’ll get a push from Kiwi-born Taylor Howden, who has been a staple for Tiger Rugby in recent years. Howden is a versatile back that is capable of providing cover at almost every back line position which makes him extremely valuable. James Madison product Chris Kunkel is another versatile back and should provide depth at multiple positions.

CENTER

Ohio is loaded with depth at center. In Suniula and Waldouck, Ohio could have one of the most potent midfields in all of PRO Rugby. If Waldouck can avoid the injuries that plagued him in England he could be an absolute steal for the competition. At 28 years old this is an opportunity for Waldouck to push for a good contract overseas by showing that he is healthy and in form. Waldouck joined Wasps at the age of 17 and has been in a professional environment ever since. His experience should provide a host of benefits for the developing Ohio team.

Hughston, a product of the Charlotte RFC and South Panther Captain, has seen high level action at both flanker and center and can provide cover at both positions. Zach Stryffeler is another local product, having played for the Columbus RFC as well as Tiger Rugby.

WING

Ohio isn’t blessed with any big name wings, but has some solid performers and intriguing prospects. Ahmad Harajly opened eyes when he broke into the USA 7s roster in 2015 seemingly out of nowhere after going to a national tryout camp. At only 22 years old, the Detroit Tradesman product gets a golden opportunity in Ohio to get in contention for more time as an Eagle. The rangy wing could be a player to keep an eye on.

Mason Baum comes out of Davenport University where he was a 7s All American and has played for Tiger Rugby. Shawn Riley from Notre Dame College is a strong runner that should see some time on the wing. Alex Elkins rounds out the prospective wings for Ohio. An All American linebacker at Oklahoma State, Elkins had only played rugby in High School before walking onto his Junior College football team. A powerful 6’4″ and 240 lbs, Elkins projects as a back row forward, but has surprising pace.

FULLBACK

Ohio has a number of options at fullback with players like Eloff and Howden also capable of slotting into the position. Arkansas State product Zac Mizell is another player that has been on the edge of breaking into the Eagles in both 7s and XVs. He’s been on the ARC roster and traveled with the 7s National team. Much like many other players, PRO Rugby should be an excellent opportunity for Mizell to show his ability on a consistent basis and push his way into the Eagles squad. Allan Hanson is a local product having played High School rugby in Ohio and moving on to play at Wheeling Jesuit.

OUTLOOK

Just like all of the other PRO sides, Ohio is in uncharted territory. There isn’t any match film to review and the teams haven’t played any scrimmages. This weekend is going to be the first hit out for the teams and it may be a few weeks before fans start to see the teams evolve. Given the amount of experience in the Ohio squad and the balance they have between their forwards and backs, it’s hard not to see Ohio being competitive on a regular basis.

“We haven’t had any scrimmages or warm-ups so our first games are trials almost,” added Barford. “Our goal is positioning more players to move up to the Eagles. Sure we – especially the players and fans – would love to win a lot of games. Giving Ohio a great rugby experience and getting them to come back each week would mean we are a success.”

HOME FIELD

Ohio will play out of Memorial Park in Obetz, located on the outskirsts of Columbus. Of course there is one issue in that there is no stadium there. Temporary seating will be in place for this season.

COACHING STAFF

Paule Barford is the Head Coach, a native of England and a former player for Leicester Tigers. Barford has been active in USA Rugby for 35 years, having worked with various Junior All-American sides, the South Panthers, and most recently Cornell University. He is the most experienced coach in PRO Rugby.

Tiger Rugby co-founder Paul Holmes will play a key role as an assistant. Holmes is one of the more notable coaches in the national sevens scene and has worked with a plethora of elite athletes including several Eagles. Eamonn Hogan is the other assistant, himself a former Leicester Academy coach and notable writer of multiple rugby instructional books.

ROSTER

NAME	POS	HGT	WGT	DOB	CAPS	COUNTRY
Beach, Demecus	PR	1.89 6-2	120 265	Dec 28 1987	2	USA
Mackintosh, Jamie	PR	1.94 6-4	131 285	Feb 20 1985	1	New Zealand
MacLellan, Angus	PR	1.85 6-1	116 255	Aug 24 1992	–	USA
Parry, Anthony	PR	1.83 6-0	115 255		–	USA
Falcon, Cameron	HO/PR	1.84 6-0	112 245	Aug 18 1993	–	USA
Fawsitt, Dylan	HO	1.83 6-0	102 225	1991	–	Ireland
Schade, Chris	HO	1.78 5-10	105 230		–	USA
Baillie, Kyle	LO	1.97 6-5	111 245	Apr 7 1991	3	Canada
Pezzutti, Dominic	LO/N8	1.89 6-2	110 240	Apr 24 1990	–	USA
Dargan, Pierce	FL/LO	1.91 6-3	104 230	Nov 27 1992	–	USA
Ferrarini, Filippo	FL	1.83 6-0	103 225	Sep 7 1990	–	Italy
Hughston, Matt	FL/CE	1.90 6-3	100 220	Jul 26 1989	–	USA
Joseph, Chad	FL	1.80 5-11	91 200		–	Australia
Malcolm, Peter	FL/HO	1.85 6-1	106 235	Mar 4 1994	–	USA
Davis, Aaron	N8/WI	1.92 6-4	113 250	Jun 20 1989	–	USA
Kalm, Sebastián	N8	1.87 6-2	100 220	Jan 5 1993	–	Chile
Davies, Shaun	SH	1.72 5-8	85 185	Jun 20 1989	1	USA
Shaw, Robbie	SH	1.78 5-10	89 195	Jul 24 1983	12	USA
Eloff, J.P.	FH	1.78 5-10	84 185	May 28 1991	4	USA
Howden, Taylor	FH/CE	1.83 6-0	100 220		–	USA
Kunkel, Chris	FH/CE	1.88 6-2	104 230		–	USA
Stryffeler, Zach	CE	1.88 6-2	100 220	1989	–	USA
Suniula, Roland	CE	1.73 5-8	91 200	Dec 17 1986	17	USA
Waldouck, Dominic	CE	1.81 5-11	93 205	Sep 26 1987	–	England
Baum, Mason	WI	1.90 6-3	106 235	Aug 20 1992	–	USA
Elkins, Alex	WI	1.93 6-4	108 240	Aug 27 1990	–	USA
Riley, Shawn	WI	1.79 5-10	92 200		–	USA
Hanson, Allan	FB	1.78 5-10	89 195		–	USA
Harajly, Ahmad	FB/CE	1.93 6-4	102 225	Jan 20 1994	–	USA
Mizell, Zac	FB	1.90 6-3	86 190	1988	–	USA

FIXTURES

DATE	PDT	MDT	EDT	HOME	AWAY
Sun, Apr 17	13:00	14:00	16:00	Denver	Ohio
Sun, May 1	12:00	13:00	15:00	Ohio	San Francisco
Sun, May 8	17:00	18:00	20:00	Sacramento	Ohio
Sun, May 15	17:00	18:00	20:00	San Diego	Ohio
Sun, May 22	12:00	13:00	15:00	Ohio	Sacramento
Sun, May 29	15:00	16:00	18:00	San Francisco	Ohio
Sun, Jun 12	12:00	13:00	15:00	Ohio	San Diego
Sun, Jun 19	14:00	15:00	17:00	Denver	Ohio
Sun, Jun 26	12:00	13:00	15:00	Ohio	San Francisco
Sun, Jul 3	12:00	13:00	15:00	Ohio	San Diego
Sat, Jul 9	19:30	20:30	22:30	Sacramento	Ohio
Sun, Jul 31	12:00	13:00	15:00	Ohio	Denver