PRO Rugby to Hold First Combine

PRO Rugby North America, the new professional rugby competition launching in the USA this coming Spring, is holding their first player identification combine in two weeks. Set to be hosted in Irvine, California on December 19-20th, the combine serves to find players to fill out team rosters in their inaugural season. PRO Rugby has already announced San Francisco and Sacramento as their first two franchises and expect to release the cities for the remaining four teams in the next few weeks.

“We are very excited about hosting combines to evaluate rugby players, identify and evaluate those players that we are not yet aware of, and to allow cross-over athletics to demonstrate their athleticism,” said PRO Rugby CEO Doug Schoninger. “The response for our first combine has exceeded our expectations in both the number and quality of athletes that have applied.”

The upstart professional operation has tabbed the well known Tiger Rugby to run the combine. Tiger has been involved across the United States in identifying and developing talent for national team consideration. Tiger, along with PRO Rugby Director of Rugby Operations Stephen Lewis will administer the combine with USA Rugby coaches and local club coaches on hand.

With an estimated 30 roster spots on six teams, PRO Rugby needs around 180 players to fill their rosters. Domestic based Eagle pool players and the allotted five overseas players only make up a fraction of that number. Which leaves PRO Rugby, their coaches, and now Tiger Rugby in a position where they need to fill teams with a lot of capable players.

The California combine is the first of at least five combines that PRO expects to run over the next few months. The group expects to geographically cover most of the United States with their combines. The group is also casting a wide net and have an open invitation to both experienced rugby players and those without any prior experience.

“PRO Rugby is pleased to announce our first combine, PRO Rugby’s PRO Day. PRO Day will give high-performance athletes the opportunity to showcase both their rugby skills and athleticism, and allow PRO Rugby to offer players professional contracts”, said Steve Lewis, Director of Rugby Operations for PRO Rugby. “No previous rugby experience is necessary as we see this as a chance for athletes that are either new to rugby or who have previously gone unnoticed to show their talents”.

To learn more about PRO Rugby or to register for their combines, please follow this link.