Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Talking Rugby on back to back weeks… what? You got that right. Just couldn’t keep away.
Shall we?
The Rugby Channel Launches
We’ve been tracking the progress of the RIM-helmed streaming rugby channel since it first was mentioned last year. A few weeks ago the project showed some life as a website went live with a “coming soon” tag on it. Last week the website officially went live although without announcement. Multiple sources suggested that this was a “soft opening” and the content for the site was not yet complete. Well, RIM made it official this morning when they announced the launch of The Rugby Channel. The long awaited streaming service offers live and on demand matches from USA Rugby, College and Club Nationals, Pro 12, 6 Nations, and other international matches as well as select archived matches from past World Cups. They also advertise some news and highlight pieces which is an area of growth potential. It would be great to see some sort of American rugby show not unlike the Grassroots Rugby show out of New Zealand.
I signed up last week when it first leaked. At $4.99/month it’s not a bad deal. Right now there are more classic matches on the site than anything else. There are a few Pro 12 games as well, although I was really hoping that they were going to carry all of Pro 12 matches as no other site carries them and the Pro 12 is my favorite professional competition. At this stage it looks more like the BeIn Sports Pro 12 Game of the Week type offering with one or two games a week. The Women’s World Series is also going to be on offer which is excellent timing with the Atlanta 7s coming this weekend. Once some of the Collegiate and Club Championship content hits the stream, the site should hit stride.
The big head-scratcher for me is the fact that the site shows a full schedule of all matches from all competitions (Super Rugby, Aviva, Top 14, etc.) which is slightly misleading as the only one on offer at this time is the Pro 12. It also allows fans to tag each match and add it to their calendar. Were someone to see that, they could easily believe that they could watch all competitions.
Overall, the site is a clean design, although a bit confusing at first. The streams are solid and good quality. With an increasing amount of content, at $4.99 a month The Rugby Channel should be more than worth the cost.
Where to Watch PRO Rugby?
Speaking of streaming rugby content, there still has yet to be an announcement as to where the PRO Rugby North America matches will be available to watch. This is the final piece of the puzzle for the fledgling operation. I’m not surprised that they didn’t end up on The Rugby Channel as I think RIM is scraping the surface on starting a pro competition of their own. Another subject entirely.
PRO Rugby officials have stated multiple times that they expect matches to be available to stream for free. That would either indicate that they are going to stream through their website or use the best free for viewer sports site on the market which is WatchESPN/ESPN3. With the addition of Super Rugby this season to go along with airing the European Championship and Top 14, WatchESPN has become the go to place for streaming rugby content for American viewers. The addition of PRO Rugby to their stable of content would be a great fit.
With just over a week until the first round of PRO Rugby play, hopefully an announcement is coming soon.
Ebner Getting Closer
He didn’t make the USA 7s squad for Hong Kong, but former USA Age Grade representative player turned New England Patriot, Nate Ebner, is playing in Hong Kong. Ebner is playing for Samurai at the famed Hong Kong 10s tournament this week. It’ll be a good taste of live action against some elite talent. With his eyes set on Rio, Ebner needs to fast track back into rugby playing shape and this tournament should be a vital piece of his development. While the transition is going to be tough, his prior high level rugby experience cannot be overlooked. Ebner is far from another cross-over athlete trying to make a quick transition to rugby. If any player in the NFL had a chance to make the Olympic team it is Ebner.
Best chance is that he makes his debut for the USA during the final leg of the HSBC World Series. Competition for spots is fierce, but it seems like a good point for Head Coach Mike Friday to get a look at him on the circuit which will most closely resemble what they’ll see in Rio.
Whether he makes the Olympic team or not, this is a great story for Ebner and rugby. If you haven’t heard his backstory, please look it up. It is well worth the read.
