Talking Rugby (Vol. 2, Iss. 7): Championship Season

Ah, that time of year again. Sunshine, warm weather, and time to hand out some championships all around the American rugby scene. In today’s Talking Rugby, we’re going to send out some shout-outs to some of the teams that claimed titles in the last few weeks.

USA Women’s 7s

The USA Women nearly matched the Men’s Title in London with a Cup Championship of their own in Amsterdam. The Women fell in the 3rd Place match to England 15-14. The Women picked up their first-ever win over New Zealand during the pool round, a historic accomplishment. While the Men have a Cup Title to their name, beating New Zealand is something that they have yet to do. The 3rd Place match against England was of more significance as it served to determine the 4th place team on the World Series and thus, the final automatic qualifier for the Olympics.

The Woman, as with the Men, now set sights on the NACRA Olympic Qualifier in Cary, NC in June. With Canada having already qualified on the Women’s side, the USA Women go into the NACRA as a massive favorite over their Caribbean competition. The Women could likely stumble their way through the tournament and still win. Here’s hoping they put every last NACRA team, that stands before them, to the sword.

ARP & PRP

In recent weeks, both the American Rugby Premiership and Pacific Rugby Premiership crowned their Champions. In the East, it was Life taking the ARP title in what was a foregone conclusion. Life was the class of the competition and led from wire to wire.

In the West, where the PRP plays a more robust season, it was an exciting season to follow the competition with a number of teams putting their hands up early in the season. Year 2 of the PRP was more competitive than the first, but in the end it was the same two characters in the final. For the second straight season, San Francisco Golden Gate took on the Glendale Raptors for the title. The difference this season was that the Raptors hoisted the title to take revenge on SFGG whom claimed the title in 2014.

Rumors of a proposed match between the ARP and PRP Champs were squashed in the past week as teams cited the costs of making the match happen as the major reason behind it not happening. An unfortunate situation, as I would have loved to see Glendale and Life play each other. That said, both sides have National team players that would have likely not been available for the match. No sense in dropping money into travel for a game that wouldn’t feature the best that both teams have to offer.

Club Rugby

No championships have been handed out yet, but the club season is getting to its business end. For some, this journey started last Fall. From D1 all the way down to D3, teams are making their push. This time of year can be tough on teams making a run at a title. I applaud every single club out there and wish all of them the very best of luck on their journeys. These are memories that will last the rest of your days.

Still, I can’t help but think that there is a better way to sort all of this out for the betterment of all of club rugby. I could write for days on the subject.

Rumors going around suggest that change is coming. Change that will certainly make some stand up and shout in rage, but changes that could be the very best for a segment of the game that isn’t really growing despite record numbers of players at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels.

Three Cheers for the Collegians

In the past month, USA Rugby has crowned champs in 15s and 7s from their collegiate ranks. From the Penn State Women bludgeoning their way to another title to a heart-thumping battle between Life and Saint Mary’s that had the Gaels winning the title. Even if you don’t want to call it a true championship (ps… it is an invitational), the Varsity Cup title match between Cal and BYU was another classic performance from the two storied sides. In the end, it is good rugby regardless and we can all cheer for that.

Over on the 7s side, Lindenwood upset favorite Central Washington and beat rival Davenport on their way to the Men’s Division 1 title. In Division 2, James Madison took down Wisconsin-Whitewater 44-20 with a second half surge to win the D2 title. In the Women’s bracket, Penn State made it a double as they beat Central Washington in the final to claim both the 15s and 7s championships.

The Unsung Heroes

I want to personally thank and send out cheers to all of the coaches, administrators, parents, and volunteers that make all of these teams and championships happen from behind the scene. An often thankless job, but just as vital as the hard work that the players put in on the field. You are the reason that rugby is growing here in America. The work that you are doing is making impressions that will last a lifetime. Well done to all of you!