Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The new Major League Rugby franchise in Atlanta doesn’t have a name yet, but now they have a coach. US Eagles assistant Scott Lawrence has been appointed Head Coach of the team that will officially begin play in the 2020 MLR season.
Lawrence won five caps as a flanker with the Eagles in 2006 before committing full-time to coaching. He led the Junior All-Americans to a Junior World Trophy title in 2012 and guided Life University to a D1A National Championship in 2016.
He joined the Senior Eagles staff under John Mitchell in May 2017, acting as Head Coach for the USA Select XV in the Americas Pacific Challenge. Lawrence will assume his new role upon completion of his commitments at Life, where he is currently Director of Performance.
His chief assistant has also been named. Former Eagles flyhalf Nese Malifa will take charge of the backs will also acting as skills coach. Malifa, whose twin brother Ata plays for the Glendale Raptors, won 23 caps between 2007 and 2011 and also represented the USA on the HSBC Sevens Series.
Atlanta MLR have a partnership with Tiger Rugby, whose co-founder James Walker has been hired as General Manager and Director of Rugby. Tiger will be running an identification combine at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, on the weekend of January 12.
