Bill Beaumont has established an 8 Nations competition. It sees Fiji and Japan joining the six members of the annual 6 Nations tournament. The competition replaces the annual November Internationals that see teams traveling to Europe to play three or four matches. The cancellation of the matches due to COVID-19 …
Read More »MLR 7s – Complete Fantasy Rosters
The idea of a Major League Rugby Sevens tournament continues to make the rounds. A short time ago we posted Jonny Craenen’s fantasy kit designs and the most recent edition of the Rugby Wrap-Up featured a detailed discussion of what the concept might look like. We’re taking it one further …
Read More »RUNY signs Fiji 7s hardman Apenisa Cakaubalavu
Rugby United New York have continued their trend of naming one signing per week day. Their latest announcement is the signing of Fijian international Apenisa Cakaubalavu, who makes the move to Major League Rugby directly from the from the World Sevens Series. The 27-year-old from the village of Naroi on …
Read More »Qualification model confirmed for Rugby World Cup 2023
World Rugby has confirmed the qualification model for Rugby World Cup 2023. The France-hosted tournament will be a 20-team competition, operating on the same model as that of Japan 2019. As was the case in RWC 2019, RWC 2023 has eight qualifying slots. The eight successful teams will join the …
Read More »MLR 2020 Review – Old Glory DC
Not many pegged Old Glory DC as the best of the expansion sides heading into the season, and after their rude introduction to Major League Rugby even less would have expected them to be third overall and second in the East Conference when the season closed. It’s fair to say …
Read More »Full Match – Canada vs Fiji 2013
Canada played host to Fiji in the 2013 Pacific Nations Cup. The match took place at Twin Elm Rugby Park in Ottawa, Ontario and those in attendance were treated to some quality rugby. The 2013 Pacific Nations Cup was a Five Nations tournament. Involved were Canada, USA, Japan, Fiji and Tonga. …
Read More »Memorable Americas Tries – Ray Barkwill vs Fiji 2013
Ray Barkwill scored five test tries for Canada; the first of these was truly memorable. It came with the hooker featuring as a replacement for his country against Fiji in the 2013 Pacific Nations Cup. The match was played at Twin Elm Park in Ottawa. The North Americans played well …
Read More »MLR 2020 Review – New England Free Jacks
The pandemic pause button was hit just before the New England Free Jacks were set to host their first ever Major League Rugby match in Weymouth. Making it doubly untimely was that several of the team’s best players were just returning to the lineup from injury. The Boston faithful will …
Read More »MLR 2020 Review – Houston SaberCats
The SaberCats ownership didn’t wait until the end of the 2019 season to make changes. Once they knew they needed to go in a different direction, they put Paul Emerick in charge of the team and the decision paid off with a nice winning streak to close out the campaign. …
Read More »Ten Desired Test Rugby Tours: South America
International competition is healthy within the Americas. The Americas Rugby Championship and Americas Rugby Challenge have enhanced test rugby within the region. The upcoming introduction of promotion and relegation will only advance rugby in the region further. A vital part of the international calendar are the incoming and outgoing tours, …
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