The rebranding of the IRB to become World Rugby is an important part of rugby changing its image from being a sport played in certain countries to being one of global importance. Founded in 1886 the International Rugby Football Board was the body created to act for the sport’s affairs …
Read More »Tough choices ahead for Middleton
Canadian fans shouldn’t be alarmed with this past weekend’s result in North Carolina. The writing was on the wall long before the teams showed up. A win would have been a considerable upset, and if we’re honest, it wasn’t even close. The Eagles were comprehensively the better side. Unfortunately this …
Read More »Forward Thinking (Vol. 1, Iss. 1): Italy Adjusting to life without Argentine Players
With the creation of the PladAR system in Argentina the regular exodus of players abroad has become significantly reduced when compared to what it once was. Players continue to link up with European clubs of a variety of levels but the number of players staying in Argentina has been encouraging according to many …
Read More »Canada shakes off ring rust
Canada looked a little shaky on the first day of the NACRA Sevens, but pulled through comfortable winners in all three games by a collective score of 134-7. While those numbers look convincing enough, a more discerning observer would not be overly impressed with the first two performances. The heat, …
Read More »The Rocky Road to Rio
After an impressive 6th place finish in last year’s HSBC Sevens World Series, the Olympics looked as sure a bet as any. Even the most rabid supporter would not have picked Canada to qualify via a top four finish on the circuit this year, but the route through NACRA looked …
Read More »Rio or Bust for USA
Since the historic day when it was announced that rugby would return to the Olympics, the pressure has mounted on the USA to not only reach the Olympics, but to perform well. Pressure that came from fans, pundits, and even the US Olympic Committee. At times in recent years, the thought …
Read More »Argentina’s Front-row Super Rugby Dilemma
This week’s withdrawal of Bruno Postiglioni from Argentina’s Super Rugby squad left the franchise without one of the team’s top two loosehead props. Postiglioni had been signed to the union for the duration of 2015-2016 but opted to end his contract early to play for Zebre in the Guinness Pro …
Read More »Talking Rugby (Vol. 2, Iss. 8): What to Make of It All?
This week’s Talking Rugby segment is going to be a bit of a downer. I apologize in advance. On the bright side, it is in these low moments that we see the fabric of which our rugby community is made. Today, I’m going to hit on a few heartfelt pieces, take …
Read More »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 …
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