Payne was hired in early as the chief executive officer of Rugby Americas, giving him oversight of the game in North and South America, and begins his duties officially in July Rugby has long enjoyed success outside of the U. Cracking the code for success in America could be a long process, but the hope is the World Cup being held in the United States for the first time will provide a boost.
Coincidentally, when man rugby was last played in the Olympics Paris Games , the United States won the gold medal. Las Vegas has staged a three-day international tournament in March each of the last nine years. Attendance and participation has increased each year. What is particularly encouraging for USA Rugby is that interest and participation covers demographics from teenagers to seniors.
Hooking youngsters is a key. That gives us a lot of opportunity because our numbers are growing, whereas a lot of the other sports that would be considered mature sports in the United States are actually having membership decrease, so that's exciting. All is not positive. Gaining a slice of the American sports scene has its challenges.
In early June, a test match was staged in Washington D. However, attendance was disappointing just over 20, and both teams fielded backups. The event turned out to be a money loser for cash-strapped USA Rugby, and World Rugby had to come through with an emergency loan. For rugby in the U. The American sports graveyard is crowded with professional leagues that failed. Add the unfamiliarity of a foreign sport such as rugby and the challenges are numerous.
MLR uses the man version of the sport. The week season ends with a championship match July 7. Despite a defeat, it was a revival that was highly anticipated. In the World Cup, for example, they beat Russia , whilst suffering a very narrow loss to tier-one nation Ireland, at Now, nearly , people are registered as members of USA Rugby, and, with over 20, women registered, the USA boast more female rugby players than any other country in the world.
Fast forward another decade, and rugby union had already returned to the Olympics for the USA. Now, the U. Samu Manoa: Manoa was first signed to play in English Premiership rugby back in , where he played for Nottingham Saints. The Californian impressed both fans and coaches with his quick pace and awesome ball skills.
Through his national team career, he earned 45 caps for his country, as well as playing the role as captain in 24 of those matches. Lyle is said to have revolutionised the No. He certainly paved the way for American rugby — his contributions to their European Championship victory proves just that.
Today, the amateur ethos survives only in the most professionalized of societies: the United States, where since the s rugby has caught on again quietly but dramatically. And as the rugby revival in the U. The country has led the way in the diversification and democratization of rugby. In , the first wheelchair rugby team formed at the University of North Dakota.
In , the Washington D. Renegades hosted the first gay-friendly rugby tournament. Yet so far, rugby has become commercialized without the corruption that disgraces football and soccer. With no urine testing, Collins notes in his book, amphetamine abuse had once been commonplace among the amateur teams. Now ranked third, the U. If they do, or if the U.
Yet the moral value of rugby comes not from amateur ideals, but from the physical courage required to play the game, professionally or not. As the sport deepens its roots in the U.
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