Rugby union in the United States
An international competition, the USA Sevens, is held every February at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, draws over 60,000 fans and is broadcast on NBC.[citation needed] Rugby union participation in the U.S. has grown significantly in recent years, growing by 350% between 2004 and 2011.The United States men's national team, the Eagles, has competed in all but one of the Rugby World Cup tournaments held every four years since 1987.[12] At the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, a United States rugby team composed largely of players from Stanford University defeated France to win the gold medal.[13] Rugby union was again included in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, where the United States again defeated France for the gold.On 31 January 1976, the U.S. national team played Australia—in its first official match since the 1924 Olympics—before 8,000 fans at Glover Field in Anaheim, California.[8] Within USA Rugby, there are several Geographical Unions (GU's) that are charged with governing a specific region of the country.On a per-person basis, rugby membership is highest in New England and in the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado and Utah.Attendance for the USA Sevens tournament has grown steadily from 15,800 in 2004, to 52,000 fans at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas in 2011.[30] The 2011 College Premier Division national championship match between Cal and BYU drew a crowd of 11,000 at Rio Tinto Stadium.[33] This was followed by 20,000-strong crowds at BBVA Compass Stadium vs. Ireland in June 2013 and Scotland in June 2014; these records were smashed in November 2014 however when an historic sell-out crowd of 61,500 watched the match against New Zealand at Soldier Field; the match also drew an average TV audience of 927,000 on NBC.Roughly 5.4 million viewers tuned in to watch the 2011 USA Sevens, helping increase awareness of the sport of rugby."[49] IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset has acknowledged that "the USA is a very important and exciting market for Rugby.Rugby was also featured briefly in the film The Departed, by virtue of being set in Boston's Irish community.Executive and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was a competitive rugby athlete during his college days.At least three U.S. presidents have played the sport: The United States national rugby union team is nicknamed the Eagles.[57] In recent years, Houston, Texas, has hosted U.S. men's national team matches with high attendance levels against countries such as Scotland, Italy and Ireland.In the 1987 Rugby World Cup, the United States won one match, beating Japan 21–18 in the pool stage.The U.S. had one of its better performances at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, winning one game 39–26 against Japan, and narrowly losing to Fiji 18–19.One of the team's high points, though, was the winger Takudzwa Ngwenya, who scored against South Africa by out-pacing Bryan Habana for a try,[58] earning "Try of the Year".The U.S. had a disappointing 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, losing all four matches, including losses to Tier 2 countries Samoa 16–25 and Japan 18–28.The new format involves the Argentina Jaguars and the full national teams of the US, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and Uruguay.[60] The competition was divided into two pools of four teams: East, consisting of Boston, Life Running Eagles, New York Athletic Club, and Old Blue of New York; and West, consisting of Denver Barbarians, Glendale Raptors, San Francisco Golden Gate, and Seattle OPSB.Regional premierships of Division I clubs took the place of the top-level competition in the United States for several years.[63] In 2016, Mystic River Rugby Club became a full member of the ARP, replacing Life RFC in a reformatted competition.The season runs from September to May, with a 14-game regular-season schedule in which teams play each other twice, a playoff semi final, culminating in a one-game championship match in May."[64] U.S. national team assistant coach Justin Fitzpatrick said in 2015 that by 2016 the U.S. will have resolved to create a professional domestic rugby competition.MLR is an initiative driven by existing USA Rugby-member teams, in partnership with private investors, who believe that American rugby can thrive at the highest levels: as a commercial enterprise; as an influential player on the international scene; and as a participation sport at the youth and senior level.[78] In 2013 a number of top rugby schools formed the Varsity Cup postseason tournament, leading to the perceived existence of two national championships.
Rugby league in the United StatesAlamo City RFCUSA RugbyUnited StatesHarvardMcGillRugby World CupMajor League RugbyCollegiate Rugby ChampionshipDivision 1-A RugbyUSA SevensWorld Rugby Sevens SeriesWomen's Rugby World CupWorld Rugby Women's Sevens SeriesWomen's Premier League RugbyIrelandNew ZealandSoldier FieldChicago2020 Major League Rugby seasoninternationalcollege rugbySam Boyd StadiumLas VegasTalen Energy StadiumPhiladelphiasuburbChester, PennsylvaniaRugby unionscrum-halvesAmerican footballUnited States men's national teamtest matchesWorld RugbyAmericas Rugby Championshipmen's national rugby sevens teamwomen's national teamwomen's national sevens teamHoustonAtlantaKennesaw, GeorgiaHistory of rugby union in the United StatesMay 14, 1874Harvard UniversityMcGill University1920 Summer Olympics1924 Summer OlympicsFranceU.S. national teamAnaheim, CaliforniaTowson UniversityDublinFlint Rogueshigh schoolpre-teens2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens2017 CRC Sevens2011 College Premier DivisionInternational Olympic CommitteeBuck Shaw StadiumBBVA Compass Stadium2015 London Sevens2014–15 Sevens SeriesCRC SevensVarsity CupPremiership RugbyNBC Sports GroupSix Nations RugbyCBS Sports NetworkFox Sports 2AT&T SportsNetrugby sevens2016 Summer Olympics2011 USA Sevens2012 USA Sevens2011 Rugby World CupSix Nations ChampionshipWatchESPNNigel Melville2012 IRB Junior World Rugby TrophyWorld Rugby Under 20 TrophyBernard Lapassetcapacity of 50,000 or larger, and 25 stadiums with a capacity of 80,000 or largerSouth AfricaAustraliaScotlandinternational tourism1994 FIFA World Cup1984 Summer Olympics1996 Summer Olympics2002 Winter Olympics2031 Rugby World Cup2033 Rugby World CupBill ClintonGeorge W. BushFriendsForever StrongThe DepartedBostonDallas MavericksMark CubanU.S. presidentsLittle RockfullbackJohn F. KennedyTed KennedyUnited States national rugby union teamWorld Rugby RankingsUnited States at the Rugby World Cup1987 Rugby World Cup1991 Rugby World Cup1995 Rugby World Cup1999 Rugby World Cup2003 Rugby World CupMike Hercus2007 Rugby World CupTakudzwa NgwenyaBryan Habana2015 Rugby World CupNorth America 4Pacific Nations CupCanadaUSA SelectsArgentina JaguarsBrazilUruguay