Hey there, Rugby Rioter!
👋 Welcome to our weekly edition, where we bring you highlights, news, and stories about high school rugby from around the country.🏉
We are thiiiiiiiiis close to having current 15s games to talk about. North Carolina kicks off today, and SoCal begins their season in 36 days. So hang tight..it’s about to get really fun around here.
If you have a good rugby story, or if you want us to cover your team, just reply to this email — we always respond.
Ok, on to this week’s edition 👇
In This Week's Issue
SoCal HS 15s: 36 days (January 11th)
Spring 15s: 85 days (March 1st - unofficial start of the season)
Carolina Ruggerfest: 85 days (March 1st-2nd)
Gonzaga Classic: 127 days (April 12th)
Midwest Invitational: 141 days (April 26th)
Nationals Tournament: 167 days (May 22nd)
Fan-Powered Rankings Update
Current Leaderboard:
Cathedral Catholic (CA)
Gonzaga (DC)
Dallas Jesuit (TX)
St. Ignatius (OH)
De La Salle (CA)
There are 7 days left to vote for your team! Which you can do here ✅
North Carolina Opening Weekend
Here’s who is playing in Tier 1 this weekend. We’ll follow up with scores and highlights.
Marvin Ridge vs. Audrey Kell (Dec. 6th)
Charlotte Catholic vs. Myers Park (Dec. 6th)
South Meck vs. Corinth Holders (Dec. 7th)
Think you know rugby? Prove it!
Can a player score points by kicking the ball through the posts on a penalty without setting up formally?
I don’t believe that any other sport instills leadership in young men as well as rugby does.”
It’s Hammer Time! Fairfield Prep Style.
A boss ass run by Liam O’Hara (Fairfield Prep, 24’) vs. Greenwich. (Couldn’t fit the whole clip, but he scored) May 2024
Speaking of Fairfield Prep, we got the chance to chat with Head Coach Kevin Kery about what’s in store for his team this year.
Connecticut rugby is stacked with talented teams, and Fairfield Prep’s schedule is brutal—there’s no such thing as an easy game.
Luckily, Coach Kery has a solid foundation to work with: “We’re bringing back 11 out of 15 players who were either starters last season or have significant experience.”
Eleven returning starters? That’s huge.
Graduation can decimate your roster, but it sounds like Fairfield Prep has been doing the work behind the scenes, and now they’ve got a hungry group of players ready to step up.
We’ll dive deeper into their squad in an upcoming Team Snapshot, but here’s the big question: can Fairfield Prep fight their way through a loaded field—including big rival Greenwich—and reclaim the State Championship they won in 2023?
This season’s going to be fun.
My favorite red card moment.
Ronnie became a cage fighter eventually. Before that, he played exactly one game of rugby.
He was built like Achilles, 6 foot 4 inches, all muscles and such. And he had never played rugby before, just football. But we were short a player (this was college) so Ronnie agreed to come try it out. We taught him the basics of rugby during two practices and stuck him out on the wing, figuring he couldn’t cause too much trouble out there and might even break free for a try if given the chance.
In Ronnie’s first - and only - game, I was playing fly-half when I found myself at the bottom of a crazy ruck in the second half. The opposing Inside-Center took to kicking me in the head while I tried to place the ball, drawing a penalty and nearly causing a riot. He got off with a warning somehow. Don’t worry I was fine - just a couple cleat marks on the cranium.
But Ronnie was enraged…
He walked by me and whispered “I gotchyoo bruh. Watch this” with a double-eyebrow-raise and a wink.
On the very next play - a penalty tap after the head kicking incident - we tapped the ball, and suddenly Ronnie came rocketing across the entire field from the wing position and completely DEMOLISHED Old Headkicker himself.
Keep in mind that WE had the ball. The guy looked confused and terrified as Ronnie chased him down and smashed him into the dirt.
More whistles. Another mini brawl. And Ronnie was banished.
He gave me a thumbs up and frowny-faced nod (the type you give after you’ve just taken care of some serious business) as he left the field.
The red card was absolutely justified. But, while I’m not promoting such behavior, there was some schoolyard poetic justice about the whole thing, and it remains my favorite red card memory to this day.
Later that evening, I heard Ronnie laughing with his football buddies: “Maaan, that rugby is a goofy ass sport!”
Cheers to you, Ronnie. Happy cage-fighting, brother.
-Ipse
Oddball musings, induced by borderline hypothermia.
🏉 Bad business idea: Rugby themed scented candles. “Sweaty Scrum-Cap” anyone?
🏉 You know you’ve played rugby in the snow if you’ve tried wearing ziplock bags over your socks. Newsflash: It doesn’t help.
🏉 Kicking the ball with a spiral looks cooler than kicking end-over-end. Change my mind.
That’s a wrap, gang!
Next week we will follow up on the North Carolina opening weekend and dig up some more teams and players to shine a light on.
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Until next week, cheers!
-The Rugby Riot Team