Hey there, Rugby Rioter!
👊Happy Friday.
Sevens season is beginning, school is right around the corner, and we’re looking at a couple matchups that already have us pumped for the 2026 season.
Packed with rugby. Let’s go 👇
In This Issue
✍️Editor’s note: We’ve received many emails and messages asking why we aren’t covering girls/women’s rugby. It’s a very fair question, and I wanted to address it briefly:
I’d love to cover women’s rugby! But I don’t have the bandwidth to do it myself.
We do have several great guest contributors—but nobody has expressed interest in writing about women’s rugby… yet.
If you know someone who fits the bill—high rugby IQ, solid writing and conversational skills, willing to pump out content regularly—I’d be happy to talk to them and hopefully add women’s rugby to our coverage. Shoot me a note: [email protected]
Cheers!
Zach
Women’s RWC (round 1): 7 days (August 22nd) - USA Women vs England
Pacific Nations Cup (round 1): 7 days (August 22nd) - USA Men vs Canada
West Coast Sevens (round 1): 43 days (September 27th)
🔥Schedules are looking HOT for 2026
We’ve been tracking upcoming schedules for the high school 2026 season, and there are some exciting developments. Notably, several top teams are making travel plans for long distance matchups.
Here are a couple we’re stoked about (so far):
Cathedral Catholic (CA) vs Charlotte Catholic (NC)— MLK Weekend (January, 2026)
We floated this idea last season—and now it’s on the calendar. Cathedral Catholic will host Charlotte Catholic in this battle of the opposite-coast Catholics.Both teams funnel talent into their local club powerhouses, the Mustangs (CA) and Cardinals (NC), adding another fun subplot. It’s also really cool to see single schools willing to make competitive games like this happen, despite the long distance.
Friendship Cup—Nashville, TN (March 27-29, 2026)
The 2025 iteration of this tournament was the closest thing to a Nationals preview that we saw, at least in the Club division. That’s where the Cavemen made themselves known, and the Charlotte Cardinals, Charlotte Tigers, Woodlands, and Raptors (TN) all made cases for their Nationals selection/seeding.
Well, the 2026 lineup looks just as awesome—and now, the SD Mustangs are apparently joining the fun!
That means we could potentially see a Nationals Club Final rematch as early as March. How sick is that?
🏉Sevens season is upon us
Take a glance at social media, and rugby teams nationwide are gathering the troops and prepping for fall sevens.
Admittedly, I haven’t always been fond of the sevens format as a full season—it just never feels like real rugby.
But something stuck with me at Nationals this spring. During the school final against Herriman, St. Ignatius pulled off a very clever play that led to a game-changing try. It was a Mark French kick to Tommy Passerallo out wide, followed by a mid-tackle pass to a looping Colin Spellacy who burst in for the try—and they made it look so easy, almost choreographed.
After the game, Ignatius Head Coach Dan Arbeznik told me: “That came straight from their sevens season in the fall.” (I believe Goff said something similar during the live broadcast)
There’s something to be said for the chemistry that develops during fall sevens. It might not be full-on 15s action, but the building blocks for success happen with every rep. And it might just help you capture a national title.
We’ll be tracking the sevens action this fall. Remember, you can keep us in the loop by submitting a game report via our news submission form.
🇺🇸Eagles facing a big Canada test
On August 22nd, the Men’s Eagles will play Canada in a match loaded with implication. It’s part of the Pacific Nations Cup, but also carries the weight of being a 2027 World Cup qualifier.
But is it a simple win-and-in scenario?
Sorta.
During a recent Rugby Wrap Up interview, USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren was a bit cagey when pressed about whether winning this match means the USA is definitely headed to the World Cup, saying:
“That’s what I’m told. But I’m sure there’s something uh (trails off)… beating Canada holds the key moving forward.”
Well that’s clear as mud, Bill.
In any case, the Eagles need to show out in Calgary next week.
😐 And then there were 8
MLR teams, that is.
The brutal summer continues for the MLR as the Miami Sharks joined the ranks of deceased clubs last week—the third to fall since the beginning of July.
Oddly, the MLR has yet to actually confirm this news. But the Sharks have quietly disappeared from the league’s website. Strange PR move.
Another ironic twist: The Miami Sharks CEO, Milagros Cubelli, was named Executive of the Year by the MLR just days before the Sharks went belly-up.
There are rumors that Miami is trying to take a 2026 hiatus and return for 2027—but we have no idea if that’s true.
As of right now, the MLR is reduced to 8 teams for 2026.
Rees Curtis, Torrey Pines sophomore, with Ardie Savea, All Blacks superstar.
📸Credit: Joe Curtis
Rees Curtis, younger brother to James Curtis and returning Torrey Pines (CA) player, recently returned from an incredible summer experience at Nelson College in New Zealand. Next week we’ll have the full scoop on his trip, but here’s a highlight: he got to have breakfast with the All Blacks and met the one and only Ardie Savea. Core memory stuff right there.
Proteus Academy—with acclaimed rugby skills coach, Charlie Purdon—just wrapped up their 8-week summer training academy, and it looked awesome.
These players are getting after it this offseason 💪
Click for the reel 👇
Think you know rugby? Prove it!
What happens if a team is not ready to form a scrum within 30 seconds of the referee marking the scrum spot?
Oddball musings, induced by borderline hypothermia.
🏉 Watching rugby livestreams:
No time left on the clock—penalty kick to decide the game. And the AI camera goes: “ah yes, it appears the action has moved to yonder parking lot.” 🤦♂️
🏉 One of the most humbling moments in rugby: Missing a tackle, and then taking a cleat to the chin as the guy leaves you in the dust. IYKYK
That’s a wrap, gang!
Next week we’ll have more dope rugby stuff to share with you; scores, highlights, stories… all the goods.
If you like this stuff, share it with your friends!
Be well, ruck with gusto, and may your compression shorts always stay in place.
-The Rugby Riot Team