Hey there, Rugby Rioter!

👋Welcome to this week’s edition of the Rugby Riot, where we bring you cool rugby stories and highlights every week from around the nation. It’s the “offseason” right now for high school rugby, but we’ve gathered a handful of dope stuff to share with you nonetheless.

Let’s dive in!

In This Issue:

• 📸 Photo of the Week

• 🎥Highlight (from last season)

• 💀Is the Drop Goal Dead?

• ❓Rugby Trivia

• 💭Ice Bath Thoughts

Does the name Jonny Wilkinson mean anything to you? If those two words don't conjure up images a rugby ball flying gracefully between the uprights, then stop what you're doing immediately and fire up the YouTube! Here's a montage for your convenience.

Wilkinson is the personification of an era of rugby that relied heavily on the drop-goal for racking up points. Nobody was better than Jonny. In fact, his name became almost synonymous with the drop-goal; high schoolers worldwide would give a full throated "Jonny Wilkinson!" as they attempted to split the uprights during practice.

But times have changed (sorry Jonny), and drop-goals are almost nonexistent in today’s game. This is due to many factors, not the least of which is that drop-goals are really flipping difficult! The shift away from them isn’t entirely recent; back in 1991, the points for a try were increased from 4 to 5 to encourage teams to keep the ball in hand and create more spectator-worthy runs. More recently, the 2010s brought additional law changes to promote faster play and quick recycling around the ruck.

So perhaps the decrease in drop goal attempts hasn't been intentional, but rather a natural result of prioritizing try scoring. And it's arguably been better for the sport. Rugby has become a lot more dynamic and fast-paced over the years — it's more exciting for players and spectators alike. And the drop-goal has simply found itself on the outside looking in.

But hold on to your butts, because this writer thinks we may see an uptick in drop-goal attempts in the coming years, even at the high-school level.

Why, you ask?

Well here are a few thoughts:

• Defenses are becoming fitter, faster, and more tactically savvy. (trans. It’s getting harder to score tries against good teams)

• Drop goals are worth 3 points — available to whoever is gutsy enough to try and claim them.

• Data analytics is becoming more prevalent at every level of rugby.

Let's look at that last point: data analytics. I'm not saying that Veo cameras or fancy wearable trackers are going to unveil the magic of drop-goals like some hidden cheat code. BUT, I know one thing about data analytics that has affected every sport it has cast its breath upon: It makes coaches think differently.

Data analytics is all about marginal improvements. "Where can we get a little bit of an edge?" or "What is being overlooked that we can capitalize on?" These are the questions that data analytics promotes. And I don't think that 3 points — available during free play and not reliant on a penalty — will go unnoticed forever.

I do not believe that we'll suddenly see drop-goals being blasted willy-nilly in high school games, but I do think that certain enterprising coaches and players will start thinking about using the drop-goal strategically during key moments.

It will likely take several years, but I predict the drop-goal will make a comeback at the professional level, college level, and yes, even the high-school level.

So no, the drop-goal is not dead. It's hibernating. IMO ;)

👞🏉 STATUS: NOT DEAD

-Ipse, Chief Rioter

Ok gang, that’s a wrap!

Tune in next week as we serve you more news and stories about US high school rugby.

Oh, and please share this with your friends if they’re into rugby too. And if they’re not…you might need to reconsider your friend group choices.

Cheers!

-The Rugby Riot Team