Games this weekend:

‼️Nationals application deadline: February 1, 2026

🌎USA Global Sevens

The USA U18 boys had a big-time trip to New Zealand last month, going 6–1 and bringing home the Plate at the Global Youth Sevens.

Along the way, they knocked off New Zealand’s #2 side, Tonga, and Fiji—no small feat against top-notch international opponents.

The lads clawed their way back from deficits in each of their final three matches, showing the kind of grit that is necessary at the international level.

Well done, fellas! 🙌 🇺🇸

Fun side note: Reese Reiter (Cathedral Catholic) picked up the tournament’s Fastest Player award after lighting up the 100m race against top-end speed from around the world. Kid’s a speedster. Definitely one to keep tabs on this season.

📍Charlotte Talent ID Camp

As if they weren’t busy enough, several Global Youth Sevens players made another stop—this time in Charlotte—for USA Rugby’s Talent ID Camp, joined by standouts from across the country.

This is where the USA Rugby staff begins shaping the U18 and U20 squads for the summer ahead.

By all accounts, the camp went well. One moment we loved: Mustangs (CA) and Cardinals (NC) players hanging out and getting some photos together. Brothers in rugby, and fierce opponents just months ago in last year’s Nationals final.

We’re hoping the Talent ID/Pathways process continues to gain momentum. The U20s face a massive challenge at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Georgia (the country), while the U18s will be looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Uruguay last summer.

📊Goff Rankings Week 1

The Goff Rugby Report released their first set of high school boys rankings for both Single School and Club.

Initial takeaway: The top tier looks very similar to where things ended last season, with Herriman and St. Ignatius flip-flopping at #1 and #2 in the Single School bracket being the biggest early shuffle.

Now for a couple spots we think Goff whiffed on:

🗳️Nationals Applications Open

Get out the calendar.
Start the fundraising.
Elkhart is calling.

Applications are now open for High School Nationals.

🗓️ Deadline: February 1, 2026

👉Apply here.

🌅 Rugby is waking up across the country this week.

We’re already three weeks into the North Carolina season, and now the rest of the country is joining the party.

It’s on. 🏉

So… what is this Rugby Riot Hub all about anyway?

Fair question. Here’s the short version.

When I started Rugby Riot, I had one goal: shine a spotlight on American rugby, especially the high school game, and cover it in a way that was fun, informed, and worth your time.

“I’ll just check scores and highlights from around the country and write about it,” I thought.

Easier said than done.

Looking for recent scores? Nada.
A comprehensive list of team rosters or stats? Nothing.
Livestreams? Nope.
Objective rankings? Zilch.

Pretty quickly, my goal expanded from only writing about the sport to also building the thing that should already exist.

That’s why I started building the Rugby Riot Hub: a place where you can see the high school rugby landscape at a glance.

Scores. Rankings (yes, including Mr. Goff’s). Fan polls. Schedules. Team map. Upcoming tournaments. Team pages. It’s all there.

Without a central place for teams to live and be visible, how are we supposed to make America fall in love with rugby?

Instagram has its place in the ecosystem.
Hudl is a great internal tool.
Rugby Xplorer is… mandatory.

The Rugby Riot Hub is where it all comes together. A visible home for high school rugby, where every program has a seat at the table.

This isn’t meant to replace your team website or internal communications. Think of it as the front window for your program.

If a newcomer to the sport—or a diehard rugger—wants to know what’s happening in high school rugby, they can get a real snapshot in one place.

Take a few minutes and poke around the Rugby Riot Hub.
Create an account. Follow your team. Share it with someone who loves the game.

I’ll handle the rest—and make sure the word gets out:

American rugby isn’t a “sleeping giant.”
At the youth and high school level, it’s already wide awake. We just need more visibility. Let’s do this.

Cheers,

Zach — Chief Rioter

I’m not sure who Waterboy_rugby is, but this footage of Fatman Thorndyke is badass.
Fatman Thorndyke was a stud for New Trier (IL) this past year and he rightfully earned a spot on the U18 sevens team that traveled to New Zealand for GY7s.

📍 Torrey Pines
🗓️Saturday, January 10th
Things are getting real down in SoCal this week.

2026 is wasting no time supplying fantastic matchups, and this one will be a battle.

Torrey Pines may already have a spot in your memory from last year. They won the SoCal division and went on to compete for the state title against St. Francis. This roster features several national champions from the Mustangs’ spring season, and the coaching staff consistently does an excellent job building a cohesive, disciplined unit.
La Costa Canyon may be less familiar to some readers, but that likely won’t last long. We were impressed with this group last season, particularly when they gave Cathedral Catholic fits in the SCIRF final. LCC brings size and athleticism across the park, and with most of last year’s starting lineup returning, they’ll roll out a serious physical presence tomorrow.

Riot Take: If La Costa Canyon fails to slow Torrey’s recycle at the breakdown and allows them to win the territory battle, things could tilt quickly in Torrey Pines’ favor. But if LCC can control tempo and impose themselves in the middle of the field, it could be a long day for Torrey. This might be a forward pack battle.

Buckle up for a cracker in SoCal.

Oddball musings, thanks to the cold tub.

🏉 Guilt trip time.
So far, South Meck (NC), Woodlands (TX), and the SD Mustangs (CA) are the only clubs to send in swag for the office wall here. Let’s cut a deal. We’ll launch a YouTube channel with a podcast once the wall has at least 10 teams represented on the wall. Just shoot me an email for the mailing address: [email protected]