Hey there, Rugby Rioter!
👊Happy Friday.
This week we’re looking at recent MLR news and SoCal’s new high school league.
Next week we’ll shift gears and focus on fall sevens and college action.
Packed with rugby. Let’s go 👇
In This Issue
Life vs Army: Saturday, Sept 20, 1pm—Marietta, GA
Pacific Nations Cup Final: Sept 20, 9:35pm—Fiji vs Japan—SLC, Utah
West Coast Sevens (round 1): Sept 27th—Carson, CA
🇺🇸 USA Men’s squad 2027 RWC bound
It wasn’t a pretty path but the Eagles did it—they punched their ticket to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
After limping through most of the Pacific Nations Cup, the pressure was on as they faced Samoa last week in Denver. And with a World Cup berth on the line, the Eagles delivered with a 29-13 victory.
Everyone, take a deep breath. We have a couple years to get this squad prepped for the big dance, and it sounds like the MLR is taking their role in that more seriously👇
🪞MLR is looking in the mirror
Some excellent reporting by The National Maul revealed that the MLR is considering some big changes.
A couple highlights:
A new focus on developing American talent—and new Eagles—by limiting the number of international players allowed on MLR rosters.
Canadians will count as “international”, drawing some ire from our northern friends.
Interesting quote:
“We have some work to do in our domestic league and competitions in terms of, yes, the development of US talent. It's … time to stop funding Canadian and Pacific Island pathways. It's time to start getting behind the US. So, you know, we got some things to do there.”
🏉Riot Note: One thing we haven’t heard much about: Academy teams. If you ask us, they could plug a massive hole if done properly.
SoCal finally decided it could get along with itself.
For years, there has been infighting between folks in the high school rugby scene in SoCal, which led to a split league and drama.
But as of this week the warring sides have put down their gloves and come together to create a new league that unifies… READ MORE
Serious vertical on that lift!
Texas A&M and Notre Dame faced off last weekend, with ND cruising to a 38-12 victory.
“He decided to quit after only a few weeks”
I spoke to a rugby mom the other day.
Her son just finished up a phenomenal high school rugby career with a top program in the country.
Riot Note: He’s a great player. I watched all of his games this spring. Fast as hell, high rugby IQ, good kicker, solid tackler.
But when he joined his college rugby team he was met with jarring disappointment.
hazing culture instead of camaraderie
Felt more like a frat house than a rugby team
Coach said “you’re too small for rugby”
So he quit after only a few weeks.
That sucks.
It sucks for him, and it also sucks for American rugby as a whole.
Too many talented kids disappear into the college abyss this way. And it hurts the entire rugby ecosystem in the USA.
Sadly, this story is not an outlier—it happens all the time.
We need to do better.
Plus, that coach is a nitwit. There is no “too small” in rugby. You’re either a rugby player or you’re not.
Life vs Army
⌚️Saturday, Sep 20, 1pm ET
📍Lupo Family Field, Marietta GA
📺 Watch it here.
Life begins their fall season against an Army side that’s on a two-game heater, having just smacked Guelph and Walsh in back-to-back games.
Life has a talented roster that’s a mix of overseas talent, veteran stalwarts like Adam Chadwick, and fresh new faces like Jameson Beatty.
We’re curious to see who shakes things up. Both teams are in Goff’s D1A top ten.
Pretty sure Life took the ‘W’ in their last matchup 24-17, but correct us if that’s wrong.
In any case, expect it to be a ‘cracker’ 💥
Think you know rugby? Prove it!
Dominic Besag, USA Eagles player, played for which high school?
Oddball musings, induced by the cold tub.
🏉 The new SoCal Premier League feels like a test run for the full-on varsity initiative that I’ve been hearing about. Could it be a model that other states will follow? We’ll check back in a year and see how it went.
🏉 Word of the week: Mollywhop.
I looked up the definition, and a Reddit user simply said: “means you got your ass whooped”
Sweet. Adding that to my list of ways to describe a lopsided game. Thanks Reddit.
🏉 Underrated position that every team needs: The stats guy. He may look like he’s just holding a clipboard on the sideline, but every high-caliber coach needs this dude. He counts rucks, tackles, successful offloads etc. and ultimately informs the coach on how to adjust their game plan or roster.
Shoutout to the stats guys out there!
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, share it with your friends!
Be well, ruck with gusto, and may your compression shorts always stay in place.
-The Rugby Riot Team