👋 Yoo-hoo, rioters!
It’s your Wednesday rugby roundup.
Keep that rugby news coming!
Packed with rugby. Let’s go 👇
In this Issue
🏟️ Tourney champs
Mount Invitational
Atlantis takes the crown!
With a cast of players that represented no less than 17 different high school programs, the Atlantis U19 team started off hot and never let up.
Day one: Two nail-biters — wins over Ohio (11-7) and Midwest (13-7).
Day two: The offense revved up and Atlantis bagged two more wins—a 20-8 victory over Miami, and a 33-17 win over North Carolina All Stars.
Note: We tried to watch the livestream, but the VEO camera spent most of the first day lost in the fog. The second day they didn’t even set it up due to the weather.
Meanwhile, the Florida Jaguares showed up in force — 50 strong from the Sunshine State — and finished 3-1. Turns out having a roster that’s 75% Okapi players doesn’t hurt.
Chicago Rugby Academy (Midwest) held their own at 2-2, while NC All Stars and Aviator Academy (Ohio) rounded out the U18 division.
🏅 Atlantis finished undefeated and headed home with the hardware. Well done!
Atlantis went undefeated at the Mount Invitational last weekend.
Credit: @_thetryzone
Great Northwest Challenge
Grizzlies repeat!
The NorCal Grizzlies, an all-star squad composed of high school talent from NorCal, rocked out at the Great Northwest Challenge tournament last weekend.
We didn’t see all the games, but in the final—against Colorado’s select side—the NorCal kids stomped on the gas and never looked back. NorCal is loaded with athletes—they’re slippery, physical runners who keep forward momentum through contact. In the final, they ripped loose from everywhere, carving up long scores almost at will.
By the final whistle, the Grizzlies had piled up 49 points to Colorado’s 7.
Boom.
Congrats NorCal!
The NorCal Grizzlies. GNC back-to-back champs.
Credit: Grizzlies Rugby
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What Squidge missed
Squidge Rugby recently posted a video, asking whether rugby will ever truly break out in the USA.
It was witty, funny, and featured a collection of footage that looked like it was swiped from a VHS hoarder’s basement.
Generally speaking, Squidge nailed the state of rugby in the States, especially relating to the history of the sport here. But I thought he missed a couple key points about the CURRENT state of rugby growth—and what the strategy for 2031 must include.
First off, no mention of the growth of actual rugby at the youth and high school level? He mentioned flag rugby (hooray) but I’d argue the growth of real rugby at the youth level is far more exciting for rugby’s potential in the USA. Youth rugby isn’t just a cute side show anymore. Almost every state has seen a surge in real contact rugby participation — and I keep hearing about new clubs popping up like wildflowers.
One thing Squidge sorta glossed over is the college rugby scene — and how it barely helps the sport grow.
For most high school ruggers, college rugby ends up being a beer-soaked frat party in a Pro-Fit jersey. And that, in my opinion, is the biggest reason the U.S. keeps falling flat on the international stage.
Look, we have athletes—plenty of them. But if the pathway to the pros takes a four-year Busch Lite vacation, how can we expect to build a competent national team?
Hey Life, Cal, St. Mary’s, Lindenwood, Navy — shhh, calm down. You’re doing great.
We really need to patch that gigantic hole in the pipeline.
So here’s a thought. What if the answer lies with the MLR academy teams?
Right now, MLR teams rely on a heavy dose of overseas talent to build out their rosters. Smart—especially for keeping the on-field product at a high level. But if we want rugby to truly thrive, it’s gotta be about the local kids.
If the academy teams can bridge that gap—and fast-track high school grads towards MLR contracts—then we might see a real excitement build around our own professional league, and by extension, our national team.
High School —> Academies —> MLR —> Eagles
And if that happens? Maybe the hype around the 2031 World Cup doesn’t just fizzle out. Maybe it becomes the ignition point for something bigger: a competitive national team, packed stadiums, and a generation of players who never had to hit pause on their development.
Can college rugby play a bigger role too? For sure! But my guess is the academies will move much quicker than schools—and that’s a good thing, because we’re short on time.
Most academy teams are still figuring themselves out, but they might be in the best position to fill that massive gap.
I don’t know — maybe it’s wishful thinking. But it feels like a pretty big piece of the puzzle Squidge left off the board.
Side note: He’s dead right about the 2031 stadium issue. That’s for real.
Side, side note: Hey mister Squidge — don’t underestimate America’s ability to rally around something out of nowhere. It only takes one big moment — one upset win — and you can bet this sleeping giant will wake up.
Haven’t seen the Squidge video yet? Here ya go 👇
MLR Final
🏆Free Jacks 28 — 22 Sabercats
All hail the THREE Jacks.
There are some who have commented that it’s bad for the league to have a three-peat champion—some sort of sign that the league is still too young and lopsided to be interesting.
Nonsense.
This game was not lopsided, nor was it uninteresting. And having a three-peat champion gives every other team their Darth Vader—a common enemy to vanquish.
Here are some notes from the game:
Though the attendance wasn’t mind-blowing — a small but respectable 5,702 fans were loud as hell, and the atmosphere was finals material. We’re curious if the location hindered attendance numbers. Rhode Island is a big trek for Houston fans, while it was just a 45-minute jaunt for New England supporters.
Brock Webster, New England fullback and Man of the Match, was everywhere. He assisted two scores and fielded a couple kicks with terrific skill.
The play of the game was a clever run and offload by Webster to Paula Balekana in the 14th minute. Great vision. Swift footwork. Killer ball skills.
The Sabercats held up two NE tries, keeping the game close. At one point, Sabercats flyhalf AJ Alatimu misjudged a grubber that bounced into his own in-goal area. But he quickly redeemed himself with a clutch save, getting his arm under the ball just before New England could dot it down.
New England led 13-10 at halftime, and with under 20 minutes to go the Sabercats had pulled within three points at 17-20. Then Balekana tipped the scales, scoring his second try of the day—courtesy once again of a Webster pass.
Houston rallied with the clock nearing zeroes, and Drake Davis lunged through for a try, bringing the score to 22-28. That’s how the score would stand when the final whistle blew.
Riot Take: This match delivered good rugby and an atmosphere bordering on electric. We’ve had our gripes with MLR over the years, but credit where it’s due — the product is improving. As U.S. rugby fans, we’re just thrilled to see high-level rugby being played, televised, and actually talked about.
Congrats to the New England Free Jacks! MLR Champs!
🇺🇸USA U23 Team bags their first victory in South Africa
This morning, the U23 Eagles put together a solid showing against a South African select side known as UXI Rugby.
The game started hot for the USA side as they scored two nice tries—one from a textbook maul and another from some strong forward crashes. The 12-0 start suggested a blowout may be in store, but UXI stitched together two very pretty scoring plays—both off the scrum—and leveled the score 12-12 at the break.
Then the second half saw the Eagles take control, albeit slowly. The footing was wet and sloppy and both teams struggled to hang on to the slippery ball. But the USA settled in—focused on their hands—and found space out wide on several occasions.
An excellent goal-line stand by the Eagles was bookended by two more mauling tries and a couple scores out wide. At full-time the score stood 41-12 in the Eagles’ favor.
A nice start to the U23 South Africa tour!
A couple notes:
If you listened to the South African commentary during the livestream, you’d think the Eagles were playing a middle-school team. “And these boys are keeping it close against a NATIONAL team—I repeat, a NATIONAL team.”
I’m not totally sure what level UXI is at (color me clueless on the SA rugby landscape), but I’ll take a road win for the USA boys any day.After the game, Eagles head coach Agustin Cavalieri said set pieces were a focus of his with this team. It showed. Four tries from the maul, and terrific lineouts and scrums are evidence of a well-drilled team in these areas.
On the other hand, the Eagles set piece defense left a lot to be desired. The UXI backs scored both their tries off the scrum and, frankly, made us look a little silly both times. Something to clean up for sure.
It was fun to see Spencer Huntley make the start at scrumhalf. Having just seen him play at the high school nationals tournament this spring, it was great to watch him playing with the “big boys” in an international match. He looked composed and comfortable.
Eagles fullback Corbin Smith is fun to watch. He’s got great vision and foot speed.
Adam Chadwick also stood out on the USA squad. The guy’s a bowling ball—broke the gain line every time.
Damian Morley entered the game in the second half and immediately made an impact from the 9 spot. He darted through a hole near the ruck and set up a nice try. Side note—pretty sure he’s a Xavier grad. New York shout out!
👊Riot take: Fun game to watch and filled with promising performances. Next week, the boys will face much stiffer competition against two strong university sides.
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