USA Rugby
Encyclopedia
USA Rugby is the national governing body
for the sport of rugby union
in the United States
. It is divided into seven territorial Unions: Mid-Atlantic, Midwest
, Northeast
, Pacific Coast, Southern California
, South
, and West
. The headquarters for USA Rugby are now located in Boulder, Colorado
.
USA Rugby administers all United States national teams: senior men's
and women's
teams, sevens
teams for both men
and women, and under-20 national teams for both sexes. The organization also sponsors college rugby for both sexes, although the NCAA
has also planned to sponsor women's rugby starting in the 2010–11 academic year. Rugby Super League is organized and sanctioned by USA Rugby as the Premier Level of Men's Club competition in the USA.
Former England
captain and scrum-half Nigel Melville
was appointed CEO and President of Operations on October 11, 2006.
There has been some discussion about splitting the Northeast Rugby Union (NRU) into two separate territorial unions, with the local area union, NERFU, becoming a new territorial union known as USA Rugby New England. Under this plan, the surviving LAUs within NRU (MetNY and NYSRU) would form a separate territorial union, as USA Rugby New York.
This makes a great deal of sense for LAU NERFU, as it boasts a greater membership than most territorial unions, especially in terms of college and women's rugby. This adjustment might also help to address a perceived antipathy
toward New England rugby. On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether NERFU possesses the managerial strength necessary to thrive as a territorial union.
Beginning in the 1960s and continuing through the 1970s, the sport of rugby union enjoyed a renaissance in the USA. This created the need for a national governing body to represent the USA. In 1975 four territorial organizations (Pacific Coast, West, Midwest and East) gathered in Chicago, Illinois to form the United States of America Rugby Football Union (now known as USA Rugby).
In 1993, the Southern California RFU, a local area union of the Pacific Coast RFU, applied to become a separate territory. This was an impetus for others around the country to do the same, changing the make-up of USA Rugby, which now has seven territories (Pacific, Southern California, West, Midwest, South, Northeastern, and Mid-Atlantic).
USA Rugby lobbied for several years for a stop on the IRB Sevens World Series
and finally was awarded it for 2004-6. The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, was the venue for the initial USA Sevens
tournament. In the summer of 2006, the tournament was moved to Petco Park
in San Diego. In 2010 and 2011, the tournament was held in Las Vegas
at Sam Boyd Stadium
.
USA Rugby is a Founding Sports Partner of the Sports Museum of America
, joining more than 50 other single-sport Halls of Fame, national governing bodies, museums and other organizations across North America, to richly celebrate the history, grandeur and significance of sports in American culture. Opened in New York City on May 7, 2008, the Sports Museum of America showcases USA Rugby in its Hall of Halls Gallery, in return for their support of the creation of the Nation's first all-sports museum experience.
The rich history spanning 135 years of American rugby has been compiled in the documentary, A Giant Awakens: the Rise of American Rugby.
was held on 4–5 June at PPL Park, Chester, Pennsylvania
.
Sport governing body
A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
for the sport of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is divided into seven territorial Unions: Mid-Atlantic, Midwest
Midwest Rugby Football Union
The Midwest Rugby Football Union is the Territorial Union for rugby union teams playing in the Midwestern United States. It is one of seven TUs that govern specific regions of USA Rugby...
, Northeast
Northeast Rugby Union
The Northeast Rugby Union is the Territorial Area Union for rugby union teams playing in the Northeastern United States . It is one of seven TAU's that govern specific regions of USA Rugby.-LAU's:...
, Pacific Coast, Southern California
Southern California Rugby Football Union
The Southern California Rugby Football Union , is the governing body of rugby in Southern California, and represents the union of clubs at the USA Rugby level...
, South
USA Rugby South
The USA Rugby South is the Territorial Union for rugby union teams playing in the Southern United States. It is one of seven TU's that govern specific regions of USA Rugby.-LAU's:...
, and West
Western Rugby Football Union
The Western Rugby Football Union is the Territorial Area Union for rugby union teams playing in the Western United States. It is one of seven TAU's that govern specific regions of USA Rugby. It was established in 1975 and is a Founding Member of USA Rugby.-Local Area Unions :The WRFU is...
. The headquarters for USA Rugby are now located in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
.
USA Rugby administers all United States national teams: senior men's
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
and women's
United States women's national rugby union team
The United States women's national rugby union team represents the United States in women's rugby union. Officially formed in 1987, the Women's National Team has been an international powerhouse since its inception. The Eagles won the first official Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991, and finished...
teams, sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
teams for both men
United States national rugby union team (sevens)
The United States National Rugby Union Sevens team competes in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens, World Games, and Pan American Games. The Team will also represent the United States in the Summer Olympics beginning in 2016. Under current head coach Al Caravelli the Eagles have...
and women, and under-20 national teams for both sexes. The organization also sponsors college rugby for both sexes, although the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
has also planned to sponsor women's rugby starting in the 2010–11 academic year. Rugby Super League is organized and sanctioned by USA Rugby as the Premier Level of Men's Club competition in the USA.
Former England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
captain and scrum-half Nigel Melville
Nigel Melville
Nigel David Melville is a former England national rugby union team scrum half and captain.He became the youngest player to captain England on his début when he led them against Australia in November 1984. He went onto make another twelve appearances over the next four years.He attended Aireborough...
was appointed CEO and President of Operations on October 11, 2006.
Coaches
- Eddie O'Sullivan is the current Men's Head Coach.
- Matt Sherman is the current Men's Back Coach. Matt also serves as a coach at ELITE Rugby Camp USA and Stanford University.
Territorial Unions
USA Rugby organizes registered rugby teams into seven territorial unions, each of which is split in turn into Local Area Unions. The current Territorial Unions are:- Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union
- Midwest Rugby Football UnionMidwest Rugby Football UnionThe Midwest Rugby Football Union is the Territorial Union for rugby union teams playing in the Midwestern United States. It is one of seven TUs that govern specific regions of USA Rugby...
- Northeast Rugby UnionNortheast Rugby UnionThe Northeast Rugby Union is the Territorial Area Union for rugby union teams playing in the Northeastern United States . It is one of seven TAU's that govern specific regions of USA Rugby.-LAU's:...
http://www.nru.org - Pacific Coast Rugby Football Union
- Southern California Rugby Football UnionSouthern California Rugby Football UnionThe Southern California Rugby Football Union , is the governing body of rugby in Southern California, and represents the union of clubs at the USA Rugby level...
- USA Rugby SouthUSA Rugby SouthThe USA Rugby South is the Territorial Union for rugby union teams playing in the Southern United States. It is one of seven TU's that govern specific regions of USA Rugby.-LAU's:...
- Western Rugby Football UnionWestern Rugby Football UnionThe Western Rugby Football Union is the Territorial Area Union for rugby union teams playing in the Western United States. It is one of seven TAU's that govern specific regions of USA Rugby. It was established in 1975 and is a Founding Member of USA Rugby.-Local Area Unions :The WRFU is...
There has been some discussion about splitting the Northeast Rugby Union (NRU) into two separate territorial unions, with the local area union, NERFU, becoming a new territorial union known as USA Rugby New England. Under this plan, the surviving LAUs within NRU (MetNY and NYSRU) would form a separate territorial union, as USA Rugby New York.
This makes a great deal of sense for LAU NERFU, as it boasts a greater membership than most territorial unions, especially in terms of college and women's rugby. This adjustment might also help to address a perceived antipathy
Antipathy
Antipathy is dislike for something or somebody, the opposite of sympathy. While antipathy may be induced by previous experience, it sometimes exists without a rational cause-and-effect explanation being present to the individuals involved....
toward New England rugby. On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether NERFU possesses the managerial strength necessary to thrive as a territorial union.
History
The USA Men's National Team, nicknamed the Eagles, won the Gold Medal in Olympic rugby in 1920 and 1924. After that time, rugby in the US stagnated while continuing to grow in other parts of the world; only recently has rugby started to become popular again in the US.Beginning in the 1960s and continuing through the 1970s, the sport of rugby union enjoyed a renaissance in the USA. This created the need for a national governing body to represent the USA. In 1975 four territorial organizations (Pacific Coast, West, Midwest and East) gathered in Chicago, Illinois to form the United States of America Rugby Football Union (now known as USA Rugby).
In 1993, the Southern California RFU, a local area union of the Pacific Coast RFU, applied to become a separate territory. This was an impetus for others around the country to do the same, changing the make-up of USA Rugby, which now has seven territories (Pacific, Southern California, West, Midwest, South, Northeastern, and Mid-Atlantic).
USA Rugby lobbied for several years for a stop on the IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
and finally was awarded it for 2004-6. The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, was the venue for the initial USA Sevens
USA Sevens
The USA Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in the United States. A part of the IRB Sevens World Series, it currently takes place on Saturday and Sunday during the second weekend of February...
tournament. In the summer of 2006, the tournament was moved to Petco Park
PETCO Park
Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...
in San Diego. In 2010 and 2011, the tournament was held in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
at Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas". The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists...
.
USA Rugby is a Founding Sports Partner of the Sports Museum of America
Sports Museum of America
The Sports Museum of America was the United States' first national sports museum dedicated to the history and cultural significance of sports in America. It opened on May 7, 2008 and closed February 20, 2009.-History:...
, joining more than 50 other single-sport Halls of Fame, national governing bodies, museums and other organizations across North America, to richly celebrate the history, grandeur and significance of sports in American culture. Opened in New York City on May 7, 2008, the Sports Museum of America showcases USA Rugby in its Hall of Halls Gallery, in return for their support of the creation of the Nation's first all-sports museum experience.
The rich history spanning 135 years of American rugby has been compiled in the documentary, A Giant Awakens: the Rise of American Rugby.
Collegiate Rugby Championship
The 2011 USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship2011 USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship
The 2011 USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship was a rugby union sevens tournament. The competition was held from 4-5 June at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. The men's tournament featured sixteen teams, whereas the women's tournament featured eight teams....
was held on 4–5 June at PPL Park, Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
.
See also
- Rugby union in the United StatesRugby union in the United StatesRugby union in the United States is a growing national sport. It is played at the youth, high school, club, semi-professional, and international levels. The United States is a Tier 2 rugby nation, as defined by the International Rugby Board, which means that it is not currently competitive at the...
- USA national rugby union team
- United States national rugby union team (sevens)United States national rugby union team (sevens)The United States National Rugby Union Sevens team competes in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens, World Games, and Pan American Games. The Team will also represent the United States in the Summer Olympics beginning in 2016. Under current head coach Al Caravelli the Eagles have...
- Super Powers CupSuper Powers CupThe Super Cup was an annual international rugby union competition contested by national teams from Canada, Japan, Russia and the United States. It was previously known as the Super Powers Cup....
- Churchill CupChurchill CupThe Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....
- College rugby
- A Giant Awakens: the Rise of American Rugby
- Rugby World Cup 2011 Fixtures