American's play Rugby? - Forever Strong (2008) Discussion

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

yeah i understand anyone can play rugby but i didn't know americans had any rubgy leagues and stste championships for rubgy

-i can't believe it! they f-!#ing forgot my birthday!-
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[–] Wiscomptin 16 years ago

we have college teams, like the one i am on. unfortuanatly, they are still just club teams and not state funded varsity teams so they are more just like a club than a sport. football is too popular here, it takes the place of both rugby and soccer, which is unfortunate. i mean i could live without soccer but rugby is too much goodness!

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[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] thehookah 16 years ago

jagrfan681869,

People need to get away from this fascination with Varsity vs Club status. The teams in most US colleges are just as well organized and trained as they are in the UK.

I played rugby in school, at University, and for a mens "semi-pro" club team in England. After I emigrated I played for two different clubs here, including the 2004 national champions. I now referee, covering High School, Collegiate and Mens Club teams.

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[–] tmw1885 16 years ago

there are a couple varsity teams like Cal (D1) and California Maritime Academy (D2), but they usually still don't offer scholarships, although Cal doesn't typically have any problems recruiting players

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[–] codyearley 16 years ago

It is not huge but there is definetly like a cult following and it is growing. My roomate played on a club team in college and has got me hooked. We now subscribe to setanta tv, and watch international matches and Magners leauge. We have an american leauge, only club teams though so the players are guys who olayed on club teams in college and have day jobs, therefore the level of play is not that high, but still entertaining. Where i live in texas there are actually youth leauges starting to form.

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[–] brandxtshirts 16 years ago

well it was the same over here )UK) until the 90s, nobady got paid for playing the sport was amature. now things are different and it's going the way of football, to much money in the game see

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[–] brandxtshirts 16 years ago

cody which team do you support in the magners and internationaly?

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[–] i-love-movies44 16 years ago

I *beep* love rugby, my favourite sport. Munster(where I live) has just won the Hineken Cup.
American Fottball has been pretty much derived from rugby, just alot of changes in the rules.

not a big fan of rugby league thoe. just a bit boring and repetitive.

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[–] lberns1 16 years ago

League has it's place like the rest of them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2IqiFlc5LA

The conversion is amazing too.

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[–] codyearley 15 years ago

I support Lienster in the Magners leauge and England/Newzealand in International....i like the USA but it is hard to root for a team that sucks that bad

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[–] Leevee 16 years ago

Hey, of the four times rugby was played in the Olympics, France won once, Australia once, and then the USA twice! Granted, it was less because of skill and more because they would flatten the French players, but still.

There's even youth touch rugby, at least where I live. Sure, there's only about five kids a team and only three or four teams, but it's a good start, I think.

"Eddie, sometimes you're funny. And then there's now."

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[–] lberns1 16 years ago

Both Union and League are played here in the U.S. The Eagles participated in the the 2007 Rugby World Cup. We also co-host the Barclays Churchill Cup with Canada, and England - http://www.barclayschurchillcuprugby.com

U.S. Union
http://www.usarugby.org

U.S. League
http://www.amnrl.com

There is also an Aussie Rules, and GAA following here as well.

U.S. Aussie
http://www.afana.com

U.S. GAA
http://www.nagaa.org

For anyone interested, here is a great Football blog that covers them all:

http://www.davesfootballblog.com

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[–] djourmanflint 16 years ago

It's been growing by leaps and bounds. Much like footy (soccer) it starts with the kids. In the Upper Midwest specificly Minnesota & Wisconsin I know almost all of the colleges have a club side and many high schools now as well. Thank god for too many sports chanels with nothing to show on them. I reckon that helped get kids interested in a sport I've loved playing for years.

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[–] Kraftzy 15 years ago

my roommate from Georgia tech,told me that most kids in the US don't hear about it till they get to university,and that the general view of the sport in America was that it was played by rich white kids.

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[–] vhavnal 15 years ago

nah, cricket is played by "rich white kids" and because rugby involves a lot of injury, i really don't think rich white kids would want to hurt their pretty little toes or get their $300 boot muddy.. ;)

You make your own destiny(well if you want to or steal someone else's)