We've Hit The Big Time! U.S.A. 7's Going Full-Time!

The announcement that the U.S.A. 7's team was going full-time with 15 male and 8 female players being placed under contract felt like the day a brand new team came to your city. The news is nothing more than amazing for the Eagles and Eagles fans. The implications of the this announcement won't be felt for awhile until we see how the programme is implemented and who is put under contract, but it is fair to say that the game of rugby has changed in this country. Currently, there are 13 capped U.S. players playing professionally overseas, this announcement automatically doubles the numbers of those that will be playing rugby full-time!

One thing that has always been lacking from the U.S. game is a full-time team that the public can gather around. This isn't to say that rugby fans don't coalesce around the Eagles 15's and 7's teams whenever they play, of course they do. But it is hard to market a team when they only play 6 games a year or in 8-10 tournaments a year and the players are constantly changing. We saw that with increased media attention given to the Eagles this summer during the World Cup that players like Todd Clever and Mike MacDonald are marketable, but when the attention is off and they go back to their clubs, we have a tendency to tune out because they are out of our sight. Now, with a full-time team that can gather players and create personas, more people can grow attached, media attention can be increased, and we the internet public can go crazy with more speculation!

As much as the public likes to deride Nigel Melville and the U.S.A. Rugby Board of Directors (rightfully so is some cases), they have to be applauded for making this happen. Sure the U.S. Olympic Committee had a big role, but it couldn't have happened without the Melville and others. However, the person that we should be thanking the most for making this happen is Al Caravelli. He has put in countless hours and resources into developing the 7's team into what it is today. He has been relentless in communicating with those at the U.S.O.C. Today should truly be a proud day for him. Congratulations to Al and to everyone who has worked so hard.

Alex Goff in his reaction already addressed some of the big aspects of what this move means. Consistency is going to be the key. We know that the more time the Eagles spend together the better they play. If I were the rest of the world I would be a bit worried that the strong and quick U.S. lads are now full-time. In addition to Goff's points, something that might be overlooked is the ability to attract players. The 7's team has always done a good job at that but one of the main concerns for rugby players in this country has always been "how much do I have to give up to play the sport?" Think about a good college player, if they have the choice between a decent out of college job or a chance to play full-time rugby, which are they going to choose? For the first time, college players and excellent club players have an achievable goal in which to strive for after their college careers. Players are going to start to push each other and it is going to make the Eagles better. Additionally, this may bring in some players who were part time players overseas. Can anyone imagine Mike Petri in a 7's uniform? He may not want to leave his New York life, but the chance to play rugby full-time may be very enticing for him and other players.

This decision is going to have an impact on many other aspects of the game, such as the impact on the 15's game, but that may be a whole other discussion that will have to be done at another time. But before I sign off, let's not leave the women out of this equation? For this first time ever, women in this country are going to be playing rugby full-time. That is going to do wonders for the women's game. I know that the ladies have been working hard and that they deserve this chance.

Anyways, that is enough for now. I can't express how excited I am for this move. Tomorrow we'll preview Dubai and look at who may be signed to a contract.

Utah Warriors President Sean Whalen Talks 2012 Super League Season

This Is American Rugby sat down with Utah Warriors owner Sean Whalen to talk about the upcoming 2012 U.S. Rugby Super League:

This Is American Rugby: The 2012 Super League schedule has come out and the teams will be playing an all-time high of 8 games. How important is it for you as a owner to have four (possibly more with playoffs) home games?

Sean Whalen: The more games the better! I'd love to see even more games with more teams across the country. The 2012 season will be a great set up for all the teams and the warriors are excited about the opportunity to play every team once at home and once away. It'll allow us to have even more opportunity for fans to come watch us play and learn the great sport of rugby!

TIAR: Have the Warriors settled on a venue for next year?

SW: We are going to play 3 of our home games in Salt Lake County, and one home game in Utah County. We will announce the venues in January.

TIAR: What are the Warriors doing to bring more fans out to games next year? What will the game day experience be like?

SW: Expect to see some new and exciting things for the 2012 season! Last season we really tried to get the fans, especially the youth involved with the Warriors. At our first home game we gave away 100 rugby balls to the first 100 kids through the gate. We got a lot of feedback from the fans, and they loved that. We are planning to do that at every match in 2012. We will also have a lot of half time opportunity for fans to win Warrior gear, prizes, and money. Expect to see a lot of exciting opportunity for fans to be involved with interact with the team! Follow the Warriors on Facebook to find out all the match activities and all new and real time updates!

TIAR: What are you doing to bring in players for next year? Will players like John van der Giessen be returning?

SW: The great thing about being in Utah with the Warriors is the fact that there is more rugby talent here than any other place in the U.S.A. Having John on the squad last year was fantastic, and we hope to be able to have him play with us again in 2012. We have put a lot of focus on the talent here in Utah, and getting that talent in shape and ready for the season. The Warrior roster will be similar to last year, but expect to see some new names on there, and some names you have seen playing a lot of international rugby.

TIAR: Mike Palefau and Maka Unufe have been integrated into the U.S.A. 7's team and could miss a big part of next season. How does the team cope with potentially losing a couple of its key players in the middle of the season?

SW: The goal of the Warriors is to be a team that U.S.A. Rugby can ahve a large pool of potential players to choose from for the Eagles. Having two of the best players in American on our team is absolutely fantastic. Loosing them to international play is hard for the Warriors because of their tremendous talent, but at the samet ime it is an exciting thing for us. To watch our teammates represent the U.S.A. is something we are all proud of, and is the end goal of many of our players. Ryan Chapman was able to get his first cap this year, players like Matt Byrd are on the U.S.A. radar and Maka Unufe not only put on a U.S.A. jersey, but he scored 2 tries in his very first game. We know that having that type of talent could mean loosing those players, but the Warrior organizationis working to build depth on our squad, so when the Eagles call up players we can fill those spots and keep winning.

TIAR: Are there any plans to play games outside of the league schedule? Friendlies perhaps?

SW: We are looking at playing a few matches with co California teams in Vegas during the 7's tournament and we are trying to coordinate a trip to play Glendale as well. We've scheduled a preseason match with the University of Utah on February 4th.

Video: Kevin Battle's RWC Diary, Medical Staff Revelations and Russia Match Highlights

Kevin Battle, U.S.A. Assistant Manager at the World Cup came up with this great video of quotes from the Eagles, including some revelations from the medical staff, and highlights from the Russia match.

Opening Kick

Opening Kick is a segment devoted to bringing you all Eagles and USA rugby related news in one location.

Eagles/7's:

Eagles and Saracens lock Hayden Smith has broken a bone in his hand and will be out for six weeks.

Taku Ngwenya was in action yesterday, playing the full 80 minutes in Biarritz's 21-19 win over Bayonne.

Alex Goff checks in with Lou Stanfill who says he is weighing some overseas options, as are Nic Johnson and John van der Giessen.

Gainline takes a look at the finances of U.S.A. Rugby since 2006.

Rugbymag.com has a great look at a statistical analysis of the Rugby World Cup.

Tidbits:

I don't know why but I love this video of Imanol Harinordoquy's dad running out on the pitch to pick a fight. Enjoy.

Interview with Rugby Super League President Sean Kelly and NYAC head coach Mike Tolkin

The 2012 U.S. Super Rugby League schedule was recently announced and it included some changes the the format of the league, specifically, the playing of more games. This Is American Rugby sat down with Rugby Super League President Sean Kelly and New York Athletic Club head coach Mike Tolkin to talk about some of those changes.

This Is American Rugby: The Super League is going to play an all-time high of 8 matches, is that something that was a priority going into the season?

Sean Kelly: Yes, it’s been talked about within the league for a long time but for many reasons was never done before. Some of those reasons involved the cost, (the more games you play the higher the travelling cost is for each team competing in the league). Another reason is that the league has always tried to comply with USA Rugby’s request to end our season before the International season begins. 2011 was a World Cup year and as such we were not in a position to expand our regular season as we were requested by USA Rugby to finish by May 21, 2011 with which we complied.

Mike Tolkin: It was certainly a priority because players need more games to improve themselves and feel like they have participated in a worthwhile endeavor; teams need more games to hit their stride and realize the height of their true capability. With so few games last year, teams got into real trouble with only one or two slip-ups. Lastly, but just as important, clubs need to feel that they are getting a bang for their buck - if they are laying out a good amount of money, they need to get their money's worth.

TIAR: Do you think adding more games to the schedule makes it more appealing for players (like national team players) to play in the Super League?

SK: No, if you are a player with national team aspirations then 8 games is not going to cut it. The more games you play the better and fitter you get. You really need to play in a league that has 25 or more games if you want to compete and win at the international level. What the RSL does is give those players who can not compete in a league of that length a chance to play at a higher level in this country.

MT: For sure; simply put, players want to play games. As for the national team players, one of the complaints is too few matches in the RSL, so we hope this makes the league more enticing. Because of the limited resources of USA Rugby in general, we need to get our national team players more matches to better prepare them, and we hope those continue to become of a better standard.

TIAR: Were the owners big proponents of the change or was it more of a league directive?

SK: The league is run by the Club’s, therefore it was a joint decision taken by all members of the league to get as many regular season games in as possible between March and end of May 2012 without breaking the bank. Many RSL members have been pushing for more games for the past few years and none were more vocal than two great stalwarts of Rugby in this country who sadly passed away this year. Dr. Richard Donelli (Old Blue New York) and Mr. Keith Brown (Chicago Lions) both advocated for giving players more quality games. Both men will be sorely missed by the league and Rugby.

MT: It certainly was not a directive, but I think that it was something that both parties saw as a need to improve the RSL.

TIAR: How does the new schedule effect travel costs?

SK: It will increase travel costs: by adding the extra away game but there is no way around it and the clubs understand that.

TIAR: Do you think that the Super League is in a solid position in terms of growth going forward?

SK: So long as you have a collective number of teams who want to play the highest level of rugby against the best competition in the US and are willing to fund the cost themselves, then yes, the Super League is in a solid position. As far as growth we have been there with 18 teams in 2007 & 2008, since then the number of teams has been on the decline. Maybe the league, the country and the standard of rugby presently can not handle more than 10 teams. Only time will tell.

MT: I think the increased schedule is a move forward; we have had some minor sponsorships emerge, and we had some very good domestic players perform well in the RWC. I think our biggest challenges continue to be creating a larger pool of really competitive teams; having all teams with acceptable/good facilities in order to promote RSL as an elite competition; gaining major sponsorship, and getting TV coverage, esp. for finals.

TIAR: What is still your biggest challenge?

SK: Travel Cost: Each team in the league shares the average travel cost of the league. Flying players & coaches across this country is not cheap but in order to play the best team in another city you have to fly there and until someone offers to pay or helps to offset some of this cost it’s the biggest challenge for each team in the league to come up with the money to pay for those flights.

TIAR: What kind of media outreach is the league going to be doing this next year?

SK: We are presently looking at streaming every league game in 2012. We have been in contract with a company that specializes in it and we think that we can do it without breaking the bank. We have a web site, unfortunately it’s old and needs revamping but without sponsorship dollars it’s hard to justify spending club’s money when you have travel costs that come first. We have a Media Officer (Mr. John Doody) who reports on all our games and coordinates with USA Rugby to get our write-ups out to the membership and Media on a weekly basis. We have a Face book page that we need to utilize more but all this takes time, money and resources of which the league has limited quantity.

TIAR: Will the games be streamed on the internet?

SK: We are currently looking in to it and hope that is something that we can do in 2012.

TIAR: The Chicago Lions dropped out of the league this year, why?

SK: The Chicago Lions dropped out of the league citing that the Midwest RFU had decided to determine eligibility for their 2011-2012 Midwest D1 league based on those players who had 3 or more walk-on appearances in the 2011 Super League. They deemed those players ineligible to play Div 1 until the fall of 2012, thus eliminating approximately 25 of the Lions players from competing in the 2011 Midwest Div 1 fall season. The Lions could not justify limiting 25 of there players to only 6 to 8 competitive games in a year and therefore took the step to drop out of the league in order to allow these players to compete all year round even if it meant leaving the league that they help found.

TIAR: Where other teams (Dallas) considering dropping out as well, and if so, why?

SK: No, I was unaware of any other team dropping out and only read of Dallas’s unfounded consideration in the media.

TIAR: Expansion of the Super League is a topic amongst fans. Was there any discussions with clubs to enter the league this year?

SK: Yes, we initiated talks with the two (Glendale Raptors/Olympic Club) 2011 Men’s D1 finalists but neither took us up on our offer to enter the league.

TIAR: Do you think the Super League may be looking to add more clubs along the line of the Utah Warriors model?

SK: The Super League is always willing to entertain entries into the league. The Utah Warriors being one such entry that was admitted.

MT: I think a good model in its initial stages - an apparently good infrastructure, great facility, good player pool. There is nothing wrong with players getting paid or reimbursed as some have groused about. Why is that a bad thing?? The only thing that clubs with one big benefactor must beware of is not building an infrastructure to support the club should that money man disappear. We've seen it before at all levels where a team is riding high for a certain amount of time and then disappear literally overnight.




Poll Tuesday: How To Professionalize Rugby in the U.S.

Poll Tuesday returns this week to talk about potential avenues of professionalization for U.S.A. Rugby, but first let's look at the results from last week's poll:

We asked "What kind of coach should the next Eagles coach be?" It was a close vote, but with 48% of all the votes, "Foreign" was the top answer. This was closely followed by "American Club" with 42%. "American College" received 9% and "No coach at all" and "non-rugby coach" didn't receive any votes. The answer is a little surprising considering the number of articles that have gone up stating the desire of most fans to see an American coach. It would be interesting to see the reasons behind voting for "Foreign." So if you are one of those people, leave a comment.

This week we take up some of the things discussed in the latest Ruggamatrix podcast by U.S.A. Rugby CEO Nigel Melville. In the podcast he discussed the potential of a U.S. based team in either the Premiership or Super Rugby. He even floated the idea of someone buying London Wasps and moving them to the U.S. So without further delay, here is this week's question:

How would you like to see rugby professionalized in the U.S.?

1. Premiership/Super Rugby team based in the U.S.

2. Buy London Wasps

3. European based team

4. A U.S. only domestic league

5. Don't worry about 15's only focus on 7's

6. Don't even bother

Check out the pool on the left of the page to vote!

Opening Kick

Opening Kick is a segment devoted to bringing you all Eagles and USA rugby related news in one location.

Eagles/7's:

Nigel Melville was the guest on the latest RuggaMatrix podcast. It is a MUST LISTEN for every Eagles fan. He talks about the U.S. bidding on the 2023 World Cup, residency plans for 7's players, future tests, and the potential of professional rugby.

Alex Goff responds to the suggestion that someone in the U.S. should buy London Wasps and move them over to this country.

Goff also explains the logistics behind the U.S. bidding for the World Cup.

Miles Craigwell is the latest U.S.A. 7's player to check in, this time from Dubai.

Buzz McClain forgot how much he missed Sevens. Plus he has a holiday gift ideas.

Inaki Basauri quickly gives an update of his life in France to Rugbymag.com.

Club:

U.S. sides Santa Monica and Atlantis (invitational select) will be competing in the Havana 7's. How they are going to get into Cuba will be interesting to hear.

144 teams took part in the New York 7's. That meant that there were nine different champions. Schuykill River won the Premier Division.

College:

BYU has confirmed what we all knew, that they wouldn't be participating in the College 7's Nationals.

Youth:

All High School players that sign up for the College Recruitment Combine on rugbyrecruiting.com will be able to do so for free. The College Recruitment Combine Program allows High School players to play before college coaches and to learn more about their programs.

Eagles Abroad Weekend Review

It was a busy weekend for Americans Abroad. Here is how everybody fared:

British Isles/Ireland:

Aviva Premiership

Samu Manoa came out the better in his clash against fellow Americans Chris Wyles and Hayden Smith as Northampton beat Saracens handily 30-8. Wyles played the entire 80 minutes, Smith didn't make the game day squad, and Manoa came on in the 62nd minute.

Chris Biller arrived in Bath but did not dress as Bath lost to Worcester 16-7. Biller may play against London Irish in an Aviva 'A' league fixture on Monday.

RFU Championship

Mike MacDonald and Robbie Shaw both started but didn't play the whole game for Leeds as they beat Rotherham 25-19 on Friday.

Shawn Pittman started and nearly played the entire match as London Welsh beat Plymouth Albion 24-9 on Saturday. Pittman was substituted in the 80+1 minute.

Andrew Suniula started and played the first 55 minutes for Cornish Pirates as they lost to Doncaster 36-21 on Saturday.

RaboDirect Pro 12

Tommy Seymour was not in the squad for Glasgow against Ulster. The Warriors won the match 17-9.

Hanno Dirksen played 6 minutes as a second half sub for Ospreys as they beat Connacht 17-6 on Saturday.

Other

Derek Asburn and Oxford University will play Esher reserves on Monday.

France:

Top 14

Taku Ngwenya started and played 80 minutes as Biarritz continue to struggle in Top 14 play after losing to Racing Metro 28-9.

Scott LaValla made a cameo 1 minute appearance for Stade Francais in their demolition of Perpignan 35-16.

Kevin Swiryn was not in the lineup for Agen as they beat Bordeaux 24-15. It's unclear why Swiryn was left off the roster after playing well the last two matches for Agen.

Seta Tuilevuka did not suit up for Montpellier against Clermont this weekend. Montpellier won 29-23. He is still returning from injury.

Pro D2

Inaki Basauri started and played 58 minutes as Perigueux beat Dax 23-18.

Japan:

Top League

Todd Clever and Suntory had the weekend off.

Canadians Abroad: Weekend Preview

British Isles/Ireland:

Aviva Premiership

Jebb Sinclair started and played the full 80 in the London Derby between London Irish and London Wasps on Saturday. The Exiles won the match 21-17.

RFU Championship

Tyler Hotson, Aaron Carpenter and Sean-Michael Stephens all started Plymouth Albion's 24-9 loss to London Welsh on Saturday. Stephens is returned from a long lay-off and played 80 minutes. Hotson played 66 minutes and Carpenter practically went the whole match, only being substituted in the 80th minute.

James Pritchard and Mark Kohler will both started, played 80 minutes, and scored a try a piece against fellow Canadians Phil and Jamie Mackenzie as Bedford beat 41-13 Esher on Saturday. Both Mackenzie brothers started for Esher with Jamie scoring a try of his own.

Matt Evans started and played the full 80 minutes in Cornish Pirates 36-21 loss to Doncaster on Saturday.

RaboDirect Pro 12

DTH van der Merwe is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury for Glasgow.

Chauncey O'Toole started and played 51 minutes in the Ospreys defeat of 17-6 Connacht on Saturday.

France:

Top 14

Jamie Cudmore has been banned for 20 days and missed Clermont's Top 14 match against Montpellier. Montpellier won the match 29-23.

Pro D2

Josh Jackson started and played 65 minutes as Stade Montois beat Beziers 16-6 on Sunday.

Jason Marshall dressed for the first time but didn't play as Aurillac lost to Pau 18-19.

Opening Kick

Opening Kick is a segment devoted to bringing you all Eagles and USA rugby related news in one location.

Eagles/7's:

The pools and schedule have been set for the Dubai 7's next weekend. The U.S. is in a very tough pool with New Zealand, South Africa, and Portugal.

Al Caravelli looked at what the Eagles could have done better last week and says that team will definitely be working to fix those mistakes for Dubai.

Alex Goff also looked at the mistakes from last week that cost the team a chance at the bowl and says they aren't hard to fix.

Seta Tuilevuka has been out of action since last summer, but in an interview with Montpellier, he explains that he is close to returning to action.

Women:

The women's draw for Dubai has also been set.

College:

Navy has declined an invitation to the 7's National championship and Arkansas is taking their place.

Stony Brook were the winners at the New York 7's this last weekend.

Tidbits:

The latest edition of Rugby Magazine is available to subscribers.

Gold Coast 7's: Eagles Wrap-up & 3 Stars

The first tournament of the 7's season has always been a bit of a problem for the Eagles. With the exception of a tournament here and there the boy always struggled in Dubai. Well, the change of pace from Dubai to the Gold Coast seemed to have the boys playing a bit better than usual in the opening tournament, but not enough to win hardware. While the tournament had a disappointing end to it, with the Eagles finishing in the Bowl semi-finals, the team played well and should take heart going into next week.

Day 1 saw the Eagles pitted in the same group as South Africa, Australia, and Japan. Facing the Sevens Series runners-up didn't phase the team and the Eagles came out strong against South Africa, going up 12-5 at the half. Still, they couldn't hold the moment and South Africa came back to win the game. It was the same story against Australia with a good effort, particularly by Zach Test, being trumped by the talent of a better team. However, the Eagles were able to handily beat Japan to finish the 2-1 and book their place against Papua New Guinea in the Bowl Quarterfinals.

Day 1 Results:

South Africa 17-12 U.S.A.

Australia 22-7 U.S.A.

U.S.A. 21-0 Japan

The Eagles began day 2 looking for a win in the bowl and maximum points. First up was Papua New Guinea in the bowl semi-finals. The U.S. were heavily favoured in this match and easily scored early. However, a quick PNG score made things close until great plays by Mike Palefau and Nick Edwards turned the tide in favour of the Eagles. In the end, the Eagles won comfortably 24-5.

The win against PNG meant that the Eagles had their next match against Scotland in the Bowl Semi-finals. It didn't start out well for the Eagles has they gave up a try to Scotland within a minute. The Eagles couldn't keep possession for much of the game and never really had a chance to do much. Colin Hawley scored a late try but it wasn't enough, Scotland won the game comfortably by a score of 19-5.

Day 2 Scores:

United States 24-5 Papua New Guinea

Scotland 19-5 United States

The loss to Scotland was a disappointing way to end what was a solid tournament for the U.S. Once of the problems recognized by Al Caravelli last year was inconsistency. Not only from tournament to tournament, but from game to game. At the Gold Coast the team showed consistency in competing in every match but one, it is unfortunate that it was the one match the cost them a chance at silverware. Matt Hawkins wrote on his twitter account "Really disappointing finish. It's going to take a lot more thatn what was on offer to reach that next level. I hope everyone understands that." Hopefully the boys will learn from the experience for Dubai next week.

The Eagles do have to be positive going into next week. It was really only a few errors that cost themselves a chance to play for the Bowl. If they can limit those mistakes they may have a real shot at making the Cup quarterfinals. All the players seem healthy and rested after a rule change allows teams to use all of their substitutions for the first three tournament stops. This should mean that everyone should be ready to go for next week. It also should be noted that Al Caravellis went with the same starting lineup in every match, something that hasn't been done for awhile. Also, because of the new points system the team still picks up 5 points for finishing in the Bowl Semi-finals.

Three Stars of the Tournament:

The return of Nick Edwards and Mike Palefau to the side really helped the Eagles become more creative on the attacking end. They are players that like to run at other players and force them to make decisions. They make great passes and help the team keep possession. Matt Hawkins was another player to return to the team. He helped settles the team down, and along with Zach Test and Mark Bokhoven really helped the scrum be dominate. Overall, most of the team played well and fit into their roles.

*Nick Edwards

**Mike Palefau

***Zach Test

Player Stats:

Player Starts Subs Tries Conv.

Mark Bokhoven 5 0 0 0

Mike Palefau 5 0 2 0

Shalom Suniula 5 0 2 0

Zach Test 5 0 2 0

Matt Hawkins 5 0 0 0

Nick Edwards 5 0 2 0

Folau Niua 5 0 1 7

Miles Craigwell 0 5 0 0

Peter Tiberio 0 5 0 0

Tai Enosa 0 5 0 0

Colin Hawley 0 5 1 0

Duncan Kelm 0 5 0 0

Total: 5 5 10 7

Gold Coast 7's Update: U.S.A. 24-5 Papua New Guinea

The Eagles started off day 2 of the Gold Coast 7's with a match against Papua New Guinea. The Eagles were always going to be the favourites in the match. Things started out well for the Eagles with some hard work rewarded with Shalom Suniula crossing from the try. However, Papua New Guinea was to come right back off of a couple of missed tackles to level the score at five. Things were not to remain even though, as a Papua New Guinea player tackled Zack Test in the air, putting himself in the sin bin. The Eagles were able to capitalize on their man advantage when some great work by Mike Palefau put Nick Edwards over the line. 10-5 U.S.A.

The second half picked up where the first half left off. Mike Palefau broke through several tackles to end up under the posts. Folau Niua made the conversion to put the Eagles up 17-5. The Eagles kept up the pressure and made some great defensive plays. It looked like the Eagles defense of old that compeleted their tackles and went on the counter-attack quickly. The match was capped off with Nick Edwards scoring his second try of the day and Folau Niua adding the extras. U.S.A. 24-5 Papua New Guinea. Next up for the Eagles in the Bowl Semi-finals is Scotland.

Autographed Ball Up for Auction

Ball Autographed by Over 50 International Players Up for Auction Proceeds Benefit the US Rugby Foundation's A Ball 4 All Program

San Diego, CA - To support its A Ball 4 All program, the United States Rugby Football Foundation is auctioning off a USRFF leather rugby ball signed by over 50 past and present international players.

The 52 international players that signed the ball played in a total of 2,342 test matches and include some of the greatest players to have ever played the game, including Francois Pienaar, David Campese, Serge Blanco, Nick Farr-Jones, Philippe Sella, Neil Jenkins, Scott Quinnell, Will Carling, John Eales, Buck Shelford, David Kirk, Michael Jones, Zinzan Brooke, David Pocock, Thierry Dusautoir, and many, many more.

The list includes seven International Rugby Hall of Fame members; four players who played in at least 100 test matches; 14 players who won at least one Rugby World Cup; and many who captained their national teams.

“On behalf of the US Rugby Foundation, I want to thank all of the players for signing the ball and supporting our A Ball 4 All program," said USRFF Executive Director, Brian Vizard. “I was very fortunate to meet up with or run into all these outstanding players and to a man, every one was very gracious in supporting our cause.”

Photos of the ball and more information about each of the players that signed it can be found on eBay, item #180761389214. The bidding will conclude at 9:00 a.m. (PST) on Wednesday, November 30, 2011.

Eagles Abroad Weekend Preview, TV Listings

After an exciting couple of weeks in European cup play, the Americans abroad turn their attention back to league play. Joining the ranks of Americans abroad is Eagle hooker Chris Biller, who has signed for Bath. Other match-ups this week include Chris Wyles, Hayden Smith, and Samu Manoa being on the same pitch. Here is how the action look:

British Isles/Ireland:

Aviva Premiership

Chris Wyles, Hayden Smith and Saracens will travel to fellow Premiership-American Samu Manoa and Northampton as both teams resume league play on Sunday.

Chris Biller has arrived in Bath and may be in the bench as Bath take on Worcester tonight, but most likely he will have to wait a week to make his debut.

RFU Championship

Mike MacDonald and Robbie Shaw will both start for Leeds as they take on Rotherham on Friday.

Shawn Pittman expected to once again get the start for London Welsh as they play Plymouth Albion on Saturday.

Andrew Suniula will start at centre for Cornish Pirates as they take on Doncaster on Saturday.

RaboDirect Pro 12

Tommy Seymour gets the start as Glasgow play at home against Ulster.

Hanno Dirksen and Ospreys play Connacht on Saturday.

Other

Derek Asburn and Oxford University will play Esher reserves on Monday.

France:

Top 14

Taku Ngwenya is starting once again on the wing for Biarritz as they look to build off last week's Heineken Cup win with a league match against Racing Metro.

Scott LaValla is not in the game day squad as Stade take on Perpignan today.

Kevin Swiryn will look to continue to start for Agen as they play Bordeaux.

Seta Tuilevuka and Montpellier play Clermont this weekend.

Pro D2

Inaki Basauri and Perigueux play Dax on Saturday.

Japan:

Top League

Todd Clever and Suntory play the Honda Heat this Sunday.

T.V. Listings:

Friday:

• Worcester vs. Bath, 2:3o p.m. est/11:30 a.m. pst (live on Fox Soccer Plus)
• Glasgow vs. Ulster, 5:00 p.m. est/2:00 pst (delay on Fox Soccer Plus)

Saturday:

• Castres vs. Toulon, 10:15 a.m. est/7:15 a.m. pst (ESPN3.com)
• Northampton vs. Saracens, 6:00 p.m. est/3:00 p.m. pst (delay on Fox Soccer Plus)
• Gloucester vs Leieceter, 9:00 p.m. est/6:00 p.m. pst (delay on Fox Soccer Plus)

Sunday:

• Munster vs. Edinburgh, 10:30 a.m. est/7:30 a.m. pst (delay on Fox Soccer Plus)

Canadians Abroad: Weekend Preview

British Isles/Ireland:

Aviva Premiership

Jebb Sinclair and London Irish play fellow Londoners, Wasps on Saturday.

RFU Championship

Tyler Hotson, Aaron Carpenter and Sean-Michael Stephens will all start as Plymouth Albion host London Welsh on Saturday. Stephens is returning from a long lay-off.

James Pritchard and Mark Kohler will both start against fellow Canadians Phil and Jamie Mackenzie as Bedford play Esher on Saturday.

Matt Evans will start out on the wing for the Cornish Pirates in their match against Doncaster on Saturday.

RaboDirect Pro 12

DTH van der Merwe is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury for Glasgow.

Chauncey O'Toole and Ospreys play Connacht on Saturday.

France:

Top 14

Jamie Cudmore has been banned for 20 days and will miss Clermont's Top 14 match against Montpellier.

Pro D2

Josh Jackson Stade Montois play Beziers on Sunday.

Opening Kick

Opening Kick is a segment devoted to bringing you all Eagles and USA rugby related news in one location.

Eagles/7's:

The Eagles have gone 2-1 on the first day of the Gold Coast 7's. See more reaction here, and here.

As you saw here yesterday, Chris Biller has signed a short-term contract with Bath.

Rugbymag.com has some quotes from Chris about how his opportunity came about. (Membership required)

Hayden Smith visited a local school where he handed out prizes to students.

One player Al Caravelli is glad to have is Nick Edwards, whom he calls a "competitor."

Mike Palefau was back in the side after an absences, he says that the 7's team feels like a family. (Membership required)

Women:

The U.S.A. Women's 7's team has been training hard in preparation for Dubai and according to their coach, the hard work is paying off.

12 teams have been invited to participate in the first Women's College 7's National Championships in Texas next month.

The Northeast has selected their Women's All-Conference team.

Club:

Alex Goff says that the Pittsburgh Harlequins have a lot to be thankful for.

College:

Boston College has turned down an invitation to the the College 7's National Championship because of exams.

Tidbits:

The Fall issue of Rugby Magazine is out for all subscribers.

Gold Coast 7's: Eagles Day 1 Wrap-up with 3 Stars

Playing well, but outmatched at times during the day, the U.S.A. Eagles 7's finished Day 1 of the Gold Coast 7's with a record of two wins and one loss. Next up for the Eagles is Papua New Guinea in the Bowl Quarterfinals.

The day started out well for the Eagles as they jumped on South Africa early. Zack Test scored less than a minute into the match, but Folau Niua was unable to convert. 5-0 Eagles. South Africa was quick to strike back, however, to level the score. Then just before half time Test scored his second of the day and Niua converted the kick to send the Eagles into half-time up 12-5. The second half didn't got as well as the first, however. South Africa scored a quick try and then another later in the half to send the Eagles to defeat.

The hosts, Australia, were the second match of the day and were always going to be a tough ask. The Eagles started out brightly, scoring the first try of the match after some great defensive work that led Mike Palefau to score. However, it went downhill from there as the Australians capitalized on Eagle mistakes and turnovers.

Japan were the last match of the day, and the Eagles wanted to win this game in order to get in a good position to win points on Day 2. After a slow start the Eagles found their groove with Niua, Shalom Suniula, and Colin Hawley all crossing for scores.

Overall, it seems that the preparation work the Eagles have done for this tournament has paid off. Al Caravelli should be commended for picking an in-form team that can compete against anyone. His preparation schedule and choice to not tire the players out with scrimmages seems have have helped the Eagles be ready to start the Series out right. There were mistakes, such as taking advantage of the opportunities given to them, as well as silly turnovers, but overall you can't be too displeased with the effort of the team. Players like Zack Test, Matt Hawkins, and Shalom Suniula all showed their experience and determination. Suniula in particular made a try-saving tackle that was quite impressive.

Up next on Day 2 is a winless Papua New Guinea side.

Three Stars of the Day:

*Zack Test

**Al Caravelli

***Shalom Suniula

Happy Thanksgiving! & Peter Tiberio Surfs!

Happy Thanksgiving from This Is American Rugby! Give thanks by watching these two videos:

Peter Tiberio learns how to surf:

Here is the Gold Coast Insider:

Chris Biller Signs With Bath

World Cup vet and Eagles hooker Chris Biller has signed a short-term injury replacement contract with Bath Rugby in the English Premiership. The contract is expected to last three months. Rugbymag.com was the first to break the news and has some good quotes from Chris (Membership required). This is only good news for the Eagles and Eagles fans as they will get another player with some overseas experience, and at a crucial position.

Bath are currently in the middle of the Aviva Premiership table, second to Leinster in Pool 3 of the Heineken Cup, and on top of Pool A in the Anglo-Welsh Cup. As a result of the number of fixtures Biller should be able to see time with the first team as well as fixtures with the Bath Reserves.

This move is similar to the move John van der Giessen made last season when he was brought in as an injury replacement for Bath. Former Eagle captain Dan Lyle made his name while playing for Bath and was instrumental in helping van der Giessen land his role. No word yet if that is the same case for Biller.

Biller has been capped by the Eagles and the Select XV, appeared in the World Cup, played collegiately at Cal, and had been playing his club rugby with San Francisco Golden Gate. Congratulations to Chris!

U.S. Super League 2012 Schedule Press Release

U.S. Rugby Super League Announces 2012 Schedule

November, 22, 2011

The sixteenth season of the Rugby Super League will kick off on March 12th, 2012 as 10 teams from across the nation battle to be crowned the top club in America. The regular season will last eleven weeks with the final matches being played on May 19th. The semi-finals will then take place between the top two teams in each conference, followed by the final. This year promises to bring even more action to fans as some changes have been made to the league schedule and format.

Highlighting the list of changes is the expansion of the schedule from 6 games to 8, the longest season ever played by the Super League. Each team from the five team conferences will play the other four teams in their conference two times, once at home and once away. While this still may not be enough games to constitute an alternative league to European rugby, RSL President Sean Kelly thinks that "what the RSL does is give those players who can not compete in a league of that length a chance to play at a higher level in this country." Kelly also recognizes that a increase in the number of games will end up costing more in travel but that each club understands and accepts that as a tradeoff for more matches.

NYAC Head Coach Mike Tolkin also sees the benefit of playing more games for top players. "Simply put, players want to play games. As for the national team players, one of the complaints is too few matches in the RSL, so we hope this makes the league more enticing. Because of the limited resources of USA Rugby in general, we need to get our national team players more matches to better prepare them, and we hope those continue to become of a better standard."

In another change, Rugby Super League is looking into streaming of all its matches. "We have been in contract with a company that specializes in it and we think that we can do it without breaking the bank," said Kelly. How this service becomes available is still in the works but should be great news for fans who have long clamored for more availability of high-level matches.

Other changes to the format included the loss of the Chicago Lions as a result of changes to the Midwest Rugby Union's eligibility for players. Kelly says it would have been hard for the Lions to "justify limiting 25 of there players to only 6 to 8 competitive games in a year and therefore took the step to drop out of the league in order to allow these players to compete all year round even if it meant leaving the league that they help found." When asked about expansion, Kelly reported the that league held talks with both the Glendale Raptors and Olympic Club about entry into the league. Other changes include placing the Chicago Griffins in the West, and the Dallas Harlequins in the East.

Even with the overall positive changes to the league, there are still challenges for the league and its clubs. NYAC head coach Mike Tolkin says that the Rugby Super League's "biggest challenges continue to be creating a larger pool of really competitive teams; having all teams with acceptable/good facilities in order to promote RSL as an elite competition; gaining major sponsorship, and getting TV coverage, esp. for finals."

Even despite these obstacles, the increased number of matches and possible streaming of matches, the Rugby Super League finds itself in a position to make a bigger imprint on rugby in America than ever before.

2012 RSL SCHEDULE

WEST Conference (RED) EAST Conference (BLUE)

Chicago Griffins Boston Rugby

Denver Barbarians Dallas Harlequins

Old Puget Sound Beach Life University

San Francisco Golden Gate New York Athletic Club

Utah Warriors Old Blue New York

Week 1 - March 10, 2012

Denver Barbarians @ Utah Warriors

Old Blue New York @ New York Athletic Club

Dallas Harlequins @ Life University

Week 2 - March 17, 2012

Utah Warriors @ San Francisco Golden Gate

Chicago Griffins @ Denver Barbarians

Boston Rugby @ Old Blue New York

New York Athletic Club @ Dallas Harlequins

Week 3 - March 24, 2012

Old Puget Sound Beach @ Utah Warriors

San Francisco Golden Gate @ Chicago Griffins

New York Athletic Club @ Boston Rugby

Life University @ Old Blue New York

Week 4 - March 31, 2012

Denver Barbarians @ San Francisco Golden Gate

Chicago Griffins @ Old Puget Sound Beach

Boston Rugby @ Life University

Old Blue New York @ Dallas Harlequins

Week 5 - April 7, 2012 - (EASTER)

Old Puget Sound Beach @ San Francisco Golden Gate

Week 6 - April 14, 2012

Old Puget Sound Beach @ Denver Barbarians

Utah Warriors @ Chicago Griffins

Life University @ New York Athletic Club

Dallas Harlequins @ Boston Rugby

Week 7, April 21, 2012

Denver Barbarians @ Chicago Griffins

San Francisco Golden Gate @ Utah Warriors

New York Athletic Club @ Old Blue New York

Life University @ Dallas Harlequins

Week 8 - April 28, 2012

Utah Warriors @ Old Puget Sound Beach

Chicago Griffins @ San Francisco Golden Gate

Old Blue New York @ Life University

Boston Rugby @ New York Athletic Club

Week 9 - May 5, 2012

Old Puget Sound Beach @ Chicago Griffins

San Francisco Golden Gate @ Denver Barbarians

Life University @ Boston Rugby

Dallas Harlequins @ Old Blue New York

Week 10 - May 12, 2012

Denver Barbarians @ Old Puget Sound Beach

Chicago Griffins @ Utah Warriors

New York Athletic Club @ Life University

Boston Rugby @ Dallas Harlequins

Week 11 - May 19, 2012

San Francisco Golden Gate @ Old Puget Sound Beach

Utah Warriors @ Denver Barbarians

Dallas Harlequins @ New York Athletic Club

Old Blue New York @ Boston Rugby