Robert Markel Cup Kicks Off Season With New Team Additions

The Robert Markel Cup will be kicking off its second season in New Orleans, this weekend.

The Robert Markel Cup is a club rugby tournament, which features teams from across the gulf coast region. Named after New Orleans businessman and major fixture in the local rugby community, the Robert Markel Cup was developed to give local club teams a chance to compete against each other, without having to travel significant distances.

Last years Robert Markel Cup finals team, New Orleans Crescent Blues and New Orleans Green

Newly appointed tournament president, Michael Gibbs, has been excited to get this new season, as there have been some new additions to this year’s competition. There has been an increase from four to six teams competing this year. The original four teams that started the competition were, Battleship Rugby out of Mobile, AL; the Landsharks out of Biloxi, MS; New Orleans Krewe, and the New Orleans Crescent City Blues. The newly added teams are, Baton Rouge Men’s Rugby, and the Pontchartrain Po-boys, a feeder team for the New Orleans Men’s Division II team.

According to Gibbs, last year had gone so well, that they were getting requests from teams to be able to join. Some of the teams like the Jackson Men’s Rugby Club out of Jackson, MS, a newly formed club rugby team out of Houma, and the New Orleans Rougaroux, a predominately gay men’s rugby club. Unfortunately both due to lack of player numbers, and wanting to only expand the competition to six teams, these teams weren’t able to join the competition for this year. Gibbs still explained, he was excited to bring these teams in for next year when they were more ready, so the competition can continue to develop and expand.

The Robert Markel Cup; photo by RMC administration

For Gibbs, this competition is a great event to bring families to. It’s a chance to attract former players back on the pitch, and give new players a chance to learn. When it’s all said and done, this should be another exciting season for Robert Markel Cup. The competition will crown a champion on December 16th. Until then, watch out for some great grassroots club rugby.

You can keep up with all the action on their Facebook page or on Twitter @RobertMarkelCup

Home Away
9/2/2017
1.1 Gretna Cresent City
1.2 Metairie Baton Rouge
1.3 Mobile biloxi
9/9/2017
2.1 Cresent City Mobile
2.2 biloxi Metairie
2.3 Baton Rouge Gretna
9/16/2017 No RMC Rugby
9/23/2017
3.1 Biloxi Baton Rouge
3.2 Cresent City Metairie
3.3 Gretna Mobile
9/30/2017
4.1 Baton Rouge Mobile
4.2 Cresent City biloxi
4.3 Gretna Metairie
10/7/2017
5.1 Mobile Metairie
5.2 biloxi Gretna
5.3 Cresent City Baton Rouge
10/14/2017 No RMC Rugby Old Boys weekend
10/21/2017
6.1 Cresent City Gretna
6.2 Baton Rouge Metairie
6.3 biloxi Mobile
10/28/2017 No RMC Rugby Hallowen Weekend
11/4/2017
7.1 Mobile Cresent City
7.2 Metairie biloxi
7.3 Gretna Baton Rouge
11/11/2017 No RMC Rugby Battleship weekend
11/18/2017
8.1 Baton Rouge Biloxi
8.2 Metairie Cresent City
8.3 Mobile Gretna
11/25/2017 No RMC Rugby Thanksgiveing
12/2/2017
9.1 Mobile Baton Rouge
9.2 biloxi Cresent City
9.3 Metairie Gretna
12/9/2017
10. 1 Metairie Mobile
10.2 Gretna biloxi
10.3 Baton Rouge Cresent City
12/16/2017 Grand Final Top  place 2nd place
Bronze place 3rd place 4th place

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