First off, I wanted to start off by giving a congratulations to the southern teams who ended their season in the top 10 of their leagues. This season has shown that teams from the southeastern region have proven to be able to be dominant at the national level, and not just in regional sense. So congratulations to these teams that represented exceptionally for the southeastern region.
Moving on, if you weren’t already aware the USA Eagles took on Scotland this past weekend. Despite playing in front of another record crowd of 20,001 people and a heat index of 93 degrees, the Eagles were unable to overcome the Scottish, as they lost 24-6. Big plays by Scotland’s, Tim Visser, and Stuart Hogg, helped set the Scottish up for the dominating win over the USA. In the Post-game report, Coach Mike Tolkien, nor Eagles Captain, Todd Clever gave any excuses for the loss. Scotland’s Head Coach, Greig Laidlaw, talked about how they overcame the heat. The Eagles will be continuing their summer series against Japan next week in Los Angeles
This weekend wasn’t only about the USA and Scotland. If weren’t able to make the game, or were busy trying to stay out of the heat as long as possible, you might have missed the several events that were occurring in conjunction with the Summer Series game.
The Club Elite 7s were taking place at Houston Amateur Sports Park. This was a competition of the best all-star 7s teams from around the country. The teams represented Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., Denver, Columbus, San Francisco, San Diego, Salt Lake City and Seattle. The winner of this competition would join Old Blue of New York in London at the World Club 7s Tournament. But even within the competition, there is more that came out of this then just a possible trip overseas. Seattle would win this tournament, defeating San Diego in the championships 22-14. They will join Old Blue on August 16th and 17th.
If you are a high school student who plays Rugby, this was the place to be. The first College Rugby Fair sponsored by USA Rugby, and hosted by The Rugger’s Edge, took place this weekend. Karen Fong Donoghue, founder of The Rugger’s Edge, helped present information that both parents and students would need, so they can use rugby to help them get into college. The fair helped place coaches in a position to present to multiple possible recruits at the same time, while also giving parents an idea of how this sport can ease the process of getting into college.
You can find more information about The Rugger’s Edge at www.theruggersedge.com, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Ruggersedge
There is more to the USA Rugby team than meets the eye. Do you know who I’m talking about? That’s right, the USA Wheelchair Rugby team. They put on a demonstration for the public to show case why they are the number one team in the country. USA Wheelchair rugby team shows no sign of handicap. They make big plays, they hit hard, and they don’t show any signs of slowing down. This USA team won the Americans Championships 3 times in a row, and are looking to defended them again. But as any program growing goes, sometimes the price is not always the best. You can keep up with the team and their season on social media. You can find them on Twitter @usawchrugby or on Facebook.com/usawchrugby
Our last story of the day takes us to high school rugby. Where the Louisiana Exiles traveled to take on the Texas All-Stars. The game started off quickly with the Exiles scoring quickly and early for the Exiles, but it quickly took a turn in favor of the All-Stars. Louisiana Exiles coach, David Buckingham didn’t think that there was anything lost in this game.