18 May 2015, 11:20#2
Very surprised by their victory, but it is good for rugby in general. Isles has been around for quite a while, but has not made real impression, until recently. Serious speedster though, probably the quickest player in world rugby.
18 May 2015, 11:36#4
Fair game to them.
They dont have the most skilled players, but they sure have the quickest, and they make full use of that.
18 May 2015, 16:55#6
Went to the USA High School National Championship tournament this weekend. The rugby was better than I expected and the athletes impressive. There is not a ton of depth however as the top teams are still limited to the same 10-15 schools nationwide and from there a significant drop off. It is growing quickly however - USA rugby says faster than any other sport.
Talked for a little while to the head coach of the University of South Carolina who was there scouting players and he was telling me about the scholarships that are becoming available now at varsity level - he has an endownment that was setup a few years ago that is now paying scholarships for seven or eight players on the team, and that is starting to become the case for many varsity teams around the country. He thinks with the World Cup and then the Olympics, especially if the US does well, that there will be an explosion in the youth participation much like soccer and gymnastics do after the Olympics.
It will be interesting to watch. Not having a legitimate domestic league is a major obstacle. At best, it can be termed semi-pro. The 7's team has benefited tremendously from it being an Olympic sport as it has meant money and resources to pay the players and keep the team at a central location, engaged and focused. May be a while before the success trickles down to 15's.
