USA Rugby

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USA Rugby

Founded	1975
IRB affiliation	1987
President	Nigel Melville
Men's coach	Peter Thorburn
Women's coach	Kathy Flores
Official website
www.usarugby.org

This article is about the national governing body for United States rugby union. For the article about rugby union in the United States, please see: Rugby union in the United States.

USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States of America. It is divided into seven territorial Unions: Mid Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Pacific Coast, Southern California, USA Rugby South and West. The headquarters for USA Rugby are now located in Boulder, Colorado.

USA Rugby administers the United States national rugby union team and sponsors College rugby. Rugby Super League is organized and sanctioned by USA Rugby as the Premier Level of Men's Club competition in the USA.

Former England captain and scrumhalf Nigel Melville was appointed CEO and President of Operations on October 11, 2006.

[edit] History

The USA Men’s National Team, nicknamed the Eagles, won the Gold Medal in Olympic rugby in 1920 and 1924. After that time, rugby in the US stagnated while continuing to grow in the rest of the world and only recently has rugby started to become popular again in the US.

Beginning in the 1960s and continuing through the 1970s the sport of rugby union enjoyed a renaissance in the USA. This created the need for a national governing body to represent the USA. In 1975 four territorial organizations (Pacific Coast, West, Midwest and East) gathered in Chicago, Illinois to form the United States of America Rugby Football Union (now known as USA Rugby).

In 1993 the Southern California RFU, a local area union of the Pacific Coast RFU, applied to become a separate territory. This was an impetus for others around the country to do the same changing the make-up of USA Rugby which now has seven territories (Pacific, Southern California, West, Midwest, South, Northeastern, and Mid-Atlantic) .

USA Rugby lobbied for several years for a stop on the IRB Sevens Circuit and finally was awarded it for 2004-6. The Home Depot Center in Carson, California,is the venue chosen for the initial event.

In the summer of 2006, the USA 7s tournament was moved to Petco Park in San Diego.

USA Rugby is a Founding Sports Partner of the Sports Museum of America, joining more than 50 other single-sport Halls of Fame, National Governing Bodies, Museums and other organizations across North America to richly celebrate the history, grandeur and significance of sports in American culture. Set to open in New York City on May 7, 2008, the Sports Museum of America will showcase USA Rugby Lacrosse in its Hall of Halls Gallery in return for their support of the creation of the Nation's first all-sports museum experience.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

v • d • e Rugby union in the United States

Governing body	USA Rugby

Territorial area unions	Mid-Atlantic · Midwest · Northeast · Pacific Coast · Southern California · South · Western

National teams	Eagles · All Americans · U-19 · U-17 · 7's · Women's · Women's U-19 · Women's 7's

Competitions	North America 4 (United States and Canada) · Super League · College rugby · USA Rugby Premier Division

v • d • e International Rugby Board Members by tier

First tier	Argentina • Australia • England • France • Ireland • Italy • New Zealand • Scotland • South Africa • Wales

Second tier	Canada • Fiji • Japan • Romania • Samoa • Tonga • United States

Third tier with World Cup experience	Côte d'Ivoire • Georgia • Namibia • Portugal • Spain • Uruguay • Zimbabwe

Third tier without World Cup experience	American Samoa •Andorra • Arabian Gulf • Armenia • Austria • Azerbaijan • Bahamas • Barbados • Belgium • Bermuda • Bosnia & Herzegovina • Botswana • Brazil • British Virgin Islands • Bulgaria • Burundi • Cambodia • Cameroon • Cayman Islands • Chile • China • Chinese Taipei • Colombia • Cook Islands • Croatia • Czech Republic • Denmark • Finland • Germany • Ghana • Guam • Guyana • Hong Kong • Hungary • India • Israel • Jamaica • Kazakhstan • Kenya • Kyrgyzstan • Lao • Latvia • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Madagascar • Malaysia • Mali • Malta • Mauritania • Mauritius • Mexico • Moldova • Monaco • Mongolia • Morocco • Netherlands • Nigeria • Niue • Norway • Pakistan • Papua New Guinea • Paraguay • Peru • Philippines • Poland • Russia • Rwanda • St. Lucia • St. Vincent & the Grenadines • Serbia • Senegal • Singapore • Slovenia • Solomon Islands • South Korea • Sri Lanka • Swaziland • Sweden • Switzerland • Tahiti • Tanzania • Thailand • Togo • Trinidad and Tobago • Tunisia • Uganda • Ukraine • Uzbekistan • Vanuatu • Venezuela • Zambia