Rugby Pickem

Paddy From Providence - 0:35 Hey boys, Patty from Providence. Hey was scrolling through the old Instagram the other day and right between Hannah Palmer and Jenna Frumes. You know who I'm talking about. So I saw a little post about the Hartford Harpooners. Look, Providence and Harford have a have a long standing rivalry as "New England's Second City", but I'd love to see some some more local rugby. Have you seeing any other random teams popping up here and there? I hope you had a good Thanksgiving and happy holidays. Talk to you soon. Who are the Hartford Harpooners? It appears (as of now), that they're simply a single player signing, a confirmed home stadium, and that's about it. *Update* - Since recording, The Hartford Harpooners have signed their SECOND player, High Performance Management founder (and player journeyman) Matt Hughston. Matt has a distinguished player career, Captaining the USA South Panthers in addition to earning caps from the Ohio Aviators, Nola Gold, Rugby United New York and Old Glo

What a year 2020 has been. Would anyone have ever thought an entire rugby season would be cancelled, postponed or altered over something that we knew could happen ... but just never thought it WOULD? Strange times. While the majority of the North American rugby season was cancelled, the rugby media industrial complex (bloggers and podcasters with nothing better to do than strive for clicks, upvotes and the ever elusive rugby-internet fame) were hard at work. Lockdowns across the world drove human kind indoors with nothing better to do than slowly become obsessed and addicted to the suck hole that we call the internet. We at Rugby PickEm enjoy busting balls (or as our Southern Hemisphere friends like to say ..., "taking the piss mate") of people who call themselves (or answer to the term) "pundits". In fact we'd like the make the hashtag #RugbyPunditry a thing in 2021. There were PLENTY of (so-called) rugby pundits who got their toes wet in today's modern day rugby media. Some excelled, others just gav

Happy Holidays Rugby PickEm Family! This has been an astoundingly crazy year. Lives were turned upside down, and the game of rugby will forever be changed in some way shape or form. We hope more than anything that players can return to playing the game they love, and that rugby returns in the US in a safe and timely fashion. It's been nearly 40 days since we last published something for you, but we have been busy arranging content for the entire Christmas week heading into the new year. Over the next few days, we're releasing a flurry of content (snow pun) that will help you fill the hours spent either lying on the couch and perpetually eating, travelling long hours in a car, or simply browsing through your computer or phone looking for something to listen to. You'll hear our 2020 Rugby PickEm Awards (the RPA's) show, where Uncle Johnny, Tommy No Piks & Bt selected rugby media awards for the faithful rugby bloggers and podcasters who covered an incredibly challenging season. We had 3 recipients receive th

Most people know that the pandemic has (and will continue to) take a grave toll on rugby in the states. The nature of losing a season will have devastating consequences on ALL forms of rugby from grassroots programs, to men's clubs and even to lost revenue that MLR teams had budgeted for. At some point in the future, it will be safe to return to the field. Right now is clearly not that time. However, we thought we'd plant the seed in the minds of the US rugby community on how they can help once we are back up and running. We don't have crystal ball, and don't know when that time will come, but there are many ways you can put you're best foot forward and help ... when the time comes. We've brought in our wise sage Logan Collins to discuss the different ways people can do their part in helping the rugby community make a come back when the time is right and it is safe to do so. We break it down for active players, recently retired players, coaches, old boys & just regular fans of the game. Let's jump in to "A

After a month of exciting games, the SX-10 raise the trophy on the final day of the Bermuda 10's, defeating the Ohio Aviators at the death. The tournament was a success, hats off to the organizers and the Bermudans for making it all happen. The rugby world awaits future tournaments like this in the future. The Aviators played hard and showed the world their might, but came up just short on the goal line in the final minutes against SX-10. The Aviator engine room did their thing all weekend, shout outs go to Moni Tongaʻuiha, Kyle Baillie, Riekert Hattingh, & Brad Tucker. Massive effort these past few weeks from the lads who love to do the dirty work all over the pitch. NOLA Gold and RUNY showed very well with players mixed in throughout all the teams. Wallabies stun the AB's up in Brisbane. Multiple red cards, homer Aussie announcers and the "New" Tri-Nations Tournament becomes interesting. PICKEM!

After speaking with Rugby PickEm friend Taylor Howden (the next Eddie Jones in the making) and he confirmed he was coaching the (throwback) Ohio Aviator side in Bermuda 10's, my mind began racing with questions about business side of things... Who are the financial backers and what are their end game? Is Bermuda 10's the beginning of a year-round 10's tour? With 7's programs getting cut around the world by broke unions, will 10's take flight? Where does 10's land on the player safety scale? Are the massive 15's collisions slightly reduced? Could this be the code that helps rugby survive long term? The mythical clouds have receded, and the teams have assembled in the mystical island of Bermuda. SX10 Frikkie De Beer Oscar Ouma (Kenya 7s) Marzuq Maaman Thinus Van Zyl Cory Daniel Andrew Amonde Tienie Burger Gary Porter Harry McNulty (Ireland 7s) Luke Treharne Craig Hunt Cecil Afrika (Blitzbok 7s) Connor Wallace Sims (Rugby United New York) Oscar Dennis JT Jackson JP Du Plessis (NOLA Gold) Willy Ambaka (Kenya

Our favorite curmudgeon HARPO was back in Denver, and there was a sighting. Just stopping by on his long windy road to nowhere.... Who Cares, Who Knows, Why Bother? Southern Hemisphere - Bledisloe and The Rugby Championship After many weeks of negotiations and squabbles, Rugby Australia and the NZRU have agreed to two Bledisloe games in New Zealand, followed by a full TRC back in Australia in November (makes the quarantining a bit ... convoluted) Been a while since the Wallabies lifted the Bledisloe Cup ... (circa 2002) It will be a battle of the debutant head coaches. Dave Rennie replaces Michael Cheika and Ian Foster replaces his protegee Steve Hansen. Personally, I'm a Scott Razor Robinson fanboy and would have preferred him to have a crack at the AB's job, but we'll see what Foster can do. Big Toiiime Preshah on both coaches Maaate... 8 Nations (The Octogenations) Welcome Georgia and Fiji to the former 6 Nations! If you're riding the new wave of legal sports betting (depending on your state, but C

Mike from Chicago "Hey this is Mike from Chicago, an old rugger. You probably heard that the rich rugby folks in the US are trying to put together an investment group in order to position the US to bid of either the 2027 or 2031 Rugby World Cup. I got two questions...Isn't USA Rugby broke and in bankruptcy? Where would the World Cup final be held? Rugger out. Old Mike From Chicago" The investment group is called Rugby Growth Investments (RGI). In the words of San Diego Legion (and Utah Warriors) co-owner Ryan Patterson it will function as a "strategic capital partner" for MLR, USA Rugby and World Rugby in order to "fast-track community, commercial & high-performance system preparation for a RWC in North America in 2027 or 2031. This sounds like something that has been needed for a long time. Mike is right when he brings up the point that USA Rugby has just come through bankruptcy proceedings. It's hard to think that an organization can go from bankruptcy to hosting the third largest sporting event in the w

The MLR is bacc. Well, in 6 months. Commish Killebrew announced an exciting return to rugby in March of 2021. 16 games, Semis, Finals. Simple. Jodi from San Diego "What's up, my Rugby PickEm baes. It's Jody from San Diego. And I just heard the news that the MLR is back. I'm fired up for my Legion this year not because of the high-profile signings like ... uh ... that Chris Robshaw guy, and not because the cheeky old Eddie Jones has agreed to help us out in the front office, but the real reason I can not wait is because it's been a full freakin year since I got to put on my medieval armor that I forged myself in my garage. And ... We also have the best freaking fans .... I'm talking about THE COHORT baby March 20th 2021 cannot come soon enough. We are legion." Jodi, thanks for the call. We expect big things from the Legion next year, but we expect even BIGGER things from the Cohort. Austin from Charlotte, NC "Yes, hi. My name is Austin calling from Charlotte North Carolina. My question is if you could inv

This #RugbyPickEm Voicemail show isn't too serious (or is it?) as the lads discuss the future of Hong Kong 7's given the new political situation. The Guru called into the show and inquired about how the rugby community can stand in unity with the free people of Hong Kong. Given the nature and history of H.K. 7's, it is sad to see the island begin to get swallowed up by the Chinese Communist Party through the recent security law. Expats and Westerners flock to the city for the full week of electric 7's with the final 3 days played in a simple, yet elegant, stadium carved right into the mountain. If the mainland Chinese practices are any indication, it's highly unlikely that the infamous South Stands will ever be as intoxicating as it has been in the past. That being said, the global pandemic has created issues for the entire HSBC 7's circuit (not just HK) given its requirement for open, unhindered international travel. If fans can't travel, it will be hard to hold profitable events. If the athletes and coache

The OG Florida Man, Jordan "Flash" Gunderson stopped by the new studio (shed) to share his rugby story with the boys. He's lived the American dream, floating from state to state, playing the sport he loves and meeting lifelong friends along the way. First off, let's just paint you a picture. Imagine every bit of 6'4, but as lean as you'd expect a long-distance runner to be. Flash made his money in the flankers (poach fiend ... couldn't keep him out of rucks), while also possessing the athletic ability (silky pass) to fill in among the back 3. He'd also occasionally suit up at fly-half, as I'm sure most Americans end up doing once or twice in their early career. If you're the best all-around rugby player on your team, you tend to end up at fly-half (regardless of size and body type). His old coach Dave Sellepack once told him: "You'll never get rich playing this sport, but you'll travel the world and make friends for life." Flash has a team and teammate oriented attitude when he takes the field. He's will

As the league has grown (at what seems to be lighting speed) over the first 2.25 seasons of Major League Rugby, there's no doubt that the professional atmosphere has raised the level of play in the US. But with a professional atmosphere, comes the competitive grind that can often leave young players at a loss if they don't have the right people in their camp. Our caller Kate from Cheshire, CT asked a simple question: "Who's Looking Out For The Players?" We dove in RP style and got in contact with two new groups doing this kind of work (well new..ish, the parties involved have clearly have been planning, organizing and brainstorming their launches for quite a while). High Performance Management Group Founders - Matt Hughston, Anthony Parry, Ryan Murphy This is a young, motivated group of individuals who have seen the American rugby landscape through almost every lens. Hughston and Parry have ground out impressive professional rugby careers with the Aviators and in the MLR. Murph has always had a passion

Happy Long Weekend. We can't believe it's been almost 4 months since rugby has been played in the US. And yet, strangely ... there's been more news than we could have ever imagined. Between player signings, two new MLR franchises (minus one withdrawing), and the inaugural MLR draft, it's actually been worth staying plugged in on what is going on here domestically .... even if there are no active games. Bt and Tommy NoPiks hit the phone lines to hear from the people. It just so happens that our first caller wants to know about the new rugby marriage (right here in the Mile High City). W.E. Ellis - 1:25 "W.E. Ellis calling from space. Long time listener. I was curious to hear if you approve of the arranged marriage between dead-broke USA Rugby and Glendale aka Rugbytown USA. I hate to sound like a cynic, but if my track record of ex-wives is an accurate indication it will be short-lived and full of lustfullness" Per Alex Goff, USA Rugby gets the following from Glendale: Rent-free offices for one year. Free

Jack from Bahstahn - 0:36 "Hey how are ya, this is Jack Rooney I'm calling from Roslindale, Bahstahn Massachusetts. Just calling to check in on the 2020 MLR draft. Just curious about a couple sleepahs you guys had, particular anyone from the New England states. Big fan of the show, first time, long time." Thanks for calling Jack. Plenty of New England sprinkled throughout the draft. Here are the lotto picks: 1) Conner Mooneyham - Dallas Jackals Complete top-down player from Life University. A Cali boy who got his hands on a rugby ball at a young age. 2) Brian Nault - New Orleans Gold Big powerhouse type of player from our favorite west coast rugby college .... Central Washington University (something's brewing in Ellensburg). Tim Falcon sealed the deal on a recruiting trip, shaking his hand and refusing to let go until he agreed to sign with the Gold

The 2020 rugby calendar has been chaotic, but lucky for us Super Rugby in New Zealand is back in business. We had Mickey Bateman in studio to talk everything kiwi rugby. Mickey played his high school rugby at King’s College in south Auckland (a short drive from epic rival St. Kentigern College (St. Kent’s) He was lucky to share the field with some NZ rugby legends who are now thriving at the top level. Shoutout to Mickey’s Meals who had been supplying the Colorado Raptors with meals each day. Due to the unfortunate pandemic and the cancelled MLR season, Mickey’s Meals has pivoted to serving meals to front line workers in the city of Glendale. Cheers to him for coming on Rugby PickEm to share his intimate knowledge of New Zealand Rugby. Enjoy! Blues Region: Northland, North Harbour, Auckland, (Counties Manukau, Thames Valley … Chiefs holdouts?) Fanbases: “This is our year” optimism to open up the season, followed by perpetual disappointment and tons of excuses on a yearly basis. This year’s average blues

We talked with Cole Zarcone about his phenomenal career at Central Washington University (CWU). His personal high at CWU, was whooping BYU 51-7 (or something around those lines) just before the season was cut short due to the pandemic. They were 0-5 against BYU going into this years game and let's just say ... they were due. Central Washington University Rugby (based in Ellensburg, WA ... aka the Windy City) is an independent program, who decides their own schedule. They have carved their own path by scheduling what most would deem an extremely tough spring schedule with fixtures against some of the most prolific Western rugby powerhouses. TommyNoPiks: After graduating 4 key seniors, what is next year's Central team going to look like with Jack-Jack at the helm? Cole answered .... with leaders like Jack-Jack, Lewis, and Aiden Latter (a 6'4" 275 Prop from Brisbane Aus), the team is ready to do damage in 2021. Cole registered for the draft well before the pandemic. Some teams are asking for info, some tea

1:30 - Paddy from Providence "Hope ya well, first time long time here, ... Gotta ask, isn't the Austin Gabronis and the Los Angeles Crantinis owned by the same guy a bit of a conflict of interest? That's it. Feel free to discus..." Okay, so everyone has heard that Adam Gilchrist has purchased his second Major League Rugby team. Similar to the Austin based "Gilgronis" (a Texas sized cocktail to be named in the future...), the Los Angeles franchise has been dubbed as the "Giltinis" (a California martini with the perfect amount of smugness). But what does this mean for the future of the league? Many American rugby "old boys" who have spent their life trying to legitimize rugby in the states consider the branding a disaster. Others have more of an open mind. After all, Gilchrist did make some serious promises in Austin regarding youth rugby and seems ready to drop some serious coin. There's no doubt that he has pissed off some some USA rugby fans. I'm sure he'll make his players happy (after all, what aging

Lin Hill (player, coach, admin, part time team trainer) played her first game in at 13, following the 12 around the pitch and doing her best to manage on the fly. After dabbling in some summer 7's (working at sweeper), she eventually transitioned to the play-making roles of the 15's game, the halfback options. From her experience as a coxswain, she fit right in at scrumhalf. The 9 jersey will always have her heart, and the work she put into her scrummy pass will always stick with her. But the fly-half has so many creative options (the pin and pass) and marching the team across the pitch and facilitating strike runners is always enjoyable. Shoutouts: John Mooney - Black Ice Coach Leanne Lam, Jenny Lu - Scrummies playing for Glendale. Taught her skills and game-play flow. Nicole Wanamaker, Ally Hale - Rocky Mountain 7's Alice Plant - put her on the board (match sec) Sarah Goss Hierany Kelly Brazier Support SMALL BUSINESS OWNERs like Lin. Go to https://www.synergistic-movement.com/ to get the best rehab in D

"THIS PODCAST SHIT.... IS MINE!" - DMX Voicemails: 1:30 - Ben Pinkelman "There was a big push on social media from the players to formalize a players union with the MLR. Apparently there was an overwhelming vote by the players .... what have you guys heard about this?" https://www.instagram.com/usarugbyplayers/ 6:05 - Willy Willy Gravatiti "With the Colorado Raptors withdrawing from the MLR, what does the next season look like? Also what do you see for the future regarding international test matches?" What kind of rugby will we see at Infinity Park? In 2020 and beyond? 10:20 - Frankie Ruggs from Houston "Unfortunately we don't have any action on the pitch these days, which brings me to the stands.... Who do you think are some of the best mascots in Major League Rugby?" (He's a SCRATCH guy) 14:00 - Tommy Andrews, Washington D.C. "Long time listener, first time caller ... Given all the controversy in World Rugby, seeing how NZ is doing a domestic competition right now, what do you see in the future for so

Ladies and Gentleman, we have ourselves a time capsule pod. Rugby PickEm sat down with Adam Drury the night before he moved from Fort Collins, CO to Blacksburg, VA to pursue a career as a veterinarian. It was a beautiful summer night in June 2018, and the birds were a chirpin'. Adam talked about his amazing rugby career and the experiences that came with it. It can be summed up in one of his final lines ... "I can't thank everybody enough who have been part of my "rugby life. I hope that anyone out there who is considering rugby will give it a shot ... because it's a friendship and family like no other". Stop 1: Passion For The Game - Greenville, SC Furman Paladins (college) Greenville Griffins (men's club) Tried soccer (thank god that didn't play out) Argies recruited him ... coached by John Roberts aka "The Brainchild". Pushed back Wildlife photography for rugby (saving it for his late 70's) Stop 2: A Never Ending Craft, New Zealand Showed up on Mark Mackey's door. Senior 1's (one under Prems). Knows t