Rugby Pickem

The 2024 CRC's did not disappoint. A uniquely American tournament format featured a "win and advance" style of bracket, and the excitement that came with the high stakes was exhilarating. Premier Division - 1st Place: Wheeling Back in January, Aaron Juma and Joe Iye led the Great Lakes NCR all star team to a cup final in Round Rock Texas. The two players dominance continued this weekend as Wheeling blew through their Saturday & Sunday competition. Juma is ready for the next level, and should be considered for a PR 7's contract this summer. With 10 players from Zimbabwe and South Africa coach Michael Geibel shows he can recruit internationals aplenty, fielding an extremely competitive collegiate side. Will the college game ever have a cap on internationals? For now it comes down to how many scholarships you have and how hard you're willing to recruit. 2nd Place: Kutztown At just 5'7", 155lbs, Chris Cleland is once again in dominant form. Last year's tournament MVP for Mount St. Mary's is now suiting u

After winning 14 straight, the defending champs lost at the death in their home opener against rival Old Glory D.C. Jason Robertson was clutch down the stretch and drilled the game winning kick with no time on the clock. It was truly a game winning conversion (they were down 1, not tied), and it silenced a rowdy crowd in Quincy. Not only did Robertson's boot come up clutch, but he facilitated just about all of their tries (as a good fly-half does). This shakes up the "Power Structure" on the Eastern Front (see below). It's going to take more than 1 (1 point) loss to dethrone New England. They've been on a tear, and deserve the benefit of the doubt ... for now. After just 2 weeks (and not nearly enough rugby to make an informed decision), here's the current outlook. 1. NEFJ - one loss won't shake 14 straight wins. 2. NOLA - they've started hot before, but can they stay hot? 3. OGDC - after a week 1 dud, they delivered big on the road. 4. CHICAGO - ran out of oxygen up in Utah. 5. MIAMI - it wasn't "prett

Historical Record: 32-42-3 Week 1 Result: 22-15 loss to Houston Skinny: The Utah Warriors have always been an MLR staple. There's no prettier backdrop than the snow kissed mountains just west of Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman Utah. The Warriors will be missing legend Lance Williams as he pursues Olympic dreams with the Eagle 7's, but they won't lack veteran leadership. Paul Lasike and Angus McClellan return, and the grandstands in Utah will be begging for a home playoff game come July. Have you Unleashed Your Inner Warrior?

Historical Record: 43-33-1 Week 1 Result: 25-19 win against San Diego Skinny: The Orcas in the Pacific Northwest have been known to be some of the most intelligent hunters in the ocean. The rugby team also knows how to hunt down playoff appearances and has posted a 7-2 playoff record over their history. They have only missed the playoffs once in 2021, but coach Alan Clarke has them trending up and ready to feed on any aquatic mammals (or fish) that cross their path. Sam Windsor clocks in for his 7th MLR season, can father time win another title like he did in 2021 with New York? The #HuntForNumber3 continues Saturday night when the Miami Sharks come to town.

Historical Record: 51-25-1 Week 1 Result: 25-19 loss to Seattle Skinny: The team may have some of the last Generation X professional rugby players on the squad, but don't forget that age is just a number. After all, 40's are the new 30's, right? Ma'a Nonu and Matt Giteau want nothing more than the MLR Shield and won't stop until it reaches the sunny shores of Mission Beach. The Legion have won over 66% of their matches as a franchise, but playoff appearances won't be enough this year. It's shield or bust.

Historical Record: 0-0 Week 1 Result: 32-29 loss vs. Dallas Skinny: Atlanta packs up and moves to the sunny hills of Los Angeles. Coach Steve Brett brings with him the core of the players that won a fair share of games as the RATLers. But just like the phoenix who rose from the ashes, Rugby FCLA arises with vibrant colors! The royal blue and tinge of yellow hits just right. Will this team be an immediate threat in the West? Remains to be seen ... Week 1 showed they can score points, but the last team to win an MLR Shield in Los Angeles also played stout defense. And the logo ... ? Well that looks like a Blue Acorn to me. And we all know that Blue Acorns soon become #BlueOaks

Historical Record: 29-48 (5.5 Seasons) Week 1 Result: 22-15 win over Utah Skinny: After a tough couple years of predominantly losing, it seems like Houston has turned a corner (or a roundabout?) ... Coach Pote Human ain't taking no guff from opposing teams, and has delivered the squad to playoffs in back to back years.... only to be ousted by Seattle. But this years team as added some serious weaponry in the form of Jeremy "Missile" Misailegalu and AJ Alatimu. A Week 1 win was accompanied by a sold out SaberCats Stadium. Can the attendance numbers stay high as the temperature and relative humidity also climbs in the spring and summer? Don't come to close to the mascot or he might just give you #CatScratchFever

Historical Record: 2-30 (2 Seasons) Week 1 Result: 32-29 win over Rugby FC Los Angeles Skinny: So Dallas hasn't been great so far ... no better time than now for a change. Sam Golla may be the best draft pick since the inception of the collegiate draft. The #JackalAllTrades already earned his way onto the Eagles and is now a Jackal Co-Capt. too. A week 1 win is huge for confidence, but can they beat the snake bitted SD Legion Sunday to make it two in a row? Now that Marc Cuban has sold his majority stake in the Mavericks, will be seeing a celebrity appearance at Choctaw stadium in 2024? That's what you do when you retire right ...? Just go to rugby games and mingle with the people! If I'm being honest, I'd rather see a Jerry Jones appearance. Wouldn't it be crazy if the Jackals win a title before Jerry's Cowboys end their Super Bowl drought? I think actually that just might put Jerry Jones in his grave.

Historical Record: 20-31-2 (3.5 Seasons) Week 1 Result: 18-6 loss to NOLA Gold Skinny: Moving on from Segra Field is a definite win. While the new pitch is still a ways out there, it boasts a beautiful grass surface with an accurately sized bowl for 5k fans. It's their 3rd venue since inception and they've finally checked off all three parts of the DMV. The match up in Quincy Massachusetts Saturday suddenly has more juice as the Flags will look to punch back at the team that knocked them off in last year's Eastern Conference Final. Does having a 4th coach in 4 years matter...? Not if the core of the team is in tact. With the wrecking crew of loosies expect OGMD to be back in the playoffs come July.

Historical Record: 36-40-1 (5.5 Seasons) Week 1 Result: 18-6 win over Old Glory DC Skinny: NOLA in a big year as they look to not only make the playoffs, but host a match in July. They have the glitz and glamour to get there, but after white knuckle defensive performance against OGDC down in the Gold Mine, it just might be DEFENSE that sees them through to the knockouts. Can Rodney Iona assert himself as one of the league's best 10's? There's a notable bye-week for the Gold during the epic New Orleans' Jazz Fest. Will the players have a well deserved night on the town ... or is it all business til' a top playoff seed is delivered? Big year in store for the Gold.

Historical Record: 38-15 (3.5 Seasons) Week 1 Result: 46-13 win over Anthem Skinny: Reigning Champs, and currently riding a 13 game winning streak dating back to April of 2023. There is no hotter team in the MLR so surely the pressure is on to repeat as champions. With Fort Quincy as host to the best stadium environment on the East Coast, teams will be fearing the away trip to New England. This team has some serious kiwi talent. Jayson Potroz is the people's champ after winning 2 finals in the same calendar year (all while presenting as a bald old man), and Mitch Jacobson has a chin you could crack a slab of granite against. All this to say that the league has been and is currently still on notice ... NEFJ fans living by the motto #RepeatOrDie

Historical Record: 0-0 Week 1 Result: 23-19 Loss to Chicago Skinny: What's sexier than buying a professional franchise in a destination city and branding it pink? Sounds like our late Giltinis, but this squad has an ownership group (see above) that isn't fucking around. You don't wear those tinted shades to a media event and not make a splash! With a professional front office, and a slew of professional players from the Southern Hemisphere, the Sharks will look to get their chunk of flesh in their inaugural season. Will the chummed waters of the Eastern Conference be the location of a feeding frenzy for this cold blooded team? How much for a Leo Messi appearance? Surely this crew of owners have the swagger to land Messi! Right?!

Historical Record: 3-13 (1 Season) Week 1 Result: 23-19 win over Miami Skinny: Chicago has the weapons to do some damage in the East. They absorbed talent from New York and have a total of 16 Internationally capped players. How do you follow up a season with a lot of losses? By winning. It's also important they grow their fan base in year 2 and put more assess in seats. Building a true home field advantage isn't easy, but they start in late March with back to back home games. Could the fans be treated to a nice 27 degree snowy, blustery, windy match? After all, their home kit would go great on a green and white pitch.

Historical Record: 0-0 Week 1 Result: 46-13 Loss to New England Free Jacks Skinny: This team was put together in the final minutes of the offseason. Any wins would be outstanding considering the short timeline they were put together. World Rugby has agreed to fund the team for four years, and shows a commitment to a partnership between MLR, USA Rugby and World Rugby. One win would be sweet, multiple wins would be fantastic ... a quarterfinal appearance ... year 1 bliss. The team will have to learn on the fly. That's why we've chosen #Neuroplasticity as their 2024 hashtag. The ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. Sounds like the Charlotte based franchise has their work cut out for them. PICKEM!

Two teams folded (for now). One team packed up and relocated to the sunny hills of L.A. Another new team in the Queen City with a focus on young American MLR minutes. After Glendale came and went, followed by Gilly-Gate, did anyone actually think the MLR Front Office timeline could get any wackier? Yet here we are. Year 7 loading and the shield has never looked shinier. With World Rugby's decision to financially back Anthem Rugby Carolinas, we've been tapped as the rugby union of the future (fingers crossed it will all work out). Will the 2031 RWC be a smashing success, or will gigantic stadiums be left under attended? We've got seven more years to get it as supercharged as we can before we host the pinnacle event. With seven years in, and seven to go ... how will MLR shake out in a pivotal year? The men's Eagles have to begin a winning form heading into future RWC Qualifiers. The only way to do that is to have a thriving domestic comp to select the best players from. As of now, all teams have enough talent

What makes a great winger? Is it the ability to beat the best defenses? The slight of foot, and dashing balance as they navigate through a trove of stout defenders? What about a lethal step, or an unimaginable field vision? Uncle Johnny was in studio to flesh out who Le Shane Williams 'Tiny Dancer' of Le Tournament is for this dazzling affair in France the past few weeks. While many names come straight into mind (.... think RWC 2019 final when Owen Farrell got spun around like a ballerina) ... John has his list of names both old and new who were in contention for the prestigious Rugby PickEm Award. Could it be Mack "The Knife" Hansen, Sir Darcy Graham (straight out of a Jane Austen novel), or a rather new name on the winger circuit ... the Portuguese Raffeale Storti (aka Storti the Shorty) ??? All that and more on a rather wild and crazy Rugby PickEm. Enjoy. PICKEM!

Bt & Uncle Johnny recap what has been an exquisite month of Rugby World Cup action in the home country of France. From sharing a suite with hot & sweaty Irish lads, to close encounters with Jellyfish in the famous Basque country surf, the lads give the blow by blow of what has been a fantastic RWC. Que Magnifique! We recap rounds 1-4, and preview what is being dubbed as the "pre-quarterfinals" this weekend. Hang onto your hats. PICKEM!

Ladies and Gents, it's here. The event we've been waiting for. The Rugby World Cup in France. Rugby Reddit Internet Scholars (we're talkin' 21st century academia baby) are dubbing this one the year of the UNDERDOGS. Teams that have yet to sniff a RWC Final are predicted to shine and break through the boring traditional mold. Who will be barking and groveling for treats (remember, dog theme) come the knock out rounds in October? For those that don't know (or choose to conveniently forget, I'm looking at you European Rugby fans), only 4 total teams have hoisted the trophy over the years, with 7 wins going to Southern Hemisphere power houses (South Africa 3x (and reigning champs), New Zealand 3x, and Australia 2x) and a measly 1 win going to England in 2003. France has battled and been ridiculously close (losing in 3 finals), and Ireland .... well Ireland have a QF exit hump bigger than Quasimodo's C3-C4 vertebrae. But who are the true UnderDogs of the tourney? Argentina - the spicy South Americans have the

Sometimes, an interview is so big ... so massive and emotional ... so monumental and groundbreaking ... that you simply can't edit & publish it in the following hours. No, sometimes the weight of the moment is simply too grand ... it needs to simmer, and grow with the wild and fantastical rise of the individual. Presenting Broccoli Guy. Ladies and Gentleman "We Got Him". The interview was aptly conducted in his car (in a hotel parking lot) back in the summer of 2021. The man (myth & legend) they call Jim Stewart Allen was everything one could imagine and more. In the summer of 2021, the club rugby world rejoiced when summer 7's resumed and the club national tournament was held at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila Washington. The big names and clubs were all in attendance, but none bigger than a man who has been trailblazing super-fandom in the Pacific Northwest for years. In an ode to a high fiber diet, and absolute kookiness, Broccoli Guy has injected himself into the heart and soul of the Sports SuperFan Univ

Lane Pruisner IS IOWA. From the Corn Fields of Ankeny, to Fort Dodge and now Jonesboro Arkansas, rugby has been a leading driver in Lane's young adult life. His adventures brought him to Denver Colorado this summer where he competed with the Denver Barbarians 7's and worked full time as a civil engineer (specializing in corrosion prevention). Hear about his journey, the challenges he faced this summer and other general nonsense in this RRS Special of Rugby PickEm. Enjoy, PICKEM!