New Chapter for Clemson Tigers Rugby
Clemson University Rugby is making some big changes as the program looks to its next chapter.
The Tigers have left the Mid-South Conference in DIA to join the SCRC in DIAA, which is more fitting for the program’s club-sports status. But that’s only one of the changes. Former Eagle Troy Hall has been hired on as Head Coach and Director of Rugby.
For Hall, who, along with his wife, Dr. Sarah Hall, runs Hall Consultants, a High Performance Physical Wellness & Nutrition Consulting company, the move was a logical one. He and his wife lived relatively nearby before moving to Clemson in South Carolina.
An Easy Decision
“It was one of the easiest moves we’ve done,” said Hall, who has lived on both US coasts. “Now I live seven minutes from the rugby field. It’s the closest commute I’ve had since I was a kid.”
USA Rugby Collegiate Council Elects Members
Completed over the weekend, the Collegiate National Council seated eight members and appointed a representative to the USA Rugby Board of Directors.
USA Rugby Collegiate Council Elects Members
Completed over the weekend, the Collegiate National Council seated eight members and appointed a representative to the USA Rugby Board of Directors.
All-Time American List: Kevin Swords
Kevin Swords was a monolith of American Rugby.
At 6-7, 260 he was certainly physically imposing. Having discovered rugby at Holy Cross, Swords became a foundation of the Eagles, playing in 36 test matches from 1985 to 1994 (a record at the time), playing in two Rugby World Cup tournaments, and captaining the Eagles eight times. He missed only three USA games during that time, a testament not only to his dedication but his strength and durability.
He impressed in the 1991 Rugby World Cup, getting special note for his performance against New Zealand, and after the tournament he was invited to play for the Barbarians RFC team.
All-Time American List: Mark Scharrenberg
Mark Scharrenberg is one of the best USA backs of the 1990s.
The first-ever rugby All American from Chico State, Scharrenberg started rugby because he just found it to be more fun than football, another sport he excelled at. Soon he was on the USA radar and continued to excel for the Golden Gate club after graduation.
It wasn't long after his All American selection that Scharrenberg was starting for the USA against Australia in 1993. Six years later he ended his career, also against Australia. From 1993 through 1999 he was capped 39 times, more than any USA back at the time. He was among the first USA professionals, playing for Jed-Forest in Scotland and also Reading in England.
All-Time American List: Nick Fedorenko
Nick Fedorenko was an accomplished football player at Notre Dame and an elite rugby player throughout the 1970s.
He took up the sport at Notre Dame and went on to play 15 years for the Chicago Lions. He toured with the USA Cougars to South Africe and Rhodesia, and was considered one of the very best players to come out of the Midwest during the early years of the modern era of the rugby in the USA.
A lock forward most of the time, Fedorenko was a physical presence, a lineout force, and strong and durable. He played 68 times for the Midwest select side during a time when the program player against national teams. So while he was never capped, he suited up against England, South Africa, Japan, and Rhodesia, as well as the South African U23s.
All-Time American List: Jack Clark
Before he became a hall-of-fame coach, Jack Clark was an outstanding player.
Clark played football and rugby at Cal in the 1970s and parlayed a great size and athleticism, along with an analytical mind and desire to understand all aspects of the game, into his becoming a top-notch international player.
He delayed that development to play professional football, but by 1979 he was the star of the Inter-Territorial Championships, and was capped by the Eagles in 1979 and 1980.
All-Time American List: Madison Hughes Before he was old enough for serve beer let alone drink it, Madison Hughes was on the American rugby radar. Going to high school in England, he was tapped early as a USA star and helped the USA U17s, and then the U19s, and then the U20s, to some success. His zenith as an age-grade player had to be helping the USA win the Junior World Trophy in 2012, leading the team in points as he suited up with future Eagle teammates Will Magie, Kingsley McGowan, and Mike Te'o. Hughes was the MVP of the CRC 7s as a freshman as he helped Dartmouth to victory, and his ability to elude tacklers and set his teammates free caught the eye of USA 7s Head Coach Mike Friday. Hughes was still in college when he was put on the USA team, and he was quickly named captain. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team, he commanded respect and helped the USA team to its most successful seasons ever.
All-Time American List: Loren Hawley
Loren Hawley was widely considered one of the very best rugby players to suit up for Cal.
An openside flanker who was dominant in the lineout and athletic and physical all over the field, Hawley probably could have played anywhere from lock to flanker to No. 8 to center and still have an enormous impact on the game.
Hawley played before there was a USA national team and it was his performance with Cal that earns him a nod here. His zenith with the Bears was likely 1965, when Cal was undefeated in domestic play and toured Australia and New Zealand, where the Bears shocked everyone by going 5-2-2.
See more about that team below and here>>
Commits: Talent From Wisconsin; Talent To Utah, Cal
The latest list of college commits includes some fancy talent among girls HS rugby in Wisconsin.
While the Badger State is dispersing its abilities throughout the land, on the men's side, Utah is bringing in more players, including a few transfers, while Cal has officially named its 14-player incoming freshman class. Some of those we listed before but we're listing them again.
See the full profiles on the Cal class here: Cal Welcomes 14-Player Freshman Class
College Commits, Latest And Full List
Herriman grads are moving on to BYU and we've got four, including Ammon Sagala transferring from Utah State to the Cougars. Players out of Utah often go on to LDS Mission Carson Connors is listed and he's going on Mission first. Taysan Hammer (pictured) is listed and he is coming back from Mission to suit up for BYU.
We've got more recruits for Lindenwood, Texas Tech, and Kentucky.
Welcome to the program D’Antoine McMillan! D is a local product (Eureka) and a thumper on defense. Welcome to Lion Land! pic.twitter.com/xAh3Iky9jP
— Lindenwood Rugby (@LURugby) July 20, 2020
The Recruiting Mistakes College Coaches Make This is a weird time for college recruiting as the COVID-19 pandemic has led schools to shift to online learning, or to shut down or curtail sports; meanwhile, reports are that college enrollment, expected to be down this year, is likely holding steady or may even be up at some institutions. It's weird. All the things that are supposed to make college more fun—the social stuff and the activities and sports—are on hold or limited, but kids are still going to college. Why? Well, beats being stuck at home with nowhere to go and nothing to do. So the college rugby recruiting game is still on. Some programs have found that players they recruited from overseas can't come to the country because either their home nation or the US isn't issuing visas. Late Report Due To Pandemic—The New College Preseason We asked D1A coaches what are some of the key recruiting mistakes teams make.
Late Report Due To Pandemic—The New College Preseason The COVID-19 outbreak is affecting the rosters of college rugby programs, even if those programs aren’t playing rugby. Travel between countries has been restricted, and it’s been difficult for overseas-based players to get as they look to start their 2020-21 college school year. “It has changed over time,” said Lindenwood Head Coach Josh Macy. “Early on it was the United States shutting down travel from other countries, and now it’s other countries restricting travel. Consulates have just shut down and stopped issuing visas.” Macy said he expects his roster to be depleted as a result, but likely Lindenwood won’t actually be playing games, so the depletion, coming with segmented training means coaches are working with much smaller groups. The school, added Macy, has been accommodating for these students.
Latest Commits; SVU, Iowa CCC Get Top Forwards
The latest list of college commits includes five for IUPUI in Indianapolis, while a recent Player Spotlight also finds a place.
Player Spotlight: Alex Kennach
Of note also is Jakob Barker, the outstanding lock for Herriman who was the team captain and is back from injury. He joins his brother Zackary at Southern Virginia. Barker's rise is a classic one, with the Utah Cannibals, the Eagle Impact teams, and HS All Americans all giving him opportunities as he came up through the Herriman ranks.
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The full list is below.
Competition Shutdowns Force CRAA Commissioner Furlough College Rugby Association of America Commissioner Kevin Battle has been furloughed as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Battle has been Commissioner of the top men's collegiate competition, D1A for several years. He was paid through USA Rugby, but when USA Rugby filed for bankruptcy they stopped paying him as they did all contract workers. Despite the fact that CRAA team dues to USA Rugby were supposed to pay Battle, CRAA picked up the slack and funded the position through July. His job changed somewhat as CRAA expanded to bring other competitions under its umbrella during USA Rugby's implosion and restructuring this year.
