Canada, England Added to Women's 7s Series
The IRB has expanded the IRB Women's Sevens World Series, adding Canada and England to the series and making it a six-event circuit.
The USA returns with their tournament in Atlanta, Ga. March 14-15 (slightly later in the year than last time), while Rugby Canada's facility, Westhills Stadium, in Langford, BC will host Round 4 April 18-19.
DIA for Women?
Reports are that USA Rugby is looking into developing a DIA division for women's college rugby.
DIA already exists for the men. It was started in 2011 as the College Premier League and then renamed the College Premier Division, before being renamed again as DIA.
USA Will Need All of Eagles v All Blacks Gate
The USA v New Zealand test match looks set to be a massive financial windfall for USA Rugby.
tickets sales have topped 40,000 and are expected to go above 50,000 before kickoff November 1 at Soldier Field in Chicago. This game was a bit of a risk for USA Rugby, but it appears, at present, to have paid off with easily the biggest paying crowd at an American rugby event.
USA Rugby Examining "Championship" Claims
USA Rugby will likely be taking some actions this year to protect the term “National Championship.” It’s unclear whether USA Rugby can actually do this, but they are looking at ways to prevent other competitions (highest profile being the Collegiate Rugby Championship - CRC - and the Varsity Cup) from calling themselves a National Championship.
Work to do for Latham, USA Rugby Board
Some things you might not know about Bob Latham:
He’s a top media lawyer from Dallas.
He was a longtime wing and flyhalf for the Dallas Harlequins.
He writes regularly about sports, and has written a book, Winners & Losers.
He was for years not only the rugby representative to the US Olympic Committee, but the representative for all of the emerging sports.
