Rugby Offloads

Olympic hopeful Ilona Maher comes on to discuss Team USA **qualifying** for Tokyo 2020 and her upcoming 1-year anniversary of being capped. The 4x national champion and MA Sorenson Award winner also talks about growing up the daughter of a rugby-playing father and navigating the forks in the road to becoming an Eagle.

Head coach of the second-place 7s USWNT Chris Brown joins Jake and Pat to talk about qualifying for Tokyo 2020. We look back on the accomplishment and ahead towards Tokyo. The guys also talk the usual array of topics, touching on a new video game, the Premiership finale, Scully's Cardiff goodbye and ALL THINGS MLR.

University of Minnesota head coach Sean "Snacks" Lindersmith comes on to discuss the Golden Gophers making their first trip to 7s nationals. Sean wears many hats, though, so we also talk about his decade of working with international 7s teams as a liaison officer, his time with USA Rugby as a manager, and we touch on his experience as the executive director of Minnesota Youth Rugby.

Alex Goode, European final, Lindenwood-Belleville closing, USA Rugby's college 7s championships, NEW BREAKING NEWS SEGMENT, updates on both Olympic national teams as the women punch their ticket to Tokyo and the men will this weekend, and of course ALL things MLR!

Three-time Super Bowl champion Nate Ebner comes on to talk about his life as a rugby man, life as an All-Pro special teamer going into his 8th season in the NFL, 10th anniversary of the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship, playing in the Olympics, keeping up with the 7s Eagles, Major League Rugby and a potential return to the pitch?

An American rugger, nicknamed "Scottish Hammer" was picked up by the Cleveland Browns, Nova Scotia is have a safety scare as high school rugby is threatened, the possibilities of analytics in rugby, breakdown of the epic Life vs. Cal D1A final, other college headlines, women's 7s and the MLR.

Rugby Today head writer Pat Clifton and contributor Brett Anker talk to Jack Clark, architect of the dynastic Cal Bears. We celebrate the 40th year of the collegiate rugby national championship by going down memory lane with the man trying to win his 25th title as head coach.

The hiatus comes to an end as we discuss the Mathieu Bastareaud signing, Eagles v BaaBaas, Rugby X, the effect of MLR on the 7s USMNT, College Rugby's Final 4 and the latest in MLR results and fixtures.

The Grandaddy of them All takes center stage, as the Eagles pick up bronze in Hong Kong and retain first place with three tournaments to play. The guys also discuss a new concussion safety measure being trialed in South Africa, the latest rumblings from SANZAAR, Lindenwood women's dominance, Christian Wade signing with the Bills, and of course Major League Rugby.

Pat helped with a grassroots tournament over the weekend and learned of the swift demise of a HS powerhouse, prompting a brutally truthful discussion on the reality of USA Rugby's growth trend. We also dive head first into the D1A bracket, filling out our own. MLR breakdown and a touch on the USA's pool heading into Hong Kong.