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 world (FIFA World Cup & Summer Olympics are the only bigger events in terms of total ticket sales and TV ratings), but stranger things have happened. Finance is an art, not a science. Part of the reason USA Rugby ended up filing for bankruptcy in 2020 isn't because of the pandemic, it's from years (if not decades) of financial mismanagement. If they are able to right the ship and show financial stability and growth in the years to come (not to mention securing a bid similar to the 2026 FIFA World Cup), then we could potentially see ourselves as hosts one day (let's hope so).

Here's where RGI comes in. Having a "strategic capital partner" (it's fun to put vague, corporate-sounding terms in quotations) whose role is to try to boost the commercial aspect of the sport here in the US will be massively beneficial on all levels. Will we actually get our shit together to the point where we can win a bid to host a Rugby World Cup? We have to see how effective groups like RGI are at driving corporate sponsors to open up their wallets and back the sport.

As far as which year would be most optimal, my vote is for 2031. Here's the list of world cup hosts...

Australia has already put forth a strong bid for 2027. They have not hosted the tournament since 2003.

When France hosts in 2023, it will have been 3 straight northern hemisphere countries in a row. Japan was probably the riskiest host so credit to World Rugby. But ... France will be a second time host in 2023 and England has also hosted 2.

Note to Bill "Boomer" Beaumont and his sidekick henchman Bernard Laporte: "Us non-Europeans would like some non-European RWCs".

So, the southern hemisphere is due to host in 2027...

NZ hosted in 2011. Argentina withdrew their 2027 bid to support their southern hemisphere partners Rugby Australia. South Africa can't seem to put a new bid together after throwing everything into hosting in 2023 (France was selected, but let's be honest ... they threw down some serious cash to make that happen).

So that leaves USA Rugby with the choice of bidding against Australia for 2027, or to go against the field for 2031. England is expected to bid for 2031 (I'm not surprised considering how power/money hungry the RFU is), but for fuck sake it would be their 3rd time hosting and 2nd time within a 16 year cycle. Are the English blind to the fact that the sport would probably grown faster if they didn't continually award themselves World Cups?

Let's hope that the extra 4 years (2031 instead of 2027) allows groups like RGI and whoever the hell is running USA Rugby these days (the board has flipped more times that one can follow over the past few years) can use strategically placed working capital to fuel growth over the next few years.

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 invest in any of the MLR our teams, which one do you think would get the most return on investment and why?"

Hypothetically, an MLR team will let you invest (let's say 5%) as a minority stakeholder... wyd?

Tommy No Piks:

1) Kanaloa Rugby - Hawaii

Didn't meet the goal of joining the MLR in 2021, but the door is open for the future. Tommy NoPiks thinks there's value in investing early (big risk, big reward).

2) Dallas Jackals

Tommy likes the fact that Marc Cuban is a fractional shareholder, and apparently Tommy doesn't need to see the product before he buys. Investing in two teams that have yet to play a game .... (dream big Tommy, dream big)

Uncle Johnny:

1) Rugby United New York - RUNY

Might cost you a little bit more, but Johnny trusts the people involved in New York. He's buying into a little piece of Wall St.

2) Dallas Jackals

Year 1 is in Globe Park (good luck filling 48k seats). Year 2 and beyond will hopefully be played at Riverchon Park (pending a refurbishing). Johnny is slightly concerned about THREE teams in Texas sucking the local player pool dry.

We all know that everything is BIGGER in Texas, but has the rugby been better?

We ran the #'s and it doesn't look good for Texas as a whole so far through 2.25 seasons of Major League Rugby. A combined 12 - 45 - 1 record starting with Austin losing the inaugural MLR opener to Glendale back in 2018. Any proud Texan would admit that a 20.7% winning percentage is dogshit through 58 games.

Bt:

1) Austin Gilgronis

2) LA Giltinis

Capital is everything, and the league wouldn't have accepted Gilchrist's bid to take over, not 1, but TWO teams if he didn't have the capital to back it long term. If I'm parking my money in a franchise, I might as well go all in with the most wealthy owner in the MLR.

Johnny kindly reminded me that we've seen a financial "big-shot" come in and promise the world before ...

We'll have Adam Gilchrist on the show one day and see if he's a "rugby guy" or not ..... either way, happy his $ is floating the league for another couple years.

Paddy from Providence

"Hey, this is Patty from Providence calling you back. Thanks for answering my question last time. Hey got a quick question. I know there's a lot of Twittah beef in the N.B.A ... these are not the days of Walter McCarty and Antoine Walkah the beloved #8 of my beloved Boston Celtics, but hey wondering thought I saw something. I saw some Shenanigans with on MLR Twittah. So wanted to hear about that see if you had any thoughts. Thanks, and talk to you soon."

We go into more details on the mic, but who could forget when two-MLR Champion Peter Tiberio came from the top rope and dunked on the San Diego Legion's social media intern after they continued to insist that the Legion were the "uncrowned" champs of 2020.

Hey unpaid social media intern, .... don't forget:

"You Don't Win Championships in the Regular Season"

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 coaches can't travel, it just won't happen at all. England and Wales have already cut their 7's programs, and more are expected.

Rugby PickEm loves 7's and is hopeful that the sport will work its way back to a full schedule. Tournament organizers and World Rugby have a tough track ahead of them, but a good start would be a successful, Japan hosted, 2021 Summer Olympics (where 7's is now an event, reinstated after being discontinued in 1924).

The crew also discussed Kanaloa Rugby's bid to become the newest MLR franchise to join the league. The MLR will be entering its 4th year, and some people tend to think expanding all the way out to Hawaii is a bit too much too early. Given that the group is backed by 6 former ABs and will be the first professional rugby team in Polynesia, owned by Polynesians, makes the bid unique.

The group has promised to cover the flight costs from California to Hawaii for visiting teams, and will secure housing for all of their players. Let's hope the MLR accepts their bid so another part of the rugby world is opened up to young rugby fans. It would also make for a good excuse to stop by the beautiful 50th state.

PICKEM!

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 willing to get over rucks and do the grunt work, and just as willing to run the length of the field to support a break away run (and potentially bag meat ;))

He's had a crazy rugby journey. He's only 26 but has already seemed to live multiple lives.

He started in Florida, where Dave Sellepack drove him 40 minutes each way to get to training. He first played under Chris Oosthuzien for the Jupiter Warriors / Palm Beach Panthers. Chris came through the Stellenbosch Rugby Academy, and was instrumental to making Jordan the player that he is today.

After tearing it up in his home state of Florida (made the "Juice" touring side), he landed a rugby scholarship to Wheeling Jesuit. Unfortunately, due to a broken collar bone, Flash never played a game for Wheeling, but learned a ton under his coach Eric Jerpe.

He then headed to Columbus Ohio where he played and lived with a collection of talented players who came up through Scioto Valley RFC and Tiger Rugby. 3 of them made Flash's #Top3 ...

Top 3:

Chris Schade (Ohio Aviator, Austin Gilgronis, current free agent!?) aka Shade O Rade

Joe Tauafete'e (Lyon, World Rugby leading try scorer [Hooker]) aka Big Joe

Perry Baker (USA 7's, changed the game) aka Speed Stick

Just Missed:

Shawn Riley (NOLA Gold)

After Columbus, Flash spent his next few seasons with Southern Pines R.F.C. (where he met Rugby PickEm's favorite, lovable co-host, Tommy No Piks). He talked about the small town vibe, and how his connections with the club led to his selection for USA South Panthers.

Flash met the Rugby PickEm crew during his days as a Denver Barbarian. Always competing on the field, he also dazzled off the field, pursuing his love of music in a city full of art, culture, and unique perspectives. He said he'll always cherish the time he had with his Denver teammates, and for know, it's just "see ya later", not "Goodbye".

Breaking News 😱:

Flash will be moving to Pittsburgh PA to coach the Pittsburgh Panthers College Rugby team with Allen Hanson and Eric Jerpe. Always doing his best to pass on his experience, Jordan embodies the Rugby PickEm mentality of growing the game. We wish him the best in Pittsburgh!

#PICKEM #GROWTHEGAME #RUGBYPICKEM

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 for supporting players by any means necessary, and they all certainly understand what type of hurdles young players will face throughout their entire rugby careers.

They are dedicated to raising the level of rugby in the states, and want to support players as they make their journey through the long windy road of being a professional player. HPM will offer a range of value props to players including access to their player and coaching networks, pursuing endorsements, mental and physical improvement strategies, sorting through team contracts, and most importantly ... helping young players pursue, develop and build a career for life after professional rugby (sadly, it all ends at some point, even for the greatest players).

The Athlete Collective

Founders - Dan Power, Pete Steinberg, James English, Mike Petri, Shalom Suniula

The Athlete Collective is a group of professional with a wide variety of rugby experience and expertise. Led by the dynamic CBS duo Pete Steinberg and Dan Power (I heard they're making a presidential run in 2024), this groups is teeming with vision and their mission boils down to providing a full holistic support system for the players and raising the over-all level of the game in North America.

The Athlete Collective won't be focused on contract negotiations between players and clubs, but Dan touched on some amazing ideas the AC has for the continual development of the players. One unique idea is pooling a portion of the AC's sponsorship revenue into a foundation/trust for players to access after their playing days have ended. The Athlete Collective has decided to make their members equity owners of the organization, so each player in the AC owns a small percentage too. They have some amazing players signed on including a RP favorite, Luke "The Hard Man" White.... (future Giltini?!?)

Enjoy the show, and stay tuned for some summer interviews to be published soon!

PICKEM!

ps. bonus scenes include a small explosion in our new garage studio 😱. Be sure to listen all the way through the credits!

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 use of Infinity Park field facilities for USA High Performance teams.

Free use of their High Performance gym for all USA HP teams. Stay swole ...

Two Men's 15's National Team games and one Women's 15's National Team game.

Special deals on local hotels for USA teams.

It sounds like a great deal for USA Rugby. On the other hand, Glendale gets to truly live up the the name of Rugbytown USA (in name AND practice). They can run their marketing side by side with USA Rugby and notable Eagles who drop in for camps and training.

Hosting the test matches is HUGE! Last summer's USA vs. Canada game was an amazing environment, so I think the Colorado rugby community will benefit from many more high level test matches like that. Hopefully other American rugby fans will make the worthwhile trip to Infinity Park to support their national team in the future.

Joey from the Bronx (aka Joey Spimoani) - 5:17

"What's PickEm boys. How you doing? First time, long time. This is your boy Joey from the Bronx, Arthur Avenue. People call me Joey Spimoani now. Listen, I got a few things I'd like to get off my chest here. When this whole Major League Rugby thing started up, I was pretty amped ... I was pretty pumped to have a rugby here in New York in my beloved city. BUT, every time my RUNY boys play, every time I wanna catch match, I gotta haul my ass down to Coney Island MCU ballpark on the beach in friggin Brooklyn, FUGGEDABOUDIT. How bout we get some games up the Bronx baby, the real New York. Bring some sandwiches to the game, everyone have a good time? I don't know, just had to get that off my chest.... and can someone tell me where the goddamn fireworkd are coming from? They're scaring my dog. Go RUNY. Love you boys, keep at it and uh ... I'll see you out there."

And lastly, we leave you with a message from our old friend HARPO ... He's one of our inspirations, but he's also one of USA Rugby's biggest critic and cynic .... because he's seen it all. Here is HARPO's note:

Enjoy the time off, and we'll be back next week. PICKEM!

ps. call the voicemail line: 720-259-8825

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 😂

3) Derek Ellingson - Utah Warriors

Tommy played with Derek one summer for Southern Pines Rugby club. He's fast, quick, all the skills that you need.

4) Lui Sitima - Austin Gilgronis

Washington product out of AIC. Hard running back, will be a game changer for the AG's.

5) Aaron Matthews - Seattle Seawolves

Big draft for St. Mary's as two Gaels go in the top 5. Seattle is still the top dawg in the MLR .... the cancelled 2020 season will let them bask in their reigning championship glory for another year. Adding Matthews to their "staff" is huge (front office?).

6) Justin Johnson - New England Free Jacks

From Life University, another Cali kid, absolute wrecking ball on the field. Expect big things from this guy.

20) Mason Koch - Austin Gilgronis

From Dartmouth .... Vitals: 5'9, 220 lbs - Open space hooker?

Jackie from Jackson Hole - 4:47

"Hey there Jackie from Jackson Hole. Just wanted to get your guys' thoughts on Chris Robshaw signing with the San Diego Legion for the next two seasons. The MLR in general is bringing in top talent from overseas. Do you think this adds value to the league, and what do you think the driving incentive is for these players to leave their current clubs after a long tenure? Love you guys"

66 caps for England, 250 for Harlequins ... Robshaw brings plenty of experience to the MLR

Do overseas signings add value? Of course. But as we move forward, we'd like to see more American talent making the first XV. Even though he will be a huge part of the Legion for the next two years, guys like Robshaw will push Americans to the bench, which can be disappointing for American fans who want our USA Eagles to succeed.

Eventually though, we will see some overseas stars get benched for younger talent (greener pastures) as coaches and GM's battling for their jobs try and turn a poor win/loss record around.

Cody from North Carolina - 8:32

"He guys this is Cody. You obviously know that USA rugby has filed for bankruptcy due to Corona Virus. How do you feel this will affect the men's clubs across the country?"

Unfortunately the pandemic will put a crunch on smaller, less established clubs. Whether it's losing players who can no longer afford to play because they're been laid off or furloughed, or the fact that until we have a vaccine, the nature of rugby itself poses risks of contraction.

It doesn't help that USA rugby is shamefully bankrupt (this has been a long time coming from years of executive mismanagement, so how dare they point the finger at CoVid). We need to set a budget and stick to it. We need to earn $ before we go off and spend it on high performance camps, overpaid "specialists" (usually foreigners and rarely Americans), and hosting events that lose money.

The people in charge have been at fault, there's no denying that.

Guru - 13:39

Thanks to the Guru for an emotional call, and don't forget to call the number! 720-259-8825

Bonus Outro: Our boy Cole Zarcone got drafted by the San Diego Legion (in the final pick of the draft). We wish Cole the best for what's to come in the future.

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 fan will most likely be a bandwagon fan because of the recent signings that we’ll get to. We know Taylor Howden has been a ride or die fan, with them through the ups and the downs …

Titles: 3-0

Beauden Barrett, Otere Black, Finlay Christie, Caleb Clarke, Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, Matt Duffie, Kurt Eklund, TJ Faiane, Blake Gibson, Josh Goodhue, Jack Heighton, Alex Hodgman, Jordan Hyland, Akira Ioane, Rieko Ioane, Tony Lamborn, Ezekiel Lindenmuth, Sione Mafileo, Joe Marchant, Emoni Narawa, Ray Niuia, Sam Nock, Jared Page, Dalton Papalii, James Parsons, Stephen Perofeta, Jacob Pierce, Harry Plummer, Marcel Renata, Waimana Riedlinger-Kapa, Tom Robinson, Jonathan Ruru, Hoskins Sotutu, Mark Telea, Tanielu Tele'a, James Tucker, Karl Tu'inukuafe, Patrick Tuipulotu, Ofa Tuungafasi, Baden Wardlaw.

Hurricanes

Region: East Coast, Poverty Bay, Hawke’s Bay, Wanganui, Manawatu, Horowhenua-Kapiti, Wairarapa-Bush, Wellington

Fanbases: Alternative hipsters, skinny jeans, artsy types, coffees at a cafe …. Wellington Alty (the Melbourne of Australia)

Titles: 1-2

Pouri Rakete-Stones, Fraser Armstrong, Alex Fidow, Tyrel Lomax, Ben May, Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua, Dane Coles, Ricky Riccitelli, James Blackwell, Kane Le'aupepe, Liam Mitchell, Scott Scrafton, Isaia Walker-Leawere Vaea Fifita, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Reed Prinsep, Ardie Savea, Murphy Taramai, Devan Flanders, Gareth Evans, TJ Perenara, Jamie Booth, Jonathan Taumateine, Jackson Garden-Bachop, Fletcher Smith, Ngani Laumape, Vince Aso, Billy Proctor, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Danny Toala, Kobus van Wyk, Wes Goosen, Ben Lam, Jonah Lowe, Salesi Rayasi, Jordie Barrett, James Marshall, Chase Tiatia

Chiefs

Region: Bay of Plenty, Counties Manukau, King County, Taranaki, Thames Valley, Waikato

Fanbase: #ChiefsMana, Bay of Plenty - Deep Maori Roots, Hardworking .. .country farmers and fisherman

Titles: 2-1

Nathan Harris, Bradley Slater, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Ryan Coxon, Nepo Laulala, Atu Moli, Reuben O'Neill, Aidan Ross, Angus Ta'avao, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Tyler Ardron, Michael Allardice, Laghlan McWhannell, Lachlan Boshier, Mitchell Brown, Sam Cane, Pita Gus Sowakula, Luke Jacobson, Mitchell Karpik, Dylan Nel, Lisati Milo-Harris, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Brad Weber, Aaron Cruden, Tiaan Falcon, Damian McKenzie, Kaleb Trask, Orbyn Leger, Anton Lienert-Brown, Tumua Manu, Alex Nankivell, Bailyn Sullivan, Solomon Alaimalo, Sam McNicol, Kini Naholo, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Shaun Stevenson, Quinn Tupaea, Sean Wainui

Highlanders

Region: North Otago, Otago, Southland

Fanbases: Rural folk, party university, ALL The college piss heads in Dunedin.

Titles: 1-1

Crusaders

Region: Canterbury, Buller, Mid-Canterbury, South-Cantebury, Tasman, West Coast

Fanbases: Farmers on the floodplain of the Waimakariri River. Loyal fans, but by far the easiest team to support due to their past success.

Titles: 10 - 4

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 teams have just gone dark. In the future, there might be a combine, but considering the pandemic, ... all coaches had to go off of is relations with college coaches and the game film they are provided.

Johnny: Top 3 Teams ... "Where do you want to land?

Cole:

1) NE Free Jacks - "I've loved the contacts I've had with Boston. What they got going on there is awesome. To experience the East coast and have a new adventure in life would be awesome."

2) Dallas Jackals - Gotta get a 10 Gallon hat (40 gallons?)

3) Seattle Seawolves - Close to home, but he's ready .... "Leaving to go somewhere, .... Wouldn't be against it".

Bt: What was is like taking the jump from college rugby to a men's club (played summer 7's for the Denver Barbarians) .... (oh and living with Jack-Jack on Tweak's couch?)

Cole: The sky is the limit for Jack, don't see why he would be an Eagle at some point.

Bt: How are you going to balance building job skills as you continue to try and build your rugby career?

Cole: It's something I'm considering now going into the draft ... I haven't been totally sure what I want to do, but I want to continue to make connections (and read books), in addition to continually building a resume for life after rugby.

Uncle Johnny: What book are you currently reading?

Cole: Legacy, James Kerr

Green Room Set Up - Camas Washington

-Get a good group together (close fam and friends)

-Old Coaches that have pushed his career on

-Throw it on the big screen, and live in the moment

Drop Some Names:

Todd Thornley - "He took a risk on me, and asked me to trust the system. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am?"

Thanks to Cole, and the Rugby PickEm crew can't wait to pop bottles on draft night (and call him 2-3 hours after the pick because we are so thoughtful).

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 stars wouldn't want to end their career in L.A. or Austin?), by paying them slightly higher salaries than the rest of the league (the cap is the cap, but there are ways to skirt it .... (stock options, free luxury housing, no show side jobs).

My guess is that he has certainly rattled some cages within the MLR ownership groups. I'm only speculating here, but if I was an original founder of an MLR team, and all of the sudden a multi-millionare (soon to be BILLIONARE, pending an American I.P.O. of F-45) had purchased not one, but two teams, then re-branded them after cocktails and starting shipping in ex-Wallabies ... I'd probably be a little shook.

But there are probably other ownership groups that are ecstatic to see money poured into the still fledgling league (2.25 seasons under the MLR belt). Remember, the league has MANY years before profitability and after an economic recession, the ownership group as a whole has to be relieved to see Gilchrist back up the Brinks Truck. The question is, .... can their egos handle a young, rich, move-maker like Gilchrist who now has the "hottest" (if we're just going by the 70's neon, vice colors) team in the west.

If Gilchrist follows through on all his USA youth rugby promises in Los Angeles AND Austin ..., and truly does try and grow American talent, then I'm sure people will eventually give in on the alcoholic related branding. Only time will tell.

3:30 - Stewart McClanahanahan

"Do you Yanks put any value in the theory that if the best athletes in the States picked up a rugby ball, the US would instantly become the best side in the world? Do you buy that ? or is rugby different and is there more skill involved. Something to think about while your stuck at home staring at your own Grogan.

7:00 - Guru

"Are people training for 7's yet? Running, spacing, kicking the ball, perhaps some Fiji flair? Can you train and social distance? Also, great (rugby) book: Trinity by Leon Uris"

Shoutout to the Guru, thanks for calling ... (again). Right now only New Zealand is ready to start playing rugby again. Lucky for us, as far as rugby quality goes, the kiwis are simply the best.

12:25 - Caller Ceesh

"Will the Gilgronis and Giltinis be throwing games to each other, and does this undermine the entire MLR?

We hopped back in and discussed this at length (more so about the alcohol branding). Uncle Johnny raises a great point ... if branding and selling drinks is the primary goal, what will the quality on the field look like? TommyNoPiks also raises the idea that if we cater to fans that love drinking, we may be pushing away families with kids, etc ...

Plenty more to come in the Gilchrist era of the MLR, but stay tuned for our call with MLR draft prospect (and Central Washington LEGEND) Cole Zarcone