Ep. 3 — Marcel Brache: The Old Newbie

Born in LA, raised in Cape Town, and shaped by the schoolyards, cricket grounds, and rugby stadiums of Newlands — Marcel Brache's path to the USA Eagles jersey is one of the most unlikely in the game. In this episode, Marcel joins the pod to trace a journey that began barefoot in a South African primary school, drifted through two lost years of "partying and drinking," and was rescued by a beer-league game that happened to catch the eye of future Stormers head coach John Dobson.

From there: a UCT Varsity Cup run, a dream call-up to his boyhood team, Western Province, an apprenticeship behind Springbok legends at the Stormers, a life-changing move to the Western Force (and 32 tryless games before a 20-minute hat-trick), and finally the emotional decision to represent his country of birth — singing "America the Beautiful" in San Diego after qualifying for the 2019 World Cup. We also get the inside story of the Austin Gilgronis, the heartbreak of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, and Marcel's turn toward coaching, teaching, and running a first-gen flag league in Escondido. Plus his all-time XV of teammates — a South African-heavy side with a #8 that bowls a heavy ball.

Show Notes

• Born in LA, moved to Cape Town at 4–5, and finding rugby barefoot in a schoolyard.
• Growing up in Newlands, between the cricket and rugby stadiums.
• The "N1 House of Pain" — battler school trips to face the big country rugby powerhouses.
• A gap year "stooging" in the UK, Eurorail travels, and coming home more arrogant than wise.
• Two wasted years at UCT — drinking, drifting, and no direction.
• Finding the game again through Sunday touch and a Wednesday beer league.
• The night John Dobson spotted him in a beer-league crowd — the invite that changed everything.
• Knuckling down: discipline and finally being selfless.
• Dobson's line: "I'll know what type of human being you'll be in 20 years."
• The UCT Varsity Cup final, then a dream call-up to boyhood club Western Province.
• Rubbing shoulders with Springbok legends — and learning habits he still uses.
• Flipping the switch: from "happy to be here" to owning a spot in a pro squad.
• Winning the Vodacom and Currie Cups, then the call to join the Western Force.
• Life in Perth: meeting Lauren, their first kid — and being "devastated" to leave.
• 32 games without a try, then a 20-minute hat-trick — "store the fireworks."
• The first spark of playing for the Eagles, and walking in as a "funny talker."
• The golden 2017 run: tying Argentina, beating Canada, qualifying for the 2019 World Cup.
• Inside Japan 2019: England, France, Argentina, Tonga — games coming thick and fast.
• The Austin Gilgronis, that world-class staff, and the truth about the salary cap.
• The painful 2023 qualifiers vs. Uruguay, Chile, and Portugal — "the reset USA rugby needed."
• Winding down in San Diego and the turn toward coaching as "glamorized teaching."
• Heading to Japan to coach the Eagles, and a philosophy built on serving authentically.
• Marcel's all-time XV of teammates — a South African-heavy side, with a #8 that bowls a heavy ball.
• Closing message: make a kid feel something about rugby, and you've got them for life.

From a foggy corner of Pacifica ("P-Town") California to two Olympic Games, Danny Barrett has lived one of the great American rugby journeys — and it almost never happened. In this episode, the youngest of the three Barrett brothers joins the pod to trace a path that started when older brother Jim got talked into a game he'd never heard of, and ended with him leaving his cleats on the field in Tokyo.

Along the way: the family conversion that rugby sparked three brothers making Cal history on the same pitch, a 64-game unbeaten run, the brutal apprenticeship of USA Sevens (a $700-a-month contract and a separated shoulder in game one), the London breakthrough, qualifying for Rio, a late-career reinvention as the most feared breakdown operator in the MLR, and a philosophy of the game built entirely around one thing — time. We open on a somber note, paying respects to St. Mary's Gael Dominic "Domo" Peterson, and close with Danny's message to the next generation: it's a kid's game, so have fun.

Show Notes

• Tribute to Dominic "Domo" Peterson and the tight-knit NorCal rugby community.
• Growing up youngest of three in Pacifica, running water and craving the culture.
• The dining-hall pitch that converted the whole Barrett family to rugby.
• First-ever match: five minutes off the bench on an Ireland tour (plus the bus-seat tantrum at 13).
• Why rugby beat baseball: freedom, athleticism, and years of battling older brothers.
• The road to Cal: a San Jose State offer, a failed St. Mary's scholarship, and Jack Clark's call.
• Cal history: first three brothers to play a game together in ~150 years.
• The 64-game unbeaten run, two titles, and a 154–0 win dissected for 4.5 hours.
• "A great athlete, not a good rugby player yet" — becoming a student of the game.
• Rugby as a maker of people: the Mark Bingham story and a mom's "stands taller."
• His proudest accomplishment: graduating Cal — and what he turned down to do it.
• Entering USA Sevens in 2014: $700 a month and a separated shoulder in game one.
• The Friday/Brown/Greening reset: conditioning, passing, and 7,700 up-downs in one session.
• London 2015: the first-ever Cup final win by a USA side.
• Qualifying for Rio — winner-take-all vs. Canada in the Carolina heat.
• Inside the Olympic Village: 11,000 athletes and the Michael Phelps "tea-bagging" flag story.
• The Olympic rings tattoo he won't fix, because "the rings are scarred."
• Below the waterline: nine missed birthdays, holidays, and the Chula Vista grind.
• Meeting his wife Megan, long distance, and the sacrifices that made it work.
• Stepping away from the 15s setup over culture — and backing US-born players.
• The MLR reinvention in Houston: mastering the breakdown and the battle over time.
• Retirement in 2023: leaving his cleats on the field.
• Leading the Golden Eagles: the pathways and CARE programs — "Father Time never misses a tackle."
• Rapid fire: Barretts vs. All Blacks in a cage match, plus all-time XV and Sevens picks.
• Closing message: it's a kid's game — win, lose, or draw, have fun.
  
  

Tavite "Pite: Lopeti: MLR Champion, USA Eagle, St. Mary's Legend

Rugby is the greatest game on earth — and what makes it great is the people. In the debut episode, we sit down with reigning MLR champion and current USA Eagle Tavite Lopeti to trace the whole journey: from an accidental basketball signup in a first-generation Tongan household, to getting battered in his first year of high school rugby, to the fitness boot camp that is St. Mary's, to a debut try for the Eagles — and yes, to that gritty on Ma'a Nonu.

It's an honest, funny, and surprisingly instructive conversation about the people who nudged him back on track at every level, the real financial sacrifice behind chasing pro rugby in America, and what it takes to go undefeated. We close it out with a spicy, friendship-ending draft of an All-Time St. Mary's Gaels XV.

Why listen:

• The behind-the-scenes reality of pro rugby in the US — $20k for six months and three jobs to chase the dream
• How a "fill the numbers" phone call turned into a first Eagles cap
• The celebration that went viral (and the backlash from the rugby purists)
• A no-holds-barred All-Time Gaels XV debate

Chapters

• 00:00 — Cold open: welcome to Episode 1
• 00:57 — Meet "Pite": MLR champ, Eagle, president of the baby chess crew
• 03:20 — Origin story: Bay Area roots and Peninsula Green
• 04:18 — The accidental basketball signup (a very Tongan story)
• 05:23 — A first-generation household & Dad's path to citizenship
• 08:38 — The coaches who paid his way: Moses Similai & Bob Benson
• 13:58 — Chasing a degree: why rugby became the path to college
• 16:09 — Getting recruited: Central Washington, BYU & a Catholic family's veto
• 17:52 — JuCo, Life West, and getting spotted by St. Mary's
• 20:52 — Why St. Mary's changed everything
• 25:35 — Arriving at St. Mary's: freak athlete, zero fitness
• 27:14 — "We're in the Navy" — the brutal first weeks running the hills
• 30:19 — Tim O'Brien's mind games and the mystery training schedule
• 35:00 — Getting smoked on a trail run… by a prop
• 37:23 — The Tim O'Brien effect & the "baby chest" nudge that changed his lifting
• 43:00 — The MLR arrives; leaving college as "men among boys"
• 47:57 — First Eagles camp: why he wasn't nervous
• 49:53 — First cap vs Canada: a debut try, a blood-sub twist & a tough loss
• 52:23 — The St. Mary's cult: how foreigners learn to respect the Gaels
• 54:28 — Getting capped before the draft & learning your worth
• 55:59 — Drafted to the Seattle Seawolves
• 57:54 — Rookie of the Year… and THE GRITTY on Ma'a Nonu
• 1:02:28 — Chasing the next challenge & how MLR free agency really works
• 1:05:25 — The hard truth: $20k, three jobs & the sacrifice behind the dream
• 1:12:08 — Anatomy of an undefeated championship season
• 1:18:15 — What's next: the 2027 World Cup
• 1:19:20 — Drafting an All-Time St. Mary's Gaels XV
• 1:44:22 — Tribute to Volney Rouse
• 1:46:03 — Advice for young American players: "We know ball!"