Rugby PickEm

L.A. Giltinis Best Finish: N/A (expansion team) 2021 Home Stadium: L.A. Coliseum (capacity 77,000) Best Name: Langilangi Haupeakui Who Excites Rugby PickEm: First and foremost .... Nic Boyer's Hair. But secondly it's that this is a diverse team that just trained full time for 6 weeks in Maui together. What better team bonding than a preseason vacation? Socials: #Giltinis (step your game up social...

San Diego Legion Best Finish: 5-0 start in 2020 (before season was cancelled) 2021 Home Stadium: ??? (TBD In Las Vegas ... crossing our fingers for the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium) Best Name: Keni Nasoqeqe Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Joe Pieterson can kick. Good kicking = points. Also is Cole Zarcone an early favorite for Rookie of the Year? Socials: #WeAreLegion Instagram:...

Seattle Seawolves Best Finish: 2X🏆 (Still raining champs) 2021 Home Stadium: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila WA Best Name: Djustice Sears-Duru Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Young talent. Aaron Matthews and Tommy Hunkin-Clark may be capped as early as round one when the Seawolves travel to Houston to take on the Sabercats. Socials: #TogetherWeHunt Instagram Blue Check: Check PICKEM!

We're getting back to our roots in 2021. We're putting boots on the ground this season and will try and visit at least four different team venues for live games. With the Colorado Raptors no longer a part of the MLR, the Rugby PickEm crew will look to cash in some frequent flier miles and head out of state to catch some live rugby and find the best fans in the MLR. PICKEM! After being cooped up fo...

Rob Kelly (aliases include Jim Bob Kelly) and I played college rugby together at Wake Forest University. Rob played flyhalf, but his best asset wasn't his on field performances. Instead, it was his ability to make all teammates feel welcomed and included in the team fabric. He led from the front on the field and at the post-game socials. Genial, comedic and affable to almost any situation he was t...

Welcome back to Rugby PickEm! After a month off (to let things breath), we check back into a year of rugby that's sure to be constantly changing as the MLR games proceed in a month's time. Uncle Johnny, Tommy No Piks, Bt & Reiko in the house (casa de Collins) for a "State of the Rugby Union" ... - MLR Teams report. Overseas players may struggle with pandemic travel restrictions, but that may creat...

You guessed it .... we made a 2020 Rugby PickEm mash up. Bt runs back the best moments in a year that was undoubtedly one of the more challenging, and gloomy years that we can remember. We started with a season preview where Kim Jordan graced the studio and the crew ran through each MLR teams' hashtags, mascots and other ridiculous pre-season banter items. Kim's presence that night was sublime, an...

Once the 2020 season was cancelled, Tommy No Piks and Bt began the meticulous endeavor of creating a highlight reel for Rugby PickEm star Logan Collins. Spending hours pouring through old footage including: - PRO Rugby and the Denver Stampede - Grainy (and shaky) CSU Ram highlights (which Logan himself produced, so technically he'll begrudgingly get a Co-Producer credit on his highlight reel) - De...

As the night ran long on the historical Rugby PickEm Awards (better known colloquially as the RPA's), the lads sat around the mic (some didn't even realize it was on), and began reminiscing and dream about a time when the entire USA rugby landscape wasn't shut down due to a Pandemic. Little known fact, but Uncle Johnny used to LIVE at his old club the Cincinnati Wolfhounds Rugby Clubhouse (for 5 y...

Paddy From Providence - 0:35 Hey boys, Patty from Providence. Hey was scrolling through the old Instagram the other day and right between Hannah Palmer and Jenna Frumes. You know who I'm talking about. So I saw a little post about the Hartford Harpooners. Look, Providence and Harford have a have a long standing rivalry as "New England's Second City", but I'd love to see some some more local rugby....

What a year 2020 has been. Would anyone have ever thought an entire rugby season would be cancelled, postponed or altered over something that we knew could happen ... but just never thought it WOULD? Strange times. While the majority of the North American rugby season was cancelled, the rugby media industrial complex (bloggers and podcasters with nothing better to do than strive for clicks, upvote...

Happy Holidays Rugby PickEm Family! This has been an astoundingly crazy year. Lives were turned upside down, and the game of rugby will forever be changed in some way shape or form. We hope more than anything that players can return to playing the game they love, and that rugby returns in the US in a safe and timely fashion. It's been nearly 40 days since we last published something for you, but w...

Most people know that the pandemic has (and will continue to) take a grave toll on rugby in the states. The nature of losing a season will have devastating consequences on ALL forms of rugby from grassroots programs, to men's clubs and even to lost revenue that MLR teams had budgeted for. At some point in the future, it will be safe to return to the field. Right now is clearly not that time. Howev...

After a month of exciting games, the SX-10 raise the trophy on the final day of the Bermuda 10's, defeating the Ohio Aviators at the death. The tournament was a success, hats off to the organizers and the Bermudans for making it all happen. The rugby world awaits future tournaments like this in the future. The Aviators played hard and showed the world their might, but came up just short on the goa...

After speaking with Rugby PickEm friend Taylor Howden (the next Eddie Jones in the making) and he confirmed he was coaching the (throwback) Ohio Aviator side in Bermuda 10's, my mind began racing with questions about business side of things... Who are the financial backers and what are their end game? Is Bermuda 10's the beginning of a year-round 10's tour? With 7's programs getting cut around the...

Our favorite curmudgeon HARPO was back in Denver, and there was a sighting. Just stopping by on his long windy road to nowhere.... Who Cares, Who Knows, Why Bother? Southern Hemisphere - Bledisloe and The Rugby Championship After many weeks of negotiations and squabbles, Rugby Australia and the NZRU have agreed to two Bledisloe games in New Zealand, followed by a full TRC back in Australia in Nove...

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...

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 bec...

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...

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...

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 aske...

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 g...

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 l...

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 l...

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...