Nigel Melville Direct

USA to Host IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:31:00 +0000

The 2012 USA Rugby Youth Conference was a huge success this weekend in Atlanta, I think it exceeded all expectations in terms of attendance, content and passion. An excellent weekend talking about youth rugby and setting the stage for another exciting year in 2012. The announcement that the USA will host the 2012 Junior World Trophy was greeted with great excitement, we are certainly looking forward to hosting the teams.

Well done to all the delegates, it was a pleasure working with you.

Hosting reflects massive growth in Rugby in USA
Salt Lake City hosts key age grade event
IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy set to leave lasting legacy for Rugby in America

The International Rugby Board has announced that USA Rugby will host the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy (JWRT) 2012 from 18-30 June in Salt Lake City.

The announcement, which was made at the 2012 USA Rugby Youth Development Conference in Atlanta on Saturday, reflects the ongoing commitment of both the IRB and USA Rugby to grow the Game within one of the world's major markets.

The announcement that USA Rugby will host the 2012 JWRT was made at the 2012 Youth Development Conference in Atlanta, Ga. Eagle standouts and former All-Americans Paul Emerick and Mike Petri were on hand to launch the announcement. From left to right: Paul Emerick, Morgan Buckley, Nigel Melville, and Mike Petri. Photo credit: Edward Zeltser/USA Rugby

Rugby is taking off in the States with participation rates making the sport one of the fastest growing team sports in the country. Olympic re-inclusion has further boosted interest and growth and the hosts will be looking to build on the hugely successful HSBC Sevens World Series event in Las Vegas and growing support for the national team as demonstrated at Rugby World Cup 2011.

Hosts USA join Canada, Chile, Georgia, Japan, Russia, Tonga and Zimbabwe as they attempt to emulate 2011 champions Samoa by winning the title and with it promotion to the IRB Junior World Championship 2013 in France.

The eight participating teams will be split into two pools of four, with double headers played across four match days.

The tournament will aim to exceed the record-breaking event in Georgia, and provide compelling and entertaining Rugby whilst leaving a lasting legacy for the Game in the host nation.

“The IRB is committed to the development of the Game around the world and the USA is a very important and exciting market for Rugby. We now have a 10 year tours and test schedule that will see major international teams touring north America starting this year, while Sevens is really taking off. Schools are increasingly looking to Rugby as a force for social and sporting integration and USA Rugby is reaching out to more men, women and children than ever before," said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

"The IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy has consistently proven that it is a major tournament on the global Rugby calendar. It's blend of entertaining, high-quality matches always captures the imagination and I am sure that USA 2012 will be no different. The legacy for Rugby in the Host Union and participating teams is proven and long lasting.

“As well as providing teams with a platform to test themselves on the international stage at this key age grade level, the tournament also provides an opportunity to take Rugby to new and expanding territories, and enables Unions to adopt best-practice techniques across areas as diverse as High Performance strategies, event hosting and Referee development.”

“I would like to thank USA Rugby for their commitment, enthusiasm and passion in the delivery of what, I am sure, will be a world-class event and for using the opportunity to continue their great work in growing the Game.”

USA Rugby will seek to build on the outstanding tournament hosted in Tbilisi last year, which saw record fans and increased broadcast coverage coupled with some of the world’s best young players.

Russia’s Denis Simplikevich became one of the latest of the 82 JWRT graduates to grace the world stage when he made his Test debut at Rugby World Cup 2011.

Tai Enosa, Scott LaValla, and Shawn Pittman who now play regularly for the Eagles at fifteens also cut their teeth on the world stage at IRB age grade tournaments.

“We are very proud to be hosting the JWRT,” said USA Rugby CEO and President of Rugby Operations, Nigel Melville. “I know the American rugby community will embrace this great tournament and I’m confident that we at USA Rugby will deliver an impressive event.”

Melville added, “Hosting a JWRT is the first step to positioning the USA to host larger tournaments with the end goal of one day hosting a Rugby World Cup.”

Speaking in Atlanta, IRB Development Manager Morgan Buckley reiterated the success USA Rugby has enjoyed in the promotion of its development initiatives, particularly the record-breaking Rookie Rugby program which introduces boys and girls to the sport.

“I am delighted to present USA Rugby with their IRB Development Award 2011 on home soil for their hugely successful Rookie Rugby programme which has seen more than two million children take up the sport,” said Buckley.

“Together with their existing High Performance programs and commitment to both Sevens and Women’s Rugby, the Game is in great shape here as the Union continues to build for the future. These are very exciting times for Rugby here in USA.”

Eagles Fly To Wellington

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:10:00 +0000

I am looking forward to watching the Eagles Sevens team in action next week in Wellington as they commence their 2012 program. During the last 3 weeks the team have commenced their residency program and this last week had the fortune to work with an old friend of mine, Dave Ellis.

Dave worked with me at Gloucester for three years and has been the French defense coach for more than 10 years. One of the first areas we seek to improve is defense. It will be interesting to see how this develops over the next 2 weeks in Wellington and Vegas.

USA Men’s Eagles Head Coach, Al Caravelli, announced today the 12-player squad selected to travel to the New Zealand and USA legs of the 2011-2012 HSBC Sevens World Series.

Only three changes have been made to the team that travelled to Australia, Dubai, and South Africa in late 2011 for the first three stops of the Series, providing a core group of experienced and capable players.

Maka Unufe, a highly recruited former wide receiver from Provo, Utah, joins the squad after missing out on the first three legs. Unufe played in three USA Rugby National Championships in 2011 at the Under-19, Men’s Club, and All-Star levels and his performance earned him a spot on the 2011 Pan American Games squad. He helped the USA win a Bronze in the Games.

Roland Suniula returns to the squad after recovering from an injury in the Pan Ams. Suniula was the first-choice flyhalf for the Eagles in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, showing his versatility at the fifteen and seven-a-side versions of the game.

The third addition to the squad is Andrew Durutalo. Durutalo got his first taste of international sevens last December after joining the squad in South Africa to provide cover for the team that played three tournaments in as many weekends. Durutalo fit right in on the sevens field and scored his first international try against Canada.

The young up-and-coming players Miles Craigwell and Andrew Durutalo join veteran forwards Mark Bokhoven, Mike Palefau, and Matt Hawkins.

The backs are packed with pace and experience and led by captain Shalom Suniula. Peter Tiberio, Maka Unufe, and Folau Niua represent the new blood in the backline.

Utility players Zack Test (vice-captain) and Colin Hawley are handy all over the field and are among the most consistent performers at the international level.

USA Rugby announced in November 2011 that 15 full-time training contracts would be offered to sevens athletes, lending momentum to the USA Rugby sevens program. Of the 12 traveling players, seven are full-time residents. The remaining five players are from the taxi squad.

In Wellington, the Eagles will face Pool B opponents South Africa, England, and the Cook Islands, a firm challenge but a great test for the squad.

USA Men’s Eagle Sevens |2012 New Zealand and USA SevensMark Bokhoven (Denver Barbarians; Ames, Iowa)
Mike Palefau (Utah Warriors; Salt Lake City, Utah)
Miles Craigwell (Old Puget Sound Beach; Boston, Mass.)
*Shalom Suniula (USA Rugby; San Diego, Calif.)
**Zack Test (USA Rugby; Palo Alto, Calif.)
Matt Hawkins (Belmont Shore; San Diego, Calif.)
Maka Unufe (USA Rugby; Provo, Utah)
Andrew Durutalo (Old Puget Sound Beach; Seattle, Wa.)
Folau Niua (USA Rugby; East Palo Alto, Calif.)
Peter Tiberio (USA Rugby; Naperville, Ill.)
Colin Hawley (USA Rugby; Trowbridge, Calif.)
Roland Suniula (USA Rugby; Boston, Mass.)

* Captain

** Vice-captain

Women's National Teams Gather for Elite Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:24:00 +0000

Over 100 of the nation's top women's rugby athletes will convene this week in Lakeland, Fla. for a High Performance Camp at Tiger Town, the Detroit Tigers' spring training facility. The camp will serve as a selection vehicle for national teams and an opportunity for coaches to collaborate and identify talent for the upcoming international season. The camp will start on Wednesday January 11 and conclude on January 15.

USA Women's Eagles Head Coach, Pete Steinberg; USA Women's Eagle Sevens Head Coach, Ric Suggitt; and USA Women's Collegiate All-Americans Head Coach, Martha Daines will all be in attendance as well as their respective staffs.

On the player's side, various standout performers from the fall club season including Lynelle Kugler of the Twin Cities Amazons and Phoebe Boone of the Berkeley All Blues will attend the camp along with many other athletes from the Women's Premier League and Division I and II clubs. There are also a handful of collegiate athletes hoping to earn All-American and international honors.

Suggitt has brought some fresh faces into the sevens fold and has an expanded player pool from his pre-Dubai camp in November 2011. With an eye on the emerging IRB Women's Challenge Cup series, Suggitt will look to add depth to the pool of sevens athletes that already consists of stars like Nathalie Marchino, Kelly Griffin, Deven Owsiany, Pam Kosanke, and Irene Gardner.

Joining the two senior level National Teams in camp this week will be the Women's Collegiate All-Americans (WCAAs). In an excitng effort to give the WCAAs experience in high performance rugby, Daines has named a roster full of talent and youth. The invitees, including top players from college programs like Penn State, Stanford, Army, and Norwich University are looking forward to training in the High Performance environment along side current Eagles and National Team Coaches.

Eight current or former Eagles will be developing their skills at the camp, but not only their playing skills. Farrah Douglas and Tina Nesberg will be shadowing the WNT coaching staffs throughout the camp while Jillion Potter, Jamie Burke, Kittery Wagner, Sharon Blaney, Kate Daley, and Melanie Denham will go through course leader training from the USA Rugby Coach Development Department so they will be equipped to run their own clinics and coach trainings.

Junior All Americans (U20's) Camp In San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:43:00 +0000

During the past two weekends, Scott Lawrence, Head Coach of the Junior All American's held camps in Atlanta and San Francisco to assess talent ahead of a busy year for the team. I had the pleasure of catching up with them at the San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Club and took the opportunity to assess the scrum halves on show. It was good to see a number of former Eagles in attendance helping the players with their development and sharing their experiences with our younger players.

This was a strong group of players, and great to see these young men working so hard on their skills.

Scrum Half assessment begins

Former Eagles Chris Osentowski and Luke Gross work on the scrum

Sevens Residency Program Update

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:04:00 +0000

I received a comment this morning that players were arriving at the Olympic Training Centre to commence the residency program. The comment demanded names of those on the program, and more information - when we have all contracts signed we will announce the first wave of players participating in the program. The Men will start arriving this week to prepare for Wellington and Las Vegas, this will be both the players participating in the residency program and the 'taxi' squad players. The women will be assembling around the 22nd January, before then they will be attending the Women's National Camp at Tigertown, Tampa, next week.

We will be making a full announcement when everything is set and ready to go..hope that helps!

2012 Youth Development Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:04:00 +0000

Every year the USA Rugby Youth Conference grows, not just in numbers, but in the quality of the presentations and the take-away information. Its great to see such a cross section of the community puling together to support the growth of the Youth game. National coaches from both men's and women's fifteens and sevens, International players, specialist coaches, age-grade coaches, medical services, youth and high school development, referees, coaches and of course representatives from USA Rugby's Youth and High School game.

This year we will also be joined by Morgan Buckley, Head of Rugby Development for the International Rugby Board.

This will be another excellent weekend and I am looking forward to catching up with the usual old faces, and excited about meeting the growing number of new recruits. The Youth Conference is always a high energy fun event, the 2012 agenda looks fantastic...see you there..

What: 2012 Youth Development Conference
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
When: January 27th - 29th
Attendees: Coaches, referees, and administrators from all over the country to participate in professional development opportunities focused on growing youth and high school rugby.
Venue: Georgia World Congress Center, 285 International Blvd NW, Atlanta, Georgia - Ranks among the top five largest convention destinations in the country as well as one of the best sports and entertainment campuses in the world.

Hotel Information: The Westin Hotel, 210 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA - $99/night conference rate including hot breakfast and wireless internet. This 73-story tower, topped by the revolving Sun Dial Restaurant, Bar & View, graces the heart of Atlanta. Connected to AmericasMart, The Westin Peachtree Plaza, is steps from CNN, Georgia Aquarium, Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome.

Sponsors and Exhibitors: Various sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities for businesses and organizations to showcase their product or service to more than 200 rugby coaches, administrators, and referees.

Also available are opportunities for College Exhibitors: Chance to showcase your collegiate program in the exhibitor hall.

Registration Fees – Registration fee includes conference programming, welcome reception, Saturday lunch and dinner, conference materials, and more!
·         Early Bird (Now until January 11th): $100

·         Georgia Resident: $75 (Code Required)

·         General (January 11th - 26th): $125

·         Walk In (January 27th): $175

Welcome Reception
Date: Friday, January 27th
Time: 7:00pm-10:00pm
Venue: Meehan’s Public House, 200 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA (Connected to Westin hotel)

Agenda: This is the most exciting part!!! Some highlights:
·         Three Tracks: Coaching, Specialty, and Administrative

·         Focus on youth and high school coaching, refereeing, girls-specific, and administrative

Highlighted Presenters:

·         Morgan Buckley – Development Director for IRB

·         Mike Petri - USA Men’s National Team Stars

·         Paul Emerick – USA Men’s National Team Stars

·         Pete Steinberg and Ric Suggitt – USA Women’s National Team 15s and 7s coaches

·         Luke Gross – USA National Team Skills Coach

·         USA High School All American Staff – Salty Thompson, Michael Engelbrecht, and Eric Taber

·         Mike Keating – USA Rugby Medical Director

·         Alex Magleby – USA Collegiate All-American Sevens Coach

·         Nigel Melville – USA Rugby CEO

For more information on the event visit http://www.usarugbyyouthconference.wildapricot.org or contact Erin Kennedy at ekennedy@usarugby.org or at 303-539-0300 x 104.

http://www.usarugbyyouthconference.wildapricot.org

Closing the 'Gap'

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:48:00 +0000

As you know from an earlier blog today, I have been at the High School All American Camp in Phoenix this week, I thought I would share with you some interesting statistics I collected from the players.

There were 73 players in camp with an average age of 17 years.

14 players (19%) started playing rugby overseas (UK/New Zealand/South Africa) at an average age of 8 years and have now been playing rugby for about 9 years

Compare this with 59 players (81%) who started their playing careers in the USA at an average age 13.5 years and have been playing for around 3.5 years.

A smaller number of players, 17 (29%), have only been playing for 2 years!!

Our challenge is simple, to create winning age grade teams we have to fast track the basics through quality coaching for our High School and College players who are at a competitive disadvantage to their peers in the mature rugby nations.

If we want to catch up with the top rugby nations we have to provide top class core skill coaching to the new generation of Rookie Rugby players aged 10 - 12 years.

The good news - the process has already started!

Which takes me back to my blog from yesterday about our Coach Development process - in its existing format do you think it delivers what our coaches and their players need?

Let me know?

All American High Schools Kick-off their 2012 Program

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:54:00 +0000

Nice to see some sun! Salty Thompson, Robin Reid and myself(ACS) in Phoenix yesterday

With just days to go to the start of the New Year, over 70 USA Rugby All American High Schools hopefuls gathered in Phoenix for their winter camp ahead of a very busy season of 15's and 7's competitions. Under the experienced eye of Head Coach Salty Thompson, all players were fitness tested ahead of daily skills sessions and scrimmages. Addressing the players earlier today I stressed the importance of players taking responsibility for their development, the importance of taking this opportunity to challenge their coaches and to become students of the game that they love.

These young players were obviously passionate about the game and making great progress as players, but one thing that our young players don't always recognize is how close they actually could be to becoming full international players!

Many years ago, when I was selected for my first full England training session at 18, having just left high school, a debate raged about whether I was too young to be considered for international rugby. On one side of the argument was the 'if he's good enough, he's old enough' camp and at the other end of the continuum was the 'he must earn his place' traditionalists!

Either way, within the next 4 years, many of these young men will be being considered for internationals election as 7's or 15's players, there are some fantastic opportunities ahead of them, and we will do everythign that we can to move them forward.

Former Eagles wing, David Fee has joined the All American Coaching Team

In 2012 we will have the opportunity to expand the All American program further with the support of Aircraft Contract Solutions based in Washington. In 2011 ACS sponsored the High School All Americans tour to South Africa, the Las Vegas Sevens and British Columbia Sevens. In 2012 the High School All Americans will face tough international competition in the UK, experience the famous Rosslyn Park Sevens in London and tour again this summer.

What do you think?

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:22:00 +0000

Here's a request for feedback from anyone that has attended a USA Rugby Coach Certification Course, Introducing Rugby or Developing Rugby Skills.

My personal coaching pathway included, Start Rugby Course, Preliminary, Intermediate, Full Coaching Award and Elite Coach Development program, all run by the Rugby Football Union in England. Looking forward to 2012, I have been discussing our current offerings with our Coach Development Course Leaders regarding the future direction of courses. One common comment appeared to be that if I ask 10 people for their thoughts, I would get 10 totally different answers, so lets put that to the test!

We want to support the development of our coaches and make sure we direct resources where they will have most impact. It would therefore be very helpful to hear what you think of the courses and how we could improve them.

I won't share with you my personal thoughts at this stage, I wouldn't want to sway the debate in anyway, so its over to you. Send me your feedback on your experiences, if you provide glowing support or totally trash the current courses, you must balance your comments with solutions/recommendations, otherwise it will be a bit of a waste of everyone's time!

I am gathering views from a wide variety of sources, the feedback is very useful and will help us shape the future of our courses.

Thanks in advance, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Exciting Times Ahead In 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:58:00 +0000

I hope you have had chance to spend time with your family, I certainly enjoyed having all the family in Boulder for the Holidays, it always helps put life in perspective!
Thanks to all who read my blog throughout the year, 2011 was a busy year, and taking a few days off over the holiday period has not exactly been a time for reflection, more a time to make sure we keep the momentum going in 2012. Even the blog will be changing in 2012 - someone bought me a camera for Christmas (will post pics when I work out how!)

As the kids head off to all points of the compass, I leave tomorrow for Phoenix to catch up with Salty Thompson, his coaches and the USA Rugby All American High School Camp. This years camp has over 75 players in attendance from across the USA, we have some very exciting players coming through and a challenging 2012 program that I will share with you later this week.

On my return from Phoenix, 2012 kicks off with a busy January that includes:

Eagles Men's Coach final interviews and appointment
Men's U20 Camp East (Atlanta)
Women's National Team Camp (Florida)
Men's U20 Camp West (San Francisco)
Men's and Women's Residency begins at the Olympic Training Center (San Diego)
Congress Strategy Meeting (New Orleans)
Youth Conference (Atlanta)
Men's Sevens leave for Wellington

During this period we are also finalizing events at the USA Sevens in Las Vegas including an important International Board Meeting with the Tier 2 Nations to plan our fixtures for the next 4 years, the HSBC Sevens Series Advisory Group will also be gathering to discuss the HSBC Series, the USA Rugby Board have their first meeting of the year and USA Rugby will be running our annual Medical Symposium and a special sevens coaching course.

In 2012, I hope that the Las Vegas Sevens will continue to grow, its a fun event and I would strongly advise those that haven't been before to certainly give it consideration this year, click HERE to look at the ticket prices, schedules and information about the event.

So, just a few days to the a New Year, I hope you are looking forward to the year as much as we are at USA Rugby, and we hope that 2012 brings for you everything that you wish for you and your family....

Diversity Audit Will Help Us Grow

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:13:00 +0000

The recent announcement that USA Rugby have been awarded support for our athletes via an off site residency program at the Olympic Training Centre in San Diego by the USOC, was in my opinion, a reason to celebrate, but instead sparked a row about gender equity. The fact that 15 men and 8 women would be placed into the residency program made the headlines, and viewed seen by some as unfair, however, the men have a 10 tournament season, the women have just 5 in 2012. The women will also receive additional funding to enable them to pay for their flights and accommodation at an increasing number of events. The men's flights and accommodation are subsidized by their hosts. The men and the women will share facilities, share high performance staff and support services, all players are offered the same USOC support, this is a massive step forward for both programs and I know the players, the coaches and staff are very excited about this development.

Of course, the gender equity argument is nothing new in sport, I understand the importance of providing programs for both men and women, however, I am also passionate about diversity, 'Rugby For All, and I believe that rugby should be at the forefront of providing opportunities for everyone. I have also spoken to former England international Ben Cohen who's 'Stand Up' campaign has had some wonderful results combatting school bullying.

Diversity is also an area of concern for the USOC who have recently carried out a diversity study of their own. Denise Parker, CEO of USA Archery Chaired the group, she is a colleague of mine on the Olympic Sport Leadership Course this last year, and has done a fantastic job. The report has yet to be made public but discussions with Denise have certainly helped me frame a study we are currently working on at USA Rugby.

Earlier in the year we created a Diversity Group that included a cross section of the rugby community including representatives from the men and women's game, the Wheelchair Rugby Association and the International Gay Rugby Association and Board. Together we created the 'Spirit of the Game' document and our own 'Diversity Statement'. We acknowledged at the time that although these were just words, the statement moved us forward and the key next step was be to survey the organization and see what areas we could address going forward.

The diversity study continues and I look forward to sharing with you the headline facts in the new year and what we will be doing to make sure that we are focussed on 'Rugby For All' in 2012 and beyond.

USA Rugby College National Sevens Championships The Right Way To Go..

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:35:00 +0000

This weekend was my first trip to College Station, the home of Texas A&M and not much else..it's an amazing place, incredible facilities and an excellent venue for our first College National Sevens Championships for men and women. Last night we crowned two Champions, Life University (Men) and Norwich (Women), not names you would immediately associate with national Collegiate Titles, but on the day they over came some of the more familiar College brands such as CU, Arkansas State, Cal, Central Washington and others. Both finals were outstanding games, Boston College (Women) and Central Washington (men) made sure that trophies were not taken home without a severe test of their opponents credentials. In the men's final, Central Washington had done everything they needed to do to win, then in the final moments let in a try and we ran into sudden death overtime, Life taking their chances and winning the trophy.

Overall a great first event and something to build on in 2012, it would be nice to see an expansion of the Divisions and put the finals into the soccer stadium at the College, all things we can work on going forward. Texas A&M, Craig Coates and his team of 'worker bees' did an awesome job. Kevin Battle and his committee overcame a number of challenges to get this event off the ground, and the USA Rugby staff provided the teams with an event to remember.

Well done to everyone, it was a great event, the sevens rugby improved over the weekend and our Olympic dream has indeed begun...Happy Holidays...

Next Steps..

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:14:00 +0000

During the past 4 years we have been working hard to create a foundation for the game in the USA across our Youth, High School, and College pathways, we have made great progress. It's never enough for some I know, but progress whatever way you look at it. Establishing a foundation provides us with a future, imagine where we would be now if we had focused sewing these seeds in the 80's and 90's!

2011 was another busy year, the Rugby World Cup dominated much of our work, the Eagles put in some strong performances and the win against Russia was a highlight (video below).

Our IRB Development Award for Rookie Rugby was both validation and recognition for USA Rugby and the thousands of teachers, coaches and parents involved in our Youth initiatives whilst the record 11,000 fans who turned up to watch our College Premier Division final proved that the College game is making great strides towards becoming a legitimate College sport.

This is the video all of the guests at the IRB Awards (including the All Blacks, Jonah Lomu, and other superstars)

In addition USA Rugby events received increased broadcast, media and sponsorship exposure, we recorded a record membership year (just under 100,000) and the Sports Good Manufacturers Survey named rugby as the fastest growing team sport in America.

Presenting an Eagles shirt to the Secretary General of the United Nations brought massive exposure for USA Rugby and the Rugby World Cup both at home and around the globe as all twenty competing teams Ambassadors joined together in the UN Assembly for a picture with the Webb Ellis Trophy.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (left), IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset (center), and I at the UN for the kickoff to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Behind the scenes, Congress and the Board have been developing plans to improve our Governance structure with the development of pilot Geographical Unions and a strong committee structure that is aligned to the playing pathway.

Much to talk about and I still haven't mentioned Rugby Sevens and the Olympics...

Its been a long road, but this week we are finally in a position to announce officially that a USA Rugby partnership with the USOC will commence its first residency program commencing January, 2012. This will involve the placement of 15 men and 8 women into a fulltime residency program at the Olympic Training Centre, Chula Vista, San Diego.

The Men's Eagle Sevens team at the Olympic Training Center before their departure for Gold Coast, Dubai, and Port Elizabeth.

This will be a giant step forward for our National Men's and Women's Sevens programs, and an opportunity to create increasingly competitive international teams. Currently the Men's Sevens team is the only core team not to operate on a full time basis. As a result, we have certainly hit a ceiling in terms of taking the next steps forward and moving up the world rankings.

During the last 12 months I have generated a mass of data on the teams, their performances and how they stack up against the top teams in the World. The findings were not exactly rocket science, the top teams use less players, train together on a daily basis, and develop a greater understanding of each other's play, and create consistency. On the other hand, we use too many players (due to availability), don't train together on a daily basis, and never get chance to develop the kind of understanding and consistency that other teams achieve.

For the women, its is a weakness in their program that they only play in a small number of events each year. In 2012 we will be increasing this number and participating as a core member on a new women's sevens series, the IRB Women's Sevens Challenge Cup. Having a full time residency program will certainly help the team develop. We have great athletes, it's just a matter of getting them together and training on a regular basis.

The next step is to agree which players will be offered places and work on the logistics of placing players at the OTC. Of course, this won't be for everyone, and it will be the first time most of our players will experience a full time professional training environment. Fortunately, having gone through this process before with players when the game went professional in 1995, I understand the challenges!

Mark Bokhoven takes on the Canadian defense at the Pan Ams. A bronze is good, but we've got a long way to go if we are to compete for a gold in 2016. Credit: Martin Seras Lima

Yes, a bronze medal at this year Pan Am games was a gentle re-introduction to the Olympic multi-sport environment, but we have a long way to go to make Gold a reality in 2016. This program of support from the USOC is a welcome and positive start.

In the meantime, both Men's and Women's Eagle Sevens teams have arrived and are training in Dubai ahead of this weekend's Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, I am looking forward to watching them in action, Go Eagles!

More to come...

In 2012 the momentum created in Jim Snyder's Rugby Development Department will continue to gather pace, our membership benefits will increase once again, and the new USA Rugby Charitable Foundation under the Chairmanship of David Simmons will start to have an impact across all our programs.

USA Rugby Vice Chairman, Bob Latham will represent the North America Caribbean Rugby Association on the IRB Council.

We will appoint a new Men's Eagles Fifteens Coach to continue the excellent work of Eddie O'Sullivan. I will be working closely with all our national coaches and pathway teams, both sevens and fifteens and selected High performance competitions.

One focus in 2012 will be to remain on the NCAA Emerging Sports list, create more women's varsity college programs and move women's college rugby closer to NCAA status than at any time in the past.

The USA Rugby staff with the 2011 IRB Development Award. Together with our members, we are truly moving the sport forward in the USA.

Its been a pretty big year for rugby in the USA, but 2012 will take us forward once again. Thanks to everyone for their support as we grow the game and become more competitive as a rugby nation. It is the support of the coaches, referees, administrators, sponsors, parents, media, players and fans of the game that enables us to make the progress we are making.

We all know the power of teams, and this is a massive team effort. It's a pleasure to serve you..

Eagles take the Bronze at the Pan Am Games

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:31:00 +0000

The Pan Am Games in Guadalajara was an interesting experience, our first time competing in an international multi-sport environment, and an understanding of the challenges that athletes face. Don’t get me wrong, the Mexicans did a great job hosting the games, but running multiple venues for multiple sports along with the athletes village would always be a tough challenge for anyone. The challenge for the athletes is not to let things they don’t control impact on their performance.

The athletes village is the hub of the games, the place where all athletes eat and sleep, and generally hang out. In Guadalajara, the village was build specially for the games, each country having their own accommodation blog with up to 6 athletes sharing a room. The United States Olympic Committee have offices within the block, and that’s where athletes needs are delivered, from ground transportation to training venues and of course competition.

All athletes eat in a central dining area, thousands of athletes all wanting to eat at the same time is a challenge, and of course, not everyone is happy eating the same thing!

The Eagles received plenty of advise prior to traveling from the USOC staff at their base at the Olympic Training Centre, basically, don’t arrive too early to the village prior to competition and don’t let anything distract you from your goals. Easier said than done with athletes moving in and out of the village daily and athletes finishing their events before others start, but one thing is certain – the whole multi sport environment creates a real buzz amongst the athletes.

As for the Eagles, day one was not the best, it started badly as the team were taken to the wrong stadium – and as they were the first game of the day, things were a bit rushed! The games on day one were a real challenge, this wasn’t an IRB World Series event, the style of play was different and a new look young Eagles team had to get to grips with each other and their opponents. In short, I defense sucked in the early games, we chased too many rucks, took too much contact and made life hard for ourselves.

Congratulations must go to Al Caravelli, head coach of the Eagles, he fixed the problem and on day 2 the Eagles just went from strength to strength. I felt for the team in the semi finals, winning 19-14 with seconds on the clock against a very experienced Canada team, a missed tackle and a try – 19-19, final kick of the game converted from wide left and its game over.

So it was bronze or nothing for the Eagles, a strong win over Uruguay and a bronze medal – well deserved and it could so easily have been gold. That’s a lesson for the future, the margins between bronze and gold are very, very small indeed, ask any Olympian!

So, that’s our first medal, we made a contribution to the USA Medal table, and came away with a some exciting new talent for the future.

Women to Compete in the Pan Am Games 2015

During the weekend we had plenty of official meetings with both USOC, Pan American Rugby Association, our friends from the North American Rugby Association and visits from the Chairman of the IRB, Bernard Lapasset and Scott Blackmun, CEO of the USOC.

I also spent time with Toronto 2015, hosts of the next Pan Am Games. We discussed their plans for the games and I am delighted to report that they will be including Women’s Rugby in the 2015 Pan Am games – another step forward!

NFL and Rugby Can Learn From Each Other

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:20:00 +0000

I read an article this morning about how the NFL can learn from Rugby and vice versa...its an interesting read for fans, and those charged with running the game. To read the article click HERE

Where Olympic Journey's Begin...

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:05:00 +0000

Tonight I fly to Guadalajara, Mexico, to link up with the Men’s Eagle Sevens team (yes, this year is men only – we will be discussing the inclusion of women in 2015 this weekend!) as we make our first steps back into the Olympic arena, the Pan Am Games.

The squad (minus the World Cup players) held fitness and skills camps during September and have been camped at the Olympic Training Centre for the last few weeks. There are a number of new faces in the team, selected from scouting a wide range of events during the summer, plus the HSBC Sevens Series events throughout the year. Unfortunately, Paul Emerick, who had such a good World Cup sustained a knee injury and cannot travel with the squad, but there are a number of new faces that we are looking forward to seeing in action for the Eagles for the very first time.

Amongst some of the better known names such as Test, Hawley, Scully and Suniula from last years HSBC Series, we welcome the return of Mark Bokhoven, undoubtedly one of the warriors in the team and a great leader on and off the field. Talking of Warriors we welcome Maka Unufe, a 20 year old back from the Utah Warriors, Folau Niua of San Francisco Golden Gate, the impressive Chicago Lions wing Rocco Mauer and scrum half Peter Tiberio from the University of Arizona.

During the last 4 years we have made significant progress with the Men’s Eagles Sevens team, we began with a team with no points on the World Series and limited opportunities to being ranked 11, 10, and 12 in the last three years and now a core member of the HSBC Sevens World Series.

In 2010/11 I have been collecting and analyzing data on both our men’s and women’s programs. I have assessed our strengths and our weaknesses and measured our performance against the best teams in the World. We now have an exciting plan that will undoubtedly take both the men’s and women’s teams to the next level of performance. The details will be announced shortly.

This weekend will be an excellent opportunity for the squad to play in a competitive environment, it will help them prepare for the HSBC Sevens Series fall events (Gold Coast, Dubai and Port Elizabeth), and of course its an opportunity to win a medal for Team USA – what a fantastic experience for the players and coaches and development for the game of rugby in America as a whole! Go Eagles!!

Pan-Am Games in only three days!

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Only three days until the Eagles make their debut for Team USA and the United States Olympic Committee. It's going to be a great tournament and I know Al has been doing everything that needs to be done to prepare the team. What a great opportunity for rugby in America.

Meet the young men that will represent the USA at the Pan-Am Games with this video we threw together! Go Eagles and please show your support by checking out the players blog!

We've also got a page on the USA Rugby website that will follow the tournament, and also has links to viewing information, etc..

Go Eagles!

IRB Development Award Video

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:37:00 +0000

Here is the video they showed right before the Development Award winner was announced. Pretty great to think that the who's who of the rugby world all saw how the game is taking off here in the States.

USA Rugby’s ‘Rookie Rugby’ Wins IRB Development Award

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:06:00 +0000

USA Rugby’s ‘Rookie Rugby’ Wins IRB Development Award

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- USA Rugby is thrilled to announce that its youth program, Rookie Rugby, has won the International Rugby Board Development Award for 2011.

Latham (left) accepts the IRB Development Award in Auckland Sunday.

Union vice-chairman, Bob Latham, was on hand to accept the award on behalf of USA Rugby at the star-studded IRB Awards Ceremony on Sunday October 23 in Auckland, just one day after the New Zealand All Blacks won the 2011 Rugby World Cup there.

On the same night that the IRB announced the Player of the Year (Thierry Dusautoir, France), Team of the Year (New Zealand All Blacks), and inducted into the Rugby Hall of Fame legends Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) and South African captain Francois Pienaar (who was portrayed by Matt Damon in the 2009 blockbuster, Invictus) the IRB gave a nod to the growth of the youth game with the Development Award.

According to the IRB, Rookie Rugby “introduced a whole new raft of fans and athletes to the sport through programs administered through schools, community-based and state-based rugby organizations and USA Rugby national events. The initial aim was to introduce 100,000 new children to rugby but the reality has far outstripped that and continues to gather momentum.”

USA Rugby launched Rookie Rugby in 2008 as a non-contact introductory version of the game that enables young players to enjoy the camaraderie, fitness, and character building inherent in the sport. Rookie Rugby was played by over 350,000 children in 2010 and is on track to reach about a half million in 2011.

USA Rugby CEO, Nigel Melville, recognized the contributions of the youth rugby community in the United States in making Rookie Rugby a successful program.

“Rookie Rugby provides a framework and resources to local communities to introduce the game, but it is really the people on the ground who helped make Rookie Rugby a success. We lobbed it up and they knocked it out of the park,” said Melville.

One of the many attractive aspects of Rookie Rugby is that it presents a low-cost and easily implemented fitness activity option for many schools and community programs. USA Rugby also provides instructional resources such as lesson plans, videos of drills, and skill and game cards to ensure proper and easy implementation.

BALL FOR ALL SCHOOLS PROGRAM

To further attract educators and community organizations to rugby, Sports Authority, a leading sporting goods retailer in the United States, has partnered with USA Rugby to offer free size four Rookie Rugby balls to schools.

The ‘Ball for All Schools’ program (ballforallschools.usarugby.org) launched in early August and over 500 schools have taken part all over the United States.

The USA Eagles’ Rugby World Cup players Eric Fry, Kevin Swiryn, Colin Hawley, Mate Moeakiola, Inaki Basauri, Nic Johnson, and Blaine Scully even used their considerable acting abilities to help promote Rookie Rugby and the Ball for All Schools programs.

The award comes at an exciting time for USA Rugby as the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2011 Pan-American Games have created a significant amount of interest in the game, rapidly increasing its exposure in the United States.

Who is your international 'Player of the Year'?

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:10:00 +0000

New Zealand sports and entertainment stars will join the greats of the Game for an evening of celebration and reflection of a compelling year of Rugby at the IRB Awards in association with Emirates Airline on October 24 at Vector Arena in Auckland. This will be a huge event and will effectively bring down the curtain on the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The star-studded 2011 ceremony will see fans able to share in the celebrations for the first time and will recognise the outstanding achievers and contributors to the Game in 2011 as well as look back at what is shaping up to be an exceptional seventh chapter of the Rugby World Cup story.

Hayley Westenra, one of New Zealand's most recognisable stars and the world's biggest selling soprano, will perform at the IRB Awards, which will provide the first opportunity to mingle with the newly crowned world champions.

SKY Sports presenters Tony Johnson and former All Blacks second row Ian Jones will host the ceremony with 12 IRB Awards to be presented on the night, the most prestigious being the IRB Player, Coach and Team of the Year accolades.

The IRB Player of the Year Award is selected by the IRB Awards independent panel of judges, comprising former internationals with over 500 Test caps between them.

Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Raphaël Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustín Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Tana Umaga, Paul Wallace and convenor John Eales have been awarding points to the three players they consider stood out in Rugby World Cup 2011, Six Nations and Tri Nations matches amongst others. They will continue to vote during the knockout stages of Rugby World Cup 2011.

My vote for the IRB Player of the Year goes to.....Piri Weepu.

Had you asked me that question 7 weeks ago, I would have answered Dan Carter, but Carter's injury threw the All Blacks into turmoil and one man more than any other stepped forward, Piri Weepu. When I was in Wellington with the Eagles, I met up with All Black scrum half, Dave Loveridge. At that time Weepu was not the starting halfback, although we both agreed that he should be. Well cometh the hour, cometh the man..Piri Weepu has had a wonderful World Cup. Let me know who you think should be the Player of the Year?

International Rugby Board Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “The IRB Awards 2011 in association with Emirates Airline will provide a fitting finale to a year that has seen compelling action on the field and exceptional feats by those who embody Rugby’s values of respect, teamwork and fair play.”

“The glittering event will also bring down the curtain on an exceptional Rugby World Cup that has captured the hearts and minds of New Zealanders and delivered thrilling moments that will live long in the memories of those who experienced the magic in New Zealand and watching from afar.”

Nine other Awards will also be presented on the night, including the IRB Sevens Player of the Year in association with HSBC and IRB Junior Player of the Year for which the nominees have already been revealed following the completion of the HSBC Sevens World Series and IRB Junior World Championship.

The other Awards to be presented are the IRB Women’s Personality of the Year, IRB Development Award, IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service in association with Emirates Airline, Spirit of Rugby Award, the Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service, the IRPA Special Merit Award and the IRPA Try of the Year.

The evening will also see the latest inductions into the IRB Hall of Fame, under the theme of Rugby World Cup founders, visionaries and iconic figures

New Zealand get there - just!

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:28:00 +0000

I have been saying for some weeks that France still have a big game in them, and of course, they held it back until the final of the World Cup, and confirmed that they have no idea when they are going to play well, but they are always very very good rugby players. When France become a sum of their individual parts they are dynamic, physical and just awesome to watch - fortunately for the Rugby World Cup, they delivered on the biggest stage of all - and in doing so, made New Zealand grind out a win that they needed so badly.

I have always enjoyed listening to the debate on North v South Hemisphere rugby, and I think the final last night confirmed that if you want to be World Champions, you have to win no matter what you face, you have to be real students of the game and you have to find a way to win, on the days when things aren't going as planned. New Zealand failed to progress at the last two World Cups because they only had a plan 'A', last night they were more comfortable when it came to closing out the game, grinding out the win and realizing what it takes to win a World Cup final - that could be bad news for the rest of World Rugby (the All Blacks have worked out how to win World Cups).

Congratulations to Richie McCaw, Graham Henry, Steve Hanson and Wayne Smith, they have had to deal with more pressure than any other competing team. Steve Tew (CEO) and his Board made a tough call between Robbie Deans and Graham Henry at the last World Cup, they have delivered a memorable World Class event and should receive plenty of accolades for the roles they have played in delivering the Rugby World Cup to the rugby mad New Zealand public.

Time will stand still in New Zealand for the next few weeks as they savour the spoils of victory, France will return home as heroes (for doing what French teams do at World Cups), Wales will wish they had kicked those vital points in the semi final and the gloves will come off in England and the real fight for power will begin. At the next World Cup we will see a new South Africa and Ireland, iconic figures like Matfield, O'Driscoll and many others are unlikely to be seen again on the World stage. Its a shame that some of the top players make such a quiet exit when their team leave the World Cup. Their service to the game should never be forgotten, for the joy they have brought to millions of fans across the World and for the part they have played in taking the game to new levels - they should all be congratulated.

Over all, a fantastic tournament once again and we are all looking forward to England 2015...

Why Are New Zealand So Good At Rugby?

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:35:00 +0000

Here's a great article by Tom Fordice about New Zealand rugby and the development process. I completely endorse Tom's comments, players are developed over time, hours and hours of practice, just like every other sport. The point being, that getting young players involved in the game as early as we possibly can is a key part of developing rugby players in the future. Yes, it takes time, players need to learn the basics of the game, pick up the ball, run with it, evade and learn the basics, then anything is possible!

Click HERE for the full story...

Pan Am Games Rugby In The Washington Post

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:15:00 +0000

Some Pan American Games are looking ahead to the 2012 London Olympics, others to Rio in 2016
By Associated Press

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Plenty of athletes will be competing at this year’s Pan American Games with an eye on the 2012 London Olympics, while others are even looking ahead to the 2016 Rio Games.

The Pan Am Games, which opened Friday night, bring together athletes from 42 nations across the Americas to compete in sports such as swimming, track, cycling and gymnastics. But there are other sports less familiar to many, including rugby sevens.

The smaller, faster version of 15-a-side rugby union is making its debut at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, and the sport will make its Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro.

The United States is the defending Olympic champion in rugby. The Americans won the gold medal in the larger version of the sport at the 1924 Paris Games, the last time rugby was on the Olympic program.

“A gold medal is the epitome of sport. That’s what we strive for,” U.S. rugby sevens player Mark Bokhoven said Friday. “For the next five years, our goal is going to be to get better and compete for a gold medal in 2016.”

Rugby sevens gained its inclusion for the 2016 Games after an International Olympic Committee vote in 2009. Golf also was added. But the sports that missed out at that session will still be contested in Guadalajara, including baseball, softball, squash, roller sports and karate.

“(Squash) should be an Olympic sport,” Colombian player Miguel Angel Rodriguez said. “One of the problems is that it is an elitist sport. They should imitate tennis and create public courts so people can feel attracted to it.”

Other non-Olympic sports at the Pan Am Games include water skiing, bowling, racquetball and pelota.

In the more traditional sports, the Pan American Games will be used by many as a chance to qualify for the London Olympics. Water polo, field hockey, team handball and shooting are some of the events that will have more than just a medal on the line.

“Our goal is to play as best as we can, not only up to our ability, but also beyond our ability,” U.S. men’s handball coach Darrick Heath said. “We are playing with the idea that we are here to qualify for the Olympics.”

Although many of the top Americans skip the Pan American Games — in many cases because of their own sport’s world championships — there are more than 80 Olympians on the United States squad.

“The challenge for us is to continue to move forward with sports where we are maybe a little bit weaker or we really need to qualify for the (London) Games,” said Alan Ashley, the chief of sport performance for the United States Olympic Committee. “And to continue to use this as a really good opportunity for our best athletes who are coming through the pipeline, as an example, to compete in a multi-sport big international competition.

“We don’t have many opportunities like that in some cases.”

The first day of the games will feature 11 medal events, including five in the swimming pool. The track and field competition doesn’t start until the second week.

Tui Beer Commercial - thought you would like this!

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:55:00 +0000

Rugby In The New York Times

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel Melville) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:17:00 +0000

One of the most respected sports journalists George Vescey writing in today's New York Times paints an interesting picture of the Rugby World Cup, and his love of rugby...thanks George once again for helping us raise the profile of the game in the USA.

Click HERE to read the full story