Six easy ways to improve US Rugby
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by user Alex Holowczak
Rugby Union is a game on the grow in the United States.
There is a domestic league and a growing fan base.
I believe there are some steps it should take to push US Rugby to the next level.
1. Host the Rugby Union World Cup
This would be big. Like USA '94, it would increase the appeal of the game, and make the average American aware of it's existance. That can only help the game. 2007 and 2011 are taken. 2015 is likely to go to Japan, another developing nation. If USA can get 2019 (perhaps more likely if joined with Canada), then that would be a good solution. Chances are though, that 2019 may go to England, or Ireland, or another European country, but 2023 may be in range. It would be good to have a strong team to take to those Championships. Fifteen years will give time for a younger generation to excel.
2. Professionalism
It is still an amateur sport in the States. The more successful international nations have become professional about 20 years ago, and if the States wants to be good, they need to do the same.
3. Season
The season needs to fall inline with the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, and be held from September to April time the year after. If games were held on Saturday afternoons (they would be played weekly), this would avoid clashes with the NFL in Autumn, and after February all attention will be on it. This will draw the masses. Perhaps a Playoff Final wouldn't do any harm either. April makes sure that it doesn't clash with MLB too much - besides, if they were playoffs in April, it may be more interesting than the first few games of a baseball season.
4. TV Coverage
A Saturday afternoon slot would give ESPN (e.g.) something to show on a Saturday. It may even take attention away from the Yankees and Red Sox for a month or so. This would spread the game to the masses.
5. International Competition
Europe has the Six Nations, the Southern Hemisphere has the Tri Nations. The Americas teams could do worse than hold a summer Four Nations Tournament. The four best in the Americas are Canada, United States, Argentina, and Uruguay, and this would help the States on an International Stage. This can be expanded to involve other developing Nations such as Chile. It could even be divided into a North and South America division, with the winner of each playing off for the Americas Cup... Or something like that - the possibilities are endless
6. A good World Cup Run
The Rugby World Cup is tough, in that only eight adavnce from the four groups of five. The Quarter Finals are usually between the three Tri Nations sides, and the teams in the old Five Nations in Europe (i.e. the Six Nations minus Italy). Italy, Argentina, Fiji and Canada are next in the pecking order, so USA will generally be the fourth seeds in a group. This makes advancing in the competition tough as there is such a gulf between each nation in the World Rankings. A flukey run to the Quarter Finals would do US Rugby the world of good.
The top five are what most Six Nations and Tri Nations teams have. If they are the best, and you want to become the best, immitating them is the way to go to get there. US Rugby has improved radically.
A note worth considering - USA have been in every single Rugby Union World Cup since it started in 1987. If they are in the top 16 to 20 that way, there is always a chance they can break out into the elite of the world.
Date
Mon 08/14/06, 8:35 am EST
