USA Rugby keeps fighting

In many ways, USA Rugby’s 45-7 loss to England was indicative of the sport's ongoing struggle to gain traction in America.

At one point in history, the battle for popularity between Rugby and American football was relatively close for a while before football started offering substantial financial incentives and ripped away all the best American plays from the still amateur Rugby scene. Football exploded into America’s game whilst Rugby was left in the dust in much the way England stormed off to a 45-0 lead.

Yet for whatever reason, just like John Quill thumping Owen Farrell in the dying embers of the game and earning himself the tournament’s first red card in the process, Rugby in the US refused to go away quietly. Small but passionate pockets of the country kept the game alive and refused to let rugby die.

Since then, these pockets have slowly grown the sport to a point where Major League Rugby, the country’s first professional Rugby league, had their inaugural season in 2018. While it may be a long way from the popular Rugby leagues of Europe, a professional league is a vital step if the USA are going to be competitive given that they are up against nations like England who have been professional in 1997.

"The growth I've seen within the team since that last World Cup has been huge," said USA second-row Greg Patterson.

"The MLR (Major League Rugby) has done an incredible job. From what used to be a bit of rag-tag club rugby here and there, with a competition that was all over the shop, it's now pooling some of the best players in the States into those teams.”

USA Rugby also boasts a booming sevens scene with the team charging up the ranks and finishing 2ndin last year's Rugby World Sevens series, just another reason for hope for the future for USA Rugby.

While Rugby is never going to be the biggest sport in the USA, there is definite progress being made. There are passionate fans, passionate players and refusal to be dismissed by bigger sports or bigger teams. As Bryce Campbell finally crossed the try-line in the final moments of the game, USA Rugby once again made the statement that while they are definitely still underdogs, they won’t stop fighting.