6:50 they're staying on the ground, it just wouldn't make sense in monetary vale nor logistics to keep going back and forward, never mind the craping of the travel. just like when the irish teams go to South Africa for a few games, they stay there and just like every other team stays in South Africa when playing a few games. 11:40 it was in 1920 not 1922 where the Black and Tans, Auxiliaries shot and killed players and fans at a Dublin v Tipperary Gaelic football game.
Thanks for the corrections on the date in the 1920s... As per the costs, as Mike Friday pointed out, lodgings, per diem and food for 50 people is expensive. Flying home and back is likely cheaper... The other question is if they are flying coach? Is Etzebeth cramming into a coach seat?
England sold the whole of the 1st tranche of of 55,000 ticket for the opening game and the final of the 2025 World Cup, in one day. Waiting for the second tranche.
@@SmcdMcd-d2k I was correcting the statement that England had sold 45k tickets. And the comment wasn't in reference to a club game it was in reference to the WXV international tournament that is taking place in Canada.
sean everitt is one of the worst coaches out there. what ever possessed edinburgh to employ him?! i dont think he's ever been successful with any of the teams he's coached? (maybe overseas, but certainly not in south africa [edit] that i know of)
@@RugbyWrapUp , i have no idea. all i can tell you, from what ive seen of him over the years in sa, is that he has *not* been impressive...like, at. all. im pretty sure that if edinbrugh fails (not play up to their potential with the caliber of personnel they have) again this season, itll probably be tickets for him. (and in all honesty, i was a little shocked when i saw he was the new coach of edinburgh.)
The Sharks squad stayed in the NH. They flew in Jayden Hendrikse last week when he became available. They view it as a mini tour and it is typical for the URC. Ulster flew into Johannesburg for the Lions match , then flew to Cape Town for their training, and flew back up to Pretoria for the Bulls match. This is a little unusual.
@@RugbyWrapUpI actually was on a budget airline flight ( SafAir) last year. The entire Boks team was on that flight. I really don't know how they fitted in those small seats. Lucky it as a 50 minute flight. 😂🇿🇦
It will never happen if still trying to get record attendances in a neutral site. MLS realize that problem and then they started to have the Final Championships played at a team’s home stadium that tops the league’s ladder. If you wanted it in a neutral site, then try to get every rugby fan in America to buy tickets for every year’s MLR Final Championships, to support the sport and the winner. Filled those neutral stadiums up (it will look better on TV).
This is a small league with small fan bases. Fans need a destination city so that they aren't paying top airfares or top hotel prices because they book at the last minute. That was an epic mistake for the World Rugby 7s in San Fran in 2018. USA Rugby didn't negotiate hotel prices BEFORE they announced the venue. That meant the hotels didn't offer discounts and USAR took a $2.5 million loss on a sold-out event, as they had to foot the bill for all the teams coming in... Further, the venue can hold you over a barrel for the last-minute cost. For instance, it cost Rugby New York 75K for just one section open at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ to host the final vs Seattle. The only out-of-town fans were the loyalist of loyal Seattle fans, and the venue wasn't determined until the Tuesday before the match. Ask Seawolves fans about the prices they had to deal with... Finally, what's one of the biggest events in professional sports? The Super Bowl. That's a destination event.
I think the Pumas could be contenders for the 2027 Rugby World Cup should they keep this form up. If they're able to beat the world champions and probably one of the best teams we've seen in rugby in 20 years in South Africa, on a good day they can beat anyone.
College rugby is divided because of two reasons. Historic divisions created years ago. Does Cal football still park on Witter, I wonder ? And poor organizational models that collect fees without concern for the future of the sport. Always been that way and it’s always a subject for talk. Yadda
The landscape has changed dramatically in the last 2 years. Those historic divisions are not nearly as wide, the MLR owners and new USA Rugby CEO (former MLR Deputy Commissioner) all understand the importance of one college umbrella. CRAA and NCR are the two main players and a merger will happen.
@@RugbyWrapUp so what if they do ? Everyone plays in the fall ? I doubt that. USARugby has no credibility with anyone & colleges realize now that they have no real jurisdiction over them. The problem is unsolvable without leverage & who’s got that ? Good Luck to them
@@MrOliverwoods They will play 15s in the fall and 7s in the spring... USA Rugby's credibility can't get any worse and now has the aforementioned MLR interest to help it improve and build back trust... The one umbrella will make for single championships, both male and female, in 7s and 15s. It will allow for a true March Madness comp. That alone makes the product more attractive for sponsors and coverage. That is leverage.
Luke Carty - 26, definitely in the pool for 2027. MacGinty - pool for 2027. Also there is a cap on affiliated employment, so you CAN'T make him a player coach and give him an unlimited amount of money.
There are ways around paying a MacGinty type player more outside of the cap, but what is the cap on a player coach? We've been told there is no cap on coaches.
@@RugbyWrapUp no, there is a cap on everything. You know this though haha. Now as far as ways around things, all those ways are in violation of the rules and DC don't play like that.
That NFL player you referenced, had it backwards. American football should call a touchdown a try. They don’t have to touch the ball down and they get to try the conversion kick. In rugby, touchdown makes more sense because you have to touch the ball down.
THE USA EAGLES PLAYING IN THE PACFIC NATIONS CUP IS A GOOD THANG THEY NEED SOME YOUNG PLAYERS GOING THROUGH AND NEED TO PLAY AGAINST MORE TIER 1 NATIONS LIKE TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND AUSTRALIA SOUTH AFRICA ARGENTINA AND PLAY AGAINST THE ANZACS 15 S AND THE BRISTISH AND IRISH LIONS FOR ONE SEASON AND PLAY AGAINST THE SIX NATIONS TEAMS AND MORE AND PLAY AGAINST TEAMS LIKE THE PACFIC 15 ASIDES THE MORE TESTS THE BETTER THEY GET USA CAN HAVE TOP AND YOUNG US PLAYERS PLAYING IN PRO LEAGUE S AROUND THE WORLD AND AT HOME IN THE MLR TOO THEN ALL CAN PLAY FOR THE USA EAGLES HOME BASED US PLAYERS FROM THE MLR GET PICKED FIRST THEN OVERSEAS BASED US PLAYERS GET PICKED SECONDLY
just wanted to say that turnout to the USA v Canada match was absolutely disgraceful. How you guys have been awarded a RWC tournament is beyond me?? what was that?
SIMPLE: YOUR PRESENTATION SUCXX. YOU FAIL TO MENTION THE USA WOMENS WINNING BRONZE MATCH WAS THE GREATEST VICTORY IN WOMENS SPORT HISTORY. INSANE YOU ARE.
Notre Dame College is not Walsh University. Completely separate entities, NDC went bankrupt. Jason Fox got Walsh to admit both rugby teams in full and start a program from scratch. A bit different!
That's a pretty damn small Blue Claw you've got there. Hopefully you threw that one back. Going after oysters next month? Interesting discussion on quotas there. Good things were talked about but, unfortunately, no solid number was given. Surely there has to be a number, no matter how 'small or large' that can be agreed upon. What? No mention of Ilona Maher's getting the cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition?
The MLR probably could do a 7s mini-tournament like they used to do in the Premiership, it would be a gamble but the success of the US teams in the Olympics could be a launchpad for American 7s, however, let's not forget that in countries who have a lot of sporting interests like the US and Europe, it can be tricky to break through into the big time, especially in the US where you have the NFL, the NBA and the like. In Australia it's a bit more balanced, rugby league's huge in Australia, so is rugby union, and cricket and football, too. It's a big decision but it's one that could be an indicator as to where American rugby will be when the 2031 World Cup happens.
Very disappointing that the MLR Championship Final didn’t have a packed out stadium. No matter if your team didn’t make it to the final, you still need to turn up; in support of Rugby in the U.S. I feel that is why MLR doesn’t get a lucrative TV deal.
To be fair, that's a pretty good sized crowd for a professional league trying to pierce a tough American professional sports market. We just don't have many 10-15K stadiums in this country that would work better.
Star? This is America. You're not going to get a star out of the MLR. They don't play AMERICANS. What use is it to USA Rugby to make a star out of some guy that is from a Super Rugby or 6 Nations country that most probably, when they become a Star will up and leave to play elsewhere? Yes the games are competitive. If you threw all the funny talkers out they would still be competitive. We're not going to get any American stars until the majority of the players on the pitch are Americans. Most of the audience they are looking for have no idea what 'good rugby' even looks like. If the games are competitive the fans will come.
You make a good point about players moving on, and that's certainly a problem. But they DO play Americans and there are are players that can be spotlighted more. We need to develop characters and/or celebrities, even if they might not be stars. And we're guilty in not doing a better job of that. We'll pick it up a notch.
You guys are suddenly wild about 7’s. Jumping on the bandwagon much? I’ll believe 7’s is viewed as anything but an enjoyable Olympic sport when THE HSBC 7’s isn’t played in front of stadiums that are often 2/3rds empty. The publicity was great, Ilona Mahers success at marketing herself is a fun story but a month from now it will all be a memory. 7’s is fun and easy to watch but replicating what happened in Paris, with the story lines like DuPont and Maher and the women winning bronze was a perfect storm of circumstances. Replicating that on a routine basis is an impossibility. 7’s isn’t always great viewing. Suddenly you are all totally sour on the MLR. It’s an enjoyable product that has seen plenty of positives. The better organized teams bring in decent crowds, and not just traditional rugby fans. Had you told me I would being sitting in a little stadium with 4,000 other people to watch rugby in Boston I wouldn’t believe it for a minute. 12 k fans at a neutral site played in the middle of the peak of vacation season is far from a failure. NY playing in front of a home “crowd” of 200 loyal fans at Red Bull - that was a failure. I sat in a bar in Quincy for the final. It was packed. The people around me were all non rugby people who became Freejacks / rugby fans because of the teams presence and outreach to the community. You all seem to have amnesia over what a great RWC took place just last fall. It was amazing. Who wouldn’t want that? Who cares if the U.S. isn’t going to win it (speaking about the men).
The viewership numbers says otherwise. And from a sponsorship stand point, companies throw in where they see he eyes most. Make the money and notority from the Olympics, and transfer to other rugby events. But OLYMPIC rugby is more important for USA rugby growth than RWC, It's not even close
Some great input and thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. Here's our two cents: -Our TRO panelists have varying opinions on all things rugby, so when you lump all together, it's not an accurate depiction. -As for the MLR, it's about the presentation of the product. JBL, Gift, Steve and Matt all like the product on the field. John doesn't see a significant change in that presentation happening, and therefore said it's not a viable venture. Matt thinks there will be change. But all think the rugby itself is solid. There isn't a collective souring by any stretch. If there was, we wouldn't go through what we do to present these shows each week. -As for 7s, again there are different views, so saying the collective has one opinion is simply not accurate. John comes from a sports entertainment juggernaut - the WWE - and gets frustrated by things he sees that could be done better. Gift, Steve and Matt have been in the American rugby space for decades, so their view is completely different. For instance, John and Matt had opposite views on the final in this show. -Nobody forgot about the RWC, which was great. The collective frustration in this case, is how the men's 15s has nose-dived since beating Scotland in 2018, due directly to disastrous leadership from the executive office. John's point about Scotland was more passionate frustration than anything else, as we beat more of Scottish 2nd side then (and it took a missed kick at death to win it), while only Finn Russell and Zander Fagerson were missing from the Scottish lineup this go 'round. Adam Hastings, who had been dealing with injuries, is an excellent #10 in the absence of Russell, while the Scots' front row depth more than made up for Fagerson's absence. In the shows around that match, there were absolutely different opinions re the weekend in D.C.. Keep those comments coming and thanks again for watching.
Fans needs to go out there and buy tickets for the MLR Championship final and sell it out, like for the New Zealand vs Fiji match weeks ago in San Diego.
