Rugby PickEm

Bt, Uncle Johnny, TommyNoPiks & the Rugby PickEm Crew

Talkin' Rugby, Tellin' Stories, Rugby PickEm

  1. Ten Dumb Questions - MLR 2025

    02/18/2025

    Ten Dumb Questions - MLR 2025

    We've covered the MLR since its inception in 2018. Written all types of articles, in-person match reports and the occasional player interview.... but the focus this year will be asking questions.... After all, asking questions, makes for good dialogue. Carl Sagan said “There is no such thing as a dumb question”. Sagan believed that every question is a way to better understand the world, and that asking questions is important. We're on a mission to find 10 "dumb" questions about Major League Rugby, and peel back the onion a bit. Let's dive into the 2025 season... Can Anthem make the playoffs in year 2? Does 8 out of 11 teams advancing to the playoffs diminish the regular season? Is a New England 3-peat a realistic goal for new(ish) coach Ryan Martin? Is the ESPN+ broadcasting rights a good move for the league? What's the International / Domestic split between the MLR fans? Is S.D. Legion's move from Snap Dragon Stadium to Torero Stadium a good move or a regression? Who's the baddest dude in the MLR? Will there be a revival of both the New York & Toronto franchises in the coming years leading up to 2031 RWC? Are the new MLR scrum laws good for the growth of the game? Who will win the MLR shield in 2025? HARPO'S Spreadz: (Winners in BOLD) For context, HARPO was our first "boots on the group" reporter when we started in 2018. He hates technology, and loves to spend his summer's away from crowds in his "alone zone" ... but he always sends us his week to week spreadz and winners. Old Glory D.C. +6.5 @ Miami Sharks -6.5 Anthem Rugby Club +17.5 @ NOLA Gold -17.5 Chicago Hounds +8.5 @ Houston SaberCats -8.5 New England Freejacks -22.5 @ L.A. RFC +22.5 Seattle Seawolves +3.5 @ San Diego Legion -3.5 PICKEM! Posted by Rug

    22 min
  2. College Rugby at its Finest (ft. John Fitzpatrick of Rugby Morning)

    04/28/2024

    College Rugby at its Finest (ft. John Fitzpatrick of Rugby Morning)

    The 2024 CRC's did not disappoint. A uniquely American tournament format featured a "win and advance" style of bracket, and the excitement that came with the high stakes was exhilarating. Premier Division - 1st Place: Wheeling Back in January, Aaron Juma and Joe Iye led the Great Lakes NCR all star team to a cup final in Round Rock Texas. The two players dominance continued this weekend as Wheeling blew through their Saturday & Sunday competition. Juma is ready for the next level, and should be considered for a PR 7's contract this summer. With 10 players from Zimbabwe and South Africa coach Michael Geibel shows he can recruit internationals aplenty, fielding an extremely competitive collegiate side. Will the college game ever have a cap on internationals? For now it comes down to how many scholarships you have and how hard you're willing to recruit. 2nd Place: Kutztown At just 5'7", 155lbs, Chris Cleland is once again in dominant form. Last year's tournament MVP for Mount St. Mary's is now suiting up for the Kutztown Bears and showing size doesn't really matter in 7's. The flyer is excellent at stretching defenses in open space, just gassing teams off scrum set piece. Would winning back to back championships with two different schools be a first for the new age "transfer portal" collegiate era? Kutztown fielded a team with an English / American blend. Four players from England and one from Scotland mix with American recruits from Pennsylvania and Georgia. The Kutztown program has been elite for the better part of a decade and won the entire tournament in 2022. 3rd Place: Babson First of, let's just take a step back and realize that Babson (a small college) moved from the small college division ALL THE WAY up to the Premier bracket. That's a massive leap in competition, but they never flinched and clearly belong with the top competition. Brice Muller stands out at 6'6" 230 lbs, the Fairfield Prep grad has had as big of an impact on a program that a freshman can provide. A pivotal part of Babson's small college XV's championship, he can do it all. Run, pass, tackle, lineout ... he's a jack of all trades and will surely be a force for Babson in his next 3 years. 4th Place: ICCC Dubbed "The United States of Iowa Central" for the weekend, coaches Brent Nelson and Joe Lippert have built a mid-west monster in Fort Dodge Iowa. The Tritons have gotten better year after year and the program's success shows that you don't need a large group of alumni boosters to build a successful program. The majority of their scoring was done by Hlanga Mbela who was carving up defenses throughout the weekend. Noah Champion & Koen Webb created an impact running hard and straight earning the front foot in attack, while the skipper Matt Surles-Davis was ice cold in defense as he chopped down large ball runners all weekend . Division 1 - Louisville blanks North Carolina State 29-0 Division 2 - Maine stuns Georgetown at the death 19-15 Small College - Slippery Rock beats St. Thomas 19-12 In the end, it was an exhilarating Friday and Saturday for the tournament. The women round out the championship rounds on Sunday and hopefully the event will be just as spectacular next year. Special thanks for John Fitzpatrick of Rugby Morning for hopping on the show. PICKEM!

    28 min
5
out of 5
32 Ratings

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Talkin' Rugby, Tellin' Stories, Rugby PickEm