USA Rugby announced today that rounds three and four of the inaugural Rugby Gold Cup competition will be streamed live from Dallas on USARugbyTV.com. (Broadcast schedule appears below). You can stay up to date with information on the Gold Cup by liking the event on Facebook at Rugby Gold Cup.
The Dallas rounds of the Gold Cup—a premiership level tournament featuring the top men’s clubs from the Midwest and Red River Competitive Regions (CRs)—will be hosted by the Dallas Rugby Football Club (the Reds) on March 12 and 13, 2016. The matches will be held at Boswell High School Stadium, 5805 W. Bailey Boswell Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76179.
“The Gold Cup is an important strategic growth opportunity for our elite level clubs in the Midwest and Red River CRs,” said USA Rugby Club Department Manager Erik Geib. “Each club has earned the right to compete in additional elite-level matches, while also attempting to qualify for the USA Rugby Division 1 National Championship.”
The intra-season tournament is a USA Rugby sanctioned competition that features the following premiership level clubs:
2015 USA Rugby Division 1 National Championship Runner-up and Red River CR Champion: Austin Blacks Rugby.
2015 Red River CR Runner-Up: Dallas Rugby Football Club (the Reds).
2015 Midwest CR Champion: Kansas City Blues Rugby Club
2015 Midwest CR Runner-Up: Metropolis Rugby Football Club
The previous Gold Cup cross-over matches were pitched battles; all were decided by less than 10 points. The first cross-over round was hosted in November by the Kansas City Blues. On that weekend, the Austin Blacks won both their matches, defeating the Blues 30-26 on Friday, and Metropolis 27-19 in the Sunday match. Dallas split its matches against the Midwest clubs, defeating Metropolis by a point, 25-24, but losing to the Blues in the Sunday match by a score of 24-20.
The league matches have been just as exciting. In the Red River CR, Austin defeated the Reds in Austin by 4 points, 34-30, in a mid-February match up. Similarly, in October, Metropolis defeated the Blues in Kansas City by the score of 33-13. Austin is currently at the top of the table in the Red River, with Dallas in second. Similarly, Metropolis leads the Midwest CR, with the Blues currently in third place coming out of the winter break. The Blues and Metropolis square off again on April 23 in Minneapolis, and the Blacks face the Reds in Dallas on April 30, to close out the clubs’ league seasons and to crown the inaugural Gold Cup Champion.
In the upcoming Dallas rounds, the Reds, Blues and Metropolis will be looking to improve on their one win and two loss records, as all three clubs pursue the Austin Blacks, who sit atop the Gold Cup Competition with three wins and no losses.
The match schedule for the Dallas rounds is:
Saturday, March 12, 2016
11:00am: Austin Rugby Club v. Metropolis Rugby Club (streaming on USARugbyTV.com)
1:00pm: Dallas R.F.C. v. Kansas City Blues R.F.C. (streaming on USARugbyTV.com)
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Sunday, March 13, 2016
11:00am: Dallas R.F.C. v. Metropolis R.F.C. (streaming on USARugbyTV.com)
1:00pm: Austin Rugby Club v. Kansas City Blues R.F.C. (streaming on USARugbyTV.com)
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* All times are USA Central Time. Tune in 10 minutes early for the announcement of rosters and the national anthem. (Note the time will “spring forward” on Saturday night).
Gold Cup Clubs at a Glance:
The information below is based on available background provided by the respective clubs:
Austin Blacks
- Founded: 1967
- Head Coach: Tane Jericevich
- 2014/2015 Competitive Cycle Results: 2015 USA Rugby Division 1 National Championship Runner-up and Red River D1 CR Champion
- Scouting Report: After last year’s bitter sweet season the Blacks are hungrier than ever. Losing so narrowly in the national championship has really motivated them to do one better this year. The Blacks recruited a number of domestic and foreign talent in key positions to field a stronger more competitive side than last year.
- Notable back line members:
- Levi Kereti: New Zealand Schools product, brings invaluable skills and intangibles to the club
- Matt Radzavich: Former collegiate sprinter
- Stephen Jones: fly-half, 6-1, 205lbs, Scotland-A and Newcastle Falcons
- Forwards to watch:
- Ty Terrazone: 2nd row, 6-5/235. 2004 Rugby All-American, 2008-2010 Air Force Mens National Rugby Team Captain.
- Brendan Rams: Hooker, Tighthead Prop, 6-1/273lbs. Captain of 2010 Pumas U/21 Currie Cup
- Eric Reed: 2nd row, 6-8/273lbs. former USA Eagles (8 caps)
- Chris Baumann: tight-head prop, 6-2/269lbs, USA Eagles (9 caps)
- Notable back line members:
Dallas Rugby
- Founded: 1968
- Head Coach: Rhys Ball
- 2014/2015 Competitive Cycle Division Results: 2015 Red River CR Runner-Up and qualified for western CR championships; lost to intra-conference rival, the Austin Blacks, in the Round of 4 by a score of 19-15.
- Scouting Report: The Reds have made great strides in the last 5 years and have refocused on building a strong and sustainable base, both on and off the field. The Reds have filled some key positional needs during the offseason.
- Notable back line members:
- Chris Slater, young, shifty half-back, played with James Bay Athletic Association in Victoria, B.C., in the Canadian Premiership League, and before that, football and rugby at Sam Houston State.
- Blake Boulton, Flyhalf. From Australia, Blake is in his first season with the Reds having previously played for Sydney Shute Shield club Eastern Suburbs for 8 seasons, winning the most valuable player award in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
- Forwards to watch:
- Matt Upton, Prop, very smart and very technical; Dallas Jesuit and University of Oklahoma graduate. Member of D2 National Championship with New Orleans Rugby Football Club.
- Jonny Heron, Lock, a native of Ireland, Jonny has played with Cambria Rugby Football Club in France, the ITM Cup Under 21s training squad in New Zealand, and Balmy Beach Rugby Football Club in the Canadian Premiership League.
- Notable back line members:
Kansas City Blues
- Founded: 1966
- Head Coach: Markus Valovalo
- 2014/2015 Competitive Cycle Results: 2015 Midwest CR D1 Champion, lost to Mystic River Rugby 25-24 in National Quarterfinals
- Scouting Report: The Blues have retained the majority of their roster from last season’s Midwest championship and National Championship qualifier team. The club also welcomed a few new key members and is excited about the development of the younger players in the program.
- Notable back line members:
- Kelly Mercer: Scrumhalf, 5-9/185. Goal-kicker and returning scrumhalf.
- Cody Weber: Centre, 5-10/195. Combination of speed and explosiveness makes him a dangerous matchup.
- Forwards to watch:
- Gannon Moore: Eight, 6-2/223. Moved from backline to the pack in fall ‘14. Set school rushing records as NCAA D2 football player.
- Lloyd Saunders: Flanker, 6-3/210. From Northampton England, Played club rugby in Canterbury NZ before joining the Blues in spring 2013.
- Walt Elder: Flanker, 6-4/240. New to the Blues 15’s side this year. Played collegiately at Kansas State University and in South Africa.
- Notable back line members:
Metropolis Rugby
- Founded: 1992
- Head Coach: Nathan Osborne (USA MNT’s Assistant Coach – Backs and Attack)
- 2014/2015 Competitive Cycle Results: Finished 2nd in the MW, 10-4, 54 league points
- Scouting Report:
- 2015 Midwest CR D1 Championship Runner-Up
- Reached D1 national semifinals in 2014
- Tied 2015 National Champion NYAC 13-13 during spring 2015 match in New York
- Notable back line members:
- Joel Yogerst: Wing, 5-10/225. Ranked #7 fullback in 2012 NFL Draft. Plays with the Negro Y Azul 7’s side.
- Joeli “Jojo” Tikoisuva: Fullback, 6-0/185. Played for Northern California All Stars. Awarded MVP during British Columbia tour.
- Lemoto “Moto” Filikitonga: Center, 6-1/245. High School All American. USA U20 Eagle, member of USA Men’s Selects for the ARC 2014 and South American Tour 2015.
- Forwards to watch:
- Derrek Van Klein: Prop/Hooker, 6-1/235. Three-time Collegiate All-American, three-time U-23 Minnesota Collegiate Selects.
- Nick Barret: Lock/Flanker, 6-4/245. Captain of 2013 USA U20 Eagles, played for Wests Rugby Club in Canberra, Australia.
- Ekapatelisio “Teli” Veamatahau: Flanker, 6-3, High School All-American, two-time U-20 USA Eagle.