World Sport News

First it is necessary to bend the shot to an old urban legend which suggests that rugby is a sport alien in the United States. This overlooks the fact that the United States were Olympic champions in 1920 and 1924, followed by France, the only two times when rugby was an Olympic sport. Moreover, in the 20's rugby was very popular in the land of Uncle Sam, before slowly declining and be supplanted by the American football. Today, despite a professional league, it is essentially a university sport. And lack of structure makes it very difficult to play after completing his studies.

The poor relation of American football

about rugby in the United States, no such thing as … the French. Expatriates are more likely to show the reality of the sport in the United States. And regardless of the speaker, they are the same feelings coming back. “A championship level of our Federal 3″, “A university sport where the challenge is to find other teams to play,” “There are a lot of disappointed American football.” Indeed, football is never far away when it comes to rugby on the other side of the Atlantic. While the sport in our car a fairly violent, the opposite is true in the United States where rugby and lack of protection attracts the most macho of football US recalibrated. Hence the urgent need to refocus quickly and to teach them that it is not with the head plate which is a player. The tactic is a major project since the American football is very segmented and where players follow strict instructions from the coach about playing time short. The notion of continuity in the game is something he must learn to new practitioners.

A league that is still looking

On a more formal view, the American Federation (United States Rugby) was founded in 1975 and joined the IRB in 1987. It has just over 81,000 licensees. The championship, named Rugby Super League, was established in 1997 and currently has eleven clubs divided into two conferences. But its formula has not been definitively established and has already seen many avatars since its inception. With five appearances at the World Cup (there in 1995 that the United States does not qualify), the Eagles are regulars in the competition. From there to see them come out of chickens … Even the presence of Todd Clever, third-line having played in the Super 14 with the Golden Lions after going through the chain of rugby 7s, or supersonic Biarrot Takudzwa Ngwenya, should not allow a miracle.

             LAGACHERIE Bertrand