Rugby Information

Recent posts on rugby at CyberBears and elsewhere contain some incorrect information.

Some facts:

1.Rugby has the second largest number of participants world wide of any organized sport.

2.About 1,500 rugby clubs exist in the United States, including about 680 college men's and women's clubs. In addition to college clubs, other levels of competition include master's, men's, women's, high school and youth clubs.

3.Crew and rugby, sanctioned by the IRA and USARugby, respectively, are the oldest college athletic programs. The NCAA was a more recent creation.

4.Rugby is organized into 7 Territorial Unions (U.S.) consisting of 33 Local Area Unions. Colleges are divided into 4 divisions: University Divisions I and II and College Divisions I and II. This is somewhat similar to the NCAA football divisions (IA, IAA, II, III). Cal plays in the Men's Collegiate Division I of the Northern California Rugby Football Union (Local Area Union) in the Pacific Coast Rugby Football Union (Territory 6).

5.There are no scholarships in college rugby. Some rugby sides have varsity status, others club status.

6.The Stanford rugby web site omits the Cal game in their season schedule every year. The Stanford coach has previously voiced his displeasure of playing Cal. That Stanford can not compete against Cal or other Division I clubs is difficult to believe. Stanford advanced to the Final 4 in 1996, 1997, and 1998 finishing 3rd, 4th and 2nd, respectively.

7. Playoffs between Local Area Unions are complete, and the field of Sweet Sixteen has been determined. Top seeds, like Cal, do not participate in the playoffs but move directly to the Sweet 16. The winners advance to the Final Four.

8.The lack of interest in rugby is due to the venue and lack of media coverage. Whitter Field holds approximatly 600. For the Final Four in 1996 and 1997, temporary stands increased capacity to 3,000. San Francisco's Boxer Stadium, the site of the Final Four in 1998 and 1999, holds about 6,000. The Scrum Axe in the '30's would draw 30,000, matches in the '50's about 15,00 and Notre Dame in the '70's 25,000. The matches were moved out of Memorial Stadium when the artificial surface was installed. The field is not a regulation pitch.

Posted by ggilardi