Major League Rugby

[Puja]

Great to see they're finishing the end of June this year. MLR needs to work around the international test windows, not in opposition to them.

Puja

[Puja]

Fairly hefty rumours about St Louis entering a team for 2023 with trademarks, patent applications, and Facebook pages being set up for the St Louis Knights. Apparently a fairly central dedicated stadium planned for opening in 2024 as well.

Sounds very promising indeed - a Mid-West side for the league (finally) in a rugby hotspot, with the prospect of a new rugby-specific stadium as well.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Vicious rumours that RUNY are changing their name.

[Puja]

Vicious rumours that RUNY are changing their name.

Incidentally, the "New York Freedom" has dropped out of the pipe dream for a north american rugby league league, so that name's now open for any takers!

RUNY was a pretty terrible name (although everything's relative), but I'm surprised they're changing after trying to make it a thing for several seasons. Wonder if it's one of the new investors that's not taken to it?

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Vicious rumours that RUNY are changing their name.

Incidentally, the "New York Freedom" has dropped out of the pipe dream for a north american rugby league league, so that name's now open for any takers!

RUNY was a pretty terrible name (although everything's relative), but I'm surprised they're changing after trying to make it a thing for several seasons. Wonder if it's one of the new investors that's not taken to it?

Puja

I read/listened to something long enough ago that I can’t be sure I’m remembering correctly but I believe that Kennedy, who was the original main shareholder and driving force, was the man behind the name. The reasoning for it was that NY has a strong club scene (for the US) and the pro team would be top of the pyramid with the end game being local players feeding through the clubs into the pro team and the pro team disseminating $$$$, knowledge etc down to the clubs, ie uniting club rugby in NY.
From what I have read more recently, the club’s work in the community, age grade etc is very good and they are making good on the promises they made to those below them in the pecking order.

[Mellsblue]

Not sure when he signed but I’ve just seen that Will Hooley is now with SD Legion. Robshaw has also extended for another season.

[Puja]

A few worrying signs for the league recently. San Diego have been turfed out of Torero (one of the best stadiums in the league) and are now playing at some shitty 1.5k seater stadium on top of a multi-storey car park and RUNY have yet to even announce where they're playing next year after their peripatetic 2021 (so probably a field somewhere). For the long term viability of the league, it needs to get crowd numbers up - even if the plan is to turn a profit on television money, Yanks won't buy into a league that looks like niche-sport amateur hour.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

RUNY sign Brendan O’Connor. No doubt the England caps he was guaranteed to win on landing at Heathrow helped during salary negotiations. He replaces Hanco Gurmishuys who is off to LA.

[Puja]

RUNY sign Brendan O’Connor. No doubt the England caps he was guaranteed to win on landing at Heathrow helped during salary negotiations. He replaces Hanco Gurmishuys who is off to LA.

Frankly, I think I'd rather have kept Germishuys if I were them. Still, BOC should do well in MLR, and hopefully for the US national side, Germishuys will kick on at LA.

Still no news on RUNY's home ground, less than a month before the start of the season...

Puja

[Mellsblue]

RUNY sign Brendan O’Connor. No doubt the England caps he was guaranteed to win on landing at Heathrow helped during salary negotiations. He replaces Hanco Gurmishuys who is off to LA.

Frankly, I think I'd rather have kept Germishuys if I were them. Still, BOC should do well in MLR, and hopefully for the US national side, Germishuys will kick on at LA.

Still no news on RUNY's home ground, less than a month before the start of the season...

Puja

Agreed.

[Mellsblue]

The meeting to decide a new name was obvs in the Friday 2pm slot.
“Let’s just drop ‘United’ from the name.”
“Great idea.”
“Beers?”
“Beers.”

[Puja]

Well, I'm glad they've got the important stuff sorted out rather than dealing with minor issues like having a home stadium and being able to sell tickets.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

[Puja]

That may actually be the worst ground in the league. Low capacity, metal bleachers, rubbish facilities, permanent and bold gridiron lines, and not even in New York. Terrible.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Tbf, both of the American football franchises are in New Jersey and it’s easier to get to than the original ground at Staten Island but, yeah, it’s not great.

[Puja]

A few worrying signs for the league recently. San Diego have been turfed out of Torero (one of the best stadiums in the league) and are now playing at some shitty 1.5k seater stadium on top of a multi-storey car park and RUNY have yet to even announce where they're playing next year after their peripatetic 2021 (so probably a field somewhere). For the long term viability of the league, it needs to get crowd numbers up - even if the plan is to turn a profit on television money, Yanks won't buy into a league that looks like niche-sport amateur hour.

Puja

Good news on this - San Diego have announced they're moving into Snapdragon stadium in 2023, a brand new 35k multi-purpose stadium that's also hosting football and gridiron. Looks very central and, while it's maybe a bit big for them right now, shows intent to grow. If they can get 10k in there, then it'll be a terrific experience.

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/sports ... 3/2858557/

Puja

[Mellsblue]

They’re obvs expecting a large crowd!

[morepork]

Is that Andy Ellis?

[Mellsblue]

Yep. Second season with NY.

[Mellsblue]

They’re obvs expecting a large crowd!

Genius marketing. They baited over 1000 people to attend.

[Mellsblue]

The Jackals’ coaching team must’ve thought they’d season couldn’t get any worse:
https://www.dallasjackals.com/news/squad-injury-update/

Also some news on the English sick notes.

[Puja]

The Jackals’ coaching team must’ve thought they’d season couldn’t get any worse:
https://www.dallasjackals.com/news/squad-injury-update/

Also some news on the English sick notes.

“First and foremost, we are extremely grateful the injuries to our players, while serious in terms of the impact on their seasons, were not life threatening. Looking at the height of the walkway that collapsed resulting in 9 players falling around 7 feet to the ground, without diminishing the injuries sustained nor the shock to all players involved, the outcome could have been much much worse.”

What the actual fuck happened?!

And, of course Henry Trinder was in the midst and got the worst injury. I wouldn't be surprised if his body teleported him there, sensing that a freak injury was about to occur and that it needed to be a part of it.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

[Mellsblue]

[Puja]

Good grief! I'd heard it mentioned but had assumed that person was on the wind-up! He'll have fun if he's anywhere close to fit.

In other news, it looks like Austin won't be a Gilteam after the end of the season. New (Austin-based) ownership are apparently buying them from Gilchrist who now gets to focus on his favourites in LA.

Puja