U.S. Rugby has opportunity to build off game with All Blacks
CHICAGO, Ill.– The All Blacks came to Chicago and defeated the U.S.A Eagles 74-6. It doesn't take years of playing rugby to see what a lopsided result this was. The world champions from New Zealand owned every aspect of the game.
But 74-6 isn't the only number that mattered in Saturday's test game at Soldier Field. Considering that rugby is New Zealand's national sport, this result wasn't unexpected. It's not unlike when the U.S. men's basketball team easily beat New Zealand in the FIBA World Cup.
No, the number that's more important is 61,500. That's the number of people who filled Soldier Field on Saturday, chanting "U-S-A" for a sport that doesn't get much national exposure but will be part of the Olympics in 2016.
With a light shining on USA Rugby, the sport has an opportunity to grow in the United States.
U.S. captain Todd Clever has played for the Eagles for 12 seasons, while also playing overseas for Japanese league teams. He wants to see more opportunities in the U.S. for the best rugby players.
"That's a huge wave -- selling out Soldier Field, prime time television, playing against world champions. The question is what are we going to do about it. More sponsorships coming to the game, set up a professional league, get more guys training full-time and feeding into the national team," Clever said.
With so many American players playing overseas, the Eagles didn't have much time to train for their game against the All Blacks.
"It was tough getting everybody together from all parts of the globe. We had five training sessions together before playing the world champs," Clever said.
Steve Hansen, the All Blacks head coach, said he believes a youth movement is helping to popularize the game in the U.S.
"I think rugby's already turned the corner. There's a lot of people a lot younger than me keen on the game," Hansen said.
It's not just a stadium full of fans, young and old, and sponsors that can make a difference in the growth of rugby in the United States. Rugby being part of the Olympics will push the sport in front of millions of Americans who tune into the Olympics every four years.
The game they will see is rugby sevens, a faster-paced version of the game with fewer players. It's also not as physical, which allows for a tournament to happen within the 16 days of the Olympics. Rugby games with 15 players per side, like Saturday's game between U.S. and New Zealand, usually require at least a week for players to recover.
All Blacks' player Beauden Barrett plays sevens and believes the game will grow because of its place in the Olympics.
"Especially, now being in the USA, rugby awareness has grown a lot. The growth of the sport is just huge. Even though its sevens, it's still rugby. It's still a start. It's great for the development of the game," Barrett said.
Regardless of what the U.S. does to grow the sport after Saturday's game, seeing more than 60,000 fans screaming for rugby will be a special moment for Clever.
"I never thought, in my playing career, we'd get sell out Soldier Field playing the All Blacks. I'll take that memory for my lifetime," Clever said.