by Laura Lieff
Glendale is forming the biggest, fastest and most athletic rugby team in the world. The question is whether the team will be able to win rugby games. Glendale has had men’s, women’s, and kids’ rugby teams for almost a fifth of a century and its teams have won various national championships. In 2017 it formed a professional men’s team and was one of the founders of Major League Rugby but dropped out last year when the leadership switched over its emphasis to foreign born players over Americans.
Super Athlete: NFL Combine sensation and social media star Terron Beckham is one of many star athletes that will be playing on the mega rugby team to take on the world’s best teams.
For many years, a goal of the rugby union has been for America to be able to field a highly competitive team that could take on the top teams in the world in the quadrennial Rugby World Cup, and thereby open up rugby to the enormous American market. The international governing body for rugby union, now named World Rugby, contributed millions of dollars to the American governing body USA Rugby to produce such a team which has proven to be an unmitigated disaster. USA Rugby went into bankruptcy and the American team, called the Eagles, was so pitiful at the last World Cup that it tied for last among the 32 national teams. The Eagles did not win a single game, losing to the likes of the national team for Tonga. That island nation has a population of a little over 100,000 which is one tenth of the population of Rhode Island.
That was the last straw for Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon who played rugby in the Caribbean after briefly playing professional football with the Denver Broncos. He decided to form an all-American team with players who were in the XFL, CFL or NFL, or were top athletes in other sports, who bring the size, strength, and speed to potentially play rugby at a high level.
But will it work? Can you take great American athletes who have never played rugby and turn them into a team that can take on the very best at the sport whose players have played rugby almost their entire lives? It is the ultimate “nature versus nurture” battle in sports.
International Criticism
Many in the international rugby world think that Glendale and Dunafon are crazy and that is being kind. They believe that the only way to rugby excellence is through youth programs which is the way it is done in the rest of the world. Unsurprisingly, the new Glendale program has received far more press attention overseas than in America. One of Britain’s largest newspapers, The Guardian, has written extensively on Glendale rugby.
The comment sections on international coverage say it all. Referring to a longtime New Zealand-born rugby coach, one commentator said: “Andrew Douglas is absolutely correct in saying [American] football players make sh*t rugby players.” Another commentator declared, “Teaching a dude rugby at age 25 is sheer stupidity.”
Another critic opined, “This [Glendale] way of thinking just blows me away. It is such an arrogant statement to think that America has such great athletic prowess that is can overcome their inherent lack of rugby IQ. Another believes that not only would Glendale be crushed by the New Zealand national team (called the All Blacks) but any of its better amateur teams would win ‘by 100 points.’”
But Dunafon does not care about the criticism. He stated: “It is highly unlikely that rugby is going to be able to supplant football and soccer in our schools anytime in the near future. The youth program approach has resulted in America being crushed by tiny nations like Tonga in the World Cup. We are going to try a different approach as the traditional method has not generated any success. We will just have to find out whether taking the road less traveled by, can make all the difference.”
Scouting And Recruitment
Practice Underway In Glendale: From left to right, Leonard Sagapolutele, Gelen Robinson, and Chase Stehling are practicing their front row technique.
Glendale’s scouting and recruiting efforts have been impressive. Glendale’s Director of Rugby Mark Bullock and his staff have reviewed over 4,000 athletes across the country and 30 were vetted and invited to November tryout.
“We’re recruiting highly articulate, motivated, intelligent athletes,” Bullock adds. “The mix that creates success is a dedication to the purpose of the team, combined with athleticism. I’ve been pleasantly surprised, thrilled actually, with the caliber of people we’ve recruited so far.”
At this point, 29 players have contracts and Glendale is looking for a total of 40. According to City Manager Linda Cassaday, recruiting will continue until that number is reached.
“We wanted to train these athletes in a full-time training environment and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” explains Cassaday. “Making rugby their full-time job is going to positively impact the players’ ability to learn and play the sport. Not everyone will be successful but we’re hoping that most of them will be.”
Funding
Tall Glass Of Water: Vincent Boumann has played professional basketball around the world and will play lock for the XOs.
The City is funding the estimated $3 million annual cost of the project and seeking sponsors. Players are paid $1,500 a month, are living rent-free in two-bedroom apartments, and are being provided three meals a day and insurance coverage.
“No one has ever done this before,” says Cassaday. “Other organizations can keep doing what they’ve always been doing which is training youth and then continuing that training through high school and college. We’ve chosen a different pathway and are excited about it. This program is part of our economic development plan. It puts Glendale on the map and brings visitors in to enjoy all the bars, restaurants, hotels, and retail we have to offer.”
Players Under Contract
Players who have made the team and signed contracts include:
Vincent Boumann: a 6’9”, 265-pound basketball player who was a center for Western Oregon University and who has spent the last several years playing professional basketball around the world.
College Star: 6’4” 285 pound Casey McDermont-Vai is joining the Glendale team after starring as a tight end at Texas Christian University and playing for the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL.
Gelen Robinson: a 6’1”, 285-pound defensive tackle from Purdue University’s football team, who also played in the Canadian Football League.
Gelen Robinson: a 6’1”, 285-pound defensive tackle from Purdue University’s football team, who also played in the Canadian Football League.
Taniela Tupou: a 6’2”, 295-pound former NFL and University of Washington player.
Casey McDermott-Vai: a 6’4”, 285-pound former Texas Christian University tight end who had a short stint in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks.
DJ Stewart: a 6’2”, 225-pound athlete whose background includes both football and bobsledding for Olympic Team USA.
Terron Beckham: a cousin of Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who ran a 4.47 second, 40-yard dash and had a 47-inch vertical jump at the NFL combine. Beckham has 529,000 followers on Instagram.
Glendale is continuing to bring recruits in for evaluation and hopes to have Brock Lutes in for an evaluation this week. The 6’4”, 215-pound former college point guard recently tried out for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.
Looking Ahead
While the RugbyTown Crossover Academy is a new experiment, the caliber of players is garnering attention. According to Team Manager Peter Pasque, the Colorado XO (named for crossover) players are as big and fast as some NFL teams.
Pending Covid-19 restrictions, the first Glendale XO home game is scheduled for Saturday, April 3 at Infinity Park. Although no fans will be allowed to attend due to the pandemic, the game will be streamed live.
Whether Glendale can pull off teaching former basketball, football, baseball, and track stars how to play rugby remains to be seen. But if the video on the Crossover Academy website is any indication, these athletes are focused, fast, strong, and ready to play.
For more information visit www.crossoveracademy.infinityparkatglendale.com.