Rugby is the fastest growing college sport in the US and one of the fastest growing sports in the nation, and with the number of rugby programs increasing on a yearly basis, the sport is very much on an upward trajectory Stateside.
As the host nation of the Men’s World Cup in 2031 and the Women’s World Cup two years later, rugby is beginning to catch the eye of the American public and emerge from the shadows of other major sports. Team USA’s success in the Paris Olympics – where their women’s 7s team clinched the bronze medal for the first time – has further established rugby in the mainstream media and the United States now boast rugby’s biggest social media star.
Ilona Maher was a key member of that Olympics 7s side and the Quinnipiac University alum has now amassed an incredible 3.9 million followers on Instagram – that’s more than the All Blacks and French superstar Antoine Dupont combined! Her ever-growing profile is attracting more American females to the game, and the college game is set to benefit, having initially established herself on the collegiate scene helping the Quinnipiac Bobats to three national championships.
In the men’s game, the growth of Major League Rugby has also been a contributory factor to the increasing influence of the oval ball game, with 12 franchises now competing in the league, from the San Diego Legion to the Chicago Hounds. An MLR college draft system was introduced in 2020, with 75% players from the overall 2024 draft coming from the country’s leading college rugby programs and being awarded professional playing opportunities.
So, what does this mean for aspiring international rugby players?
The specialist rugby team at FirstPoint USA has worked over 150 different programs across the country, including some of the leading universities in the country. Prestigious Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Brown, Dartmouth and Yale all boast strong rugby programs, combining academic excellence with elite level playing opportunities, while the likes of UCLA, University of South Carolina, Kentucky and Arizona can be found in the upper echelons of the national rugby rankings.
FirstPoint USA’s head of rugby is Jamie Berrisford spent four successful years at Life University in Atlanta, a program currently ranked #3 in the Rugby Hawk rankings where he won two national championships, and the current Watsonians RFC rugby star is a big advocate of making the switch to the States.
“Having played at a good school and club level in Scotland, the first thing that strikes you is the quality of facilities on offer in the States, which were way beyond anything I’d experienced back home. The playing standard are improving year on year and coaches are now recruiting from all of the top rugby playing countries in the world, so the bar is getting higher.”
We have developed a fantastic network of coaches in the men’s and women’s game in recent years and there’s a growing demand for talent, and with the profile of rugby on the rise through the recent Olympic success and upcoming World Cups, it’s a great time to be considering the college pathway route. We’ve placed an impressive roster of players across some top class schools and rugby programs including the likes of Queen's, Lindenwood, Arkansas State and Walsh University, and that’s created more demand from coaches who are looking ahead to their recruitment for the next two years.”
FirstPoint USA is hosting rugby trials at four different locations in England and Ireland in October, and you can book your place now by finding your nearest venue from our schedule.
Monday 21st October – Manchester, The Armitage Centre
Tuesday 22nd October – West Midlands, Stafford RUFC
Tuesday 29th October – Leeds, Bodington Football Hub
Wednesday 30th October – London, Saracens Stone X Stadium
