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Un nouveau club va intégrer la Major League Rugby (MLR) dès le début de cette saison 2024.
USA Rugby, Major League Rugby (MLR) et World Rugby ont annoncé officiellement ce vendredi 19 janvier un partenariat stratégique visant à lancer un nouveau club à Charlotte, en Caroline du Nord, nommé Anthem Rugby Carolina (RC). L’American Legion Memorial Stadium lui servira de base pour les jours de match.
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Ce partenariat sans précédent entre les instances dirigeantes du rugby mondial et américain, ainsi que la première ligue professionnelle de rugby d’Amérique du Nord, représente un investissement et une collaboration significatifs dans la croissance et le développement du rugby aux États-Unis, futurs hôtes des Coupes du Monde de Rugby masculine et féminine, respectivement en 2031 et 2033.
La MLR et USA Rugby avaient déjà collaboré pour soutenir les USA Hawks, une initiative visant à aider les jeunes joueurs américains et les prospects qualifiés pour les États-Unis à se développer en tant que joueurs de rugby d’élite via un parcours de performance dédié. Anthem RC, dans le cadre de son partenariat avec World Rugby et USA Rugby, accélérera considérablement cet objectif de haute performance en accompagnant les progrès à long terme de l’équipe nationale masculine des États-Unis en vue de sa qualification pour la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2027 et de l’organisation de l’édition 2031 sur son sol.
« Le lancement d’Anthem RC constitue un changement important dans cette aventure commune visant à développer et à améliorer le rugby aux États-Unis, en ouvrant une voie claire pour le développement des joueurs et de plus grandes opportunités pour USA Rugby alors que l’Amérique du Nord se prépare à accueillir la Coupe du Monde de Rugby », a déclaré Nic Benson, directeur général de la MLR.
« Nous sommes reconnaissants aux dirigeants de World Rugby et de USA Rugby pour leur investissement dans cette initiative, sachant qu’elle contribue à poser des fondations solides qui favoriseront la croissance continue du rugby aux États-Unis. »
Le directeur général de USA Rugby, Ross Young, a ajouté : « Cette remarquable collaboration entre MLR, USA Rugby et World Rugby est un exemple édifiant des progrès auxquels nous pouvons nous attendre à mesure que le rugby en Amérique entame une nouvelle trajectoire.
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« L’Anthem RC offre une opportunité unique d’accélérer le développement de l’USA Rugby High Performance tout en continuant à soutenir la MLR en tant que filière principale pour les USA Men’s Eagles. Le niveau de travail d’équipe qui s’est produit entre toutes les parties pour concrétiser ce projet est sans précédent et nous sommes ravis de le voir sur un terrain de rugby cette année. »
Le Directeur général de World Rugby, Alan Gilpin, a salué ce développement comme une étape majeure dans une stratégie plus globale visant à accroître la compétitivité et l’intérêt pour le rugby aux États-Unis avant les Coupes du Monde de Rugby à domicile.
« En travaillant avec des partenaires stratégiques aux États-Unis, et avec le soutien de notre Comité Exécutif, nous activons un plan de croissance à long terme pour le rugby aux États-Unis qui permettra à cette grande nation sportive, et au sport dans son ensemble, de libérer le véritable potentiel que constitue l’accueil des Coupes du Monde de Rugby masculine et féminine, respectivement en 2031 et 2033 », a-t-il déclaré.
« Ce plan ambitieux est centré sur le fait de rendre le sport plus adapté et accessible à un plus grand nombre de personnes aux États-Unis, une nation qui aime le sport et les événements, ancrés dans le divertissement. En plus d’accélérer le potentiel évident du rugby féminin et de consolider le rugby à sept dans la culture sportive des États-Unis, nous devons développer durablement le jeu élite masculin et pour que l’équipe nationale des USA Eagles réussisse sur la scène mondiale.
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« L’annonce d’aujourd’hui est une étape importante pour y parvenir. Associé à la certitude d’un calendrier mondial à long terme, notre investissement, avec nos partenaires, offrira une opportunité pour un parcours de haute performance bien soutenu et orienté vers la recherche de résultats sur la scène mondiale.
« Ce type de partenariat s’est avéré fructueux pour les Fidji, quart de finaliste de la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2023, avec la création de la Drua, et nous sommes emballés par l’énorme potentiel de l’Anthem RC, non seulement en tant que filière, mais aussi en tant que franchise majeure dans le cadre d’une vision à long terme pour le succès de la MLR, partagée par toutes les parties prenantes. »
La toute première équipe du club compte des joueurs issus de diverses équipes de la MLR qui sont éligibles pour représenter les États-Unis dans les compétitions internationales.
Anthem RC adopte le concept d’étoiles montantes à travers sa marque, symbolisant les efforts du nouveau club pour investir et développer le rugby américain. Inspiré par l’hymne national américain, il présente également des liens distincts avec la communauté de Charlotte en s’inspirant de son riche héritage militaire et en incorporant une palette de couleurs reconnaissable qui s’inspire des tons chauds des Blue Ridge Mountains.
Pour plus d’informations sur l’équipe, le calendrier et les billets, rendez-vous sur le site www.anthemrc.com.
Comments on RugbyPass
Rassie The GOAT
7 Go to commentsOf their 5 big matches in RWC Scotland and NZ were the easiest. They took a 12-3 lead against NZ and after the red decided it was best to hold the lead and take chances that came. None came and it was tight but they dug a lot deeper in the other two knock out matches. They had trounced NZ in Twickenham in a fixture that NZ must now regret. Psychology was clearly with SA in the final as a result.
1 Go to commentsMy favourite line/exchanges from Chasing the Sun 2. News headline: “SA. The last hurdle in ABs World Cup glory”. Something like that. “You’re all just a hurdle. A hop, skip and a jump”. Coming from Rassie and Jacque. Basically - nobody thinks you’re going to win. You’re just a pushover team. Nobody respects you. When the camera shows the players faces, you can see the effect. You can see the rev meters (die moer metertjies) firing up. Mitchell said he felt it prior to the 19 final. He said to Eddie watching the teams warming up that it was going to be a tough day at the office. Wave a red flag in front of South African, and you can expect a reaction. This is not unique - many teams rev themselves. And Bok teams in particular. With horrific consequences (discipline, poor thinking under pressure) because that’s the drawback to using emotion right? But what this Bok team does better than many since 2007 is channel the emotion and stay on task. Despite the emotion. Why, because while Rassie might play mind games - he talks about creating a safe environment. Listen to his recent honorary doctorate acceptance speech. While he uses psychology he creates psychological safety. He’s a damn fine coach. Can’t wait for Pretoria. It’s going to be a hummer.
7 Go to commentsWhat Rassie does for SA is big. It has helped people to unite and see we can win with the right people in place.
7 Go to commentsTerrible conditions for young players to express themselves just enjoy it guys. As a saffa great to see Ausie youth looking good. Wow SA have some great talent also.
2 Go to commentsYes, another example of French tv directors ensuring that incidents like this are swiftly glossed over for the benefit of their teams…
1 Go to commentsThe prospect of the club match ups across hemispheres is surely appetising for everyone. The reality however, may prove to be slightly different. There are currently two significant driving forces that have delivered to same teams consistently to the latter champions cup stages for years now. The first of those is the yawning gap in finances, albeit delivered by different routes. In France it’s wealthy private owners operating with a higher salary cap by some distance compared to England. In Ireland it’s led by a combination of state tax relief support, private Leinster academy funding and IRFU control - the provincial budgets are not equal! This picture is not going to change anytime soon. The second factor is the EPCR competition rules. You don’t need a PhD. in advanced statistical analysis from oxbridge to see the massive advantage bestowed upon the home team through every ko round of the tournament. The SA teams will gain the opportunity for home ko ties in due course but that could actually polarise the issue even further, just look at their difficulties playing these ties in Europe and then reverse them for the opposition travelling to SA. Other than that, the picture here is unlikely to change either, with heavyweight vested interests controlling the agenda. So what does all this point to for the club world championship? Well the financial differential between the nh and sh teams is pretty clear. And the travel issues and sporting challenge for away teams are significantly exacerbated beyond those already seen in the EPCR tournaments. So while the prospect of those match ups may whet our rugby appetites, I’m very much still to be convinced the reality will live up to expectations…
1 Go to commentsThe manipulative and cynical Erasmus….
7 Go to commentsWe see you World Rugby….we see you🤡😏
45 Go to commentsBoks are lucky to have a player of the calibre of PSDT in their ranks😍
7 Go to commentsI really like what the boks have done with bringing Vermeulen into their coaching setup. Perhaps they would have gone to france anyway, but Lawes and Farrell could at least have been offered assistant coaching roles. Lawes could probably aptly fill the brief (breakdown, contact skills, and handling) just given to Strawbridge; and Farrell could be a pretty good like for like replacement for Sinfield when he leaves. I probably wouldn’t want them in the national team set up just yet, but it would be good to see strings pulled to either get May, Youngs, Cole, & Care player-coaching roles in the premiership, or to move them into the under 20s coaching staff.
2 Go to commentsSo spiteful that the Springboks won again, they just had to change the laws so that they would stand a chance.
45 Go to commentsWhy would Eben lie? The guy has achieved so much. He saw it as arrogance. Any normal person who plays against the ABs year in and year out would have the same thoughts. Why even talk about the final when you have the biggest game of your lives next week in a stage you have never gotten passed? Rugly is simple in SA. Have fun but the most important thing is respect. I’m not buying any of this misinterpreted nonsense. Eben isn’t English, but no one during that interview was asking what did he say? He's speaking and therefore his understanding is perfectly fine. It was an arrogant thing to say, esp for a team that has never been to a final, never mind a semi. You guys up north can interpret it in a different way if you wish, maybe that s why you don’t win the biggest tournaments.
154 Go to comments> with Sky TV in New Zealand saying it has seen an 11 per cent lift in overall viewership this year. It’s easy for these kiwi “journalists” to throw around meaningless numbers to make it seem that things are improving, but if you look at the stats behind this 11 percent it says that after 10 rounds of rugby there is only a paltry 160k cumulative viewers in total.. That is on average 16k viewers watching a single round of Super Rugby. I very much doubt any of the other numbers that Gregor so proudly “reports” on.
38 Go to commentsGoode is a Prop that played Flyhalf…. Who gives a Sh@#t what he thinks anyway!
154 Go to commentsOne would hope when a player of such caliber is approached for transfer is traversed a lot more carefully. The question I ask, “is the players agent raising red flags in the first instance of contact”. By what I read assumptions are made by nzr based on player welfare provided to them. So what is that? Is it a wholistic approach where family balance is taken into account. Because thay’s what’s in the mix when players go off shore. I realize the money is a huge factor but when negotiations are initiated is nzr involved. As Lendrum says having our best players available is paramount to our success So here’s hoping they are effectively communicating.
4 Go to commentsPSTD, I salute you.
7 Go to commentsWhy don't they just give up on scrums and lineouts, cut the number of players to 13, and call the game ‘rugby league’? These idiots are determined to destroy the game as we know it, and instead of ‘attracting youngsters to the game’ as Beaumont suggests, it’ll deter a lot of the less skilled, maybe overweight kids who it is perfect for. World Rugby is detestable. And as for the 20 minute ‘red’ - why not teach the players to tackle better? (Like the current tackle height trials are supposed to do, but will probably be squashed by the NZRU as usual). I despair for the union game, I really do.
45 Go to commentsHere’s hoping the emphasis on how the tmo interfaces on game infractions is taken into account more seriously than what was adjudicated during the 23 wc. That was a shambles, plus Barnes the abs ref never contested some of the calls, something he’s known for. And then we're left with wr opologizing after the game that smith’s try was legit. I was even more pizzed. And as for the red card if the infringement is clearly intentional foul then the individual is out of the game and after 20mins the bench replacement comes on. So, there’s then the degree of seriousness taken into account within the 20min stand down.
38 Go to commentsNot sure they the article doesn’t hit on TMO this year, that’s were they were putting focus right. The fact the other areas haven’t improved shows just how poor the comp is at focusing on its direction. There should still have been further gains in both those areas this year even it if didn’t have the same focus as others. The whistle to restart time, like touch finders of 26 seconds, surely has to be a key focus area next year. Why should a side be given so much time to kick for touch? Cut that down to 5 or 10 seconds, penalties both become less of key stalling/defensive strategy, and become more ‘live’ with tap kicks becoming much more favourable quick actions. Theres absolutely no reason we have to wait over 10 secs for the preferred kicker to walk up and try and take maximum advantage, especially when half the time its just a delay tactic to give the forwards time to plan, as the kicker hardly even trys to find the corner with his kick, anyone could have kicked it straight out for the lineout.
38 Go to comments