USA Rugby Team

Although many rugby fans don’t immediately think of the USA as a rugby-playing nation, rugby was first played over in the United States as early as 1872. In fact, it was hugely popular in the late 1800s when President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to outlaw American football.

The popularity of rugby union in the USA returned after the conclusion of the First World War and the USA Rugby team entered a golden era in the 1920s when they won back-to-back Olympic gold medals. Sadly though, rugby union was removed as an Olympic sport in 1924 and the game went dormant in America for almost half a century as a result.

In the 1960s though, the sport enjoyed a renaissance and a governing body was founded. The national team’s first match under the new governing body was a hard-fought contest against Australia, which they lost 24-12. Throughout the next few decades, the USA Rugby team continued to clash against the world’s top sides. Although they lost most of these matches, they slowly gained prominence.

Following this, in the 1990s, the team began to experience success and they won three matches in a row for the first time (all against Japan). Although the side failed to qualify for the 1995 edition of the Rugby World Cup, the USA Rugby team have featured in every tournament since and they’ve notched up wins against Japan and Russia in the pools phase.

In recent years, the USA Rugby team’s momentum has continued and they’ve won the newly-established Americas Rugby Championship twice. Due to the success of the team, rugby union is growing in popularity in the USA and the country is now even bidding to host the 2027 edition of the Rugby World Cup.