American youth rugby’s premier sevens tournament returns this weekend, with the North American Invitational 7s tournament kicking off this Friday in Salt Lake City, Utah. A total of 75 boys teams and 44 girls teams covering U14, U16, U18, and U23 age groups will compete over the course of two days at the beautiful Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex.

Texas summers; well-known for scorching temperatures, high humidity, and too many mosquitos, yet best-known for barbecues, 7s rugby, and damn good people. If heaven really is a place on earth, then this is exactly what it looks like.

This year’s tournament will be the final stop for the NAI 7s which features teams from the US, Canada and Caribbean.

One of the great things about rugby is that it's a multi-skilled sport which lends itself well to crossover athletes. Particularly in a sports-mad country like the United States, we see tons of players seamlessly make the transition from other sports to rugby. 

What is rugby and what does it mean to those who play it? I had the privilege of speaking with eight different USA National Team players over the past couple of weeks, and I asked each of them that very question, "What is rugby?"

Somewhere, someday, somebody in 19th century thought to themselves, "Hmm, rugby would be a lot cooler if there were less players and more space to work with." The solution to this pondering was the invention of rugby sevens, which as the name would suggest, involves two teams of sevens playing on the same size pitch as a standard rugby game. 

What does it mean when someone throws around the terms "lineout" or "scrum"? And no, a scrum is not when a mosh pit of football or basketball players fight for a loose ball. These are specific rugby terms, and they refer to what are known as "set pieces" in a rugby game. 

What does it mean when someone throws around the terms "lineout" or "scrum"? And no, a scrum is not when a mosh pit of football or basketball players fight for a loose ball. These are specific rugby terms, and they refer to what are known as "set pieces" in a rugby game. 

As we navigate through these trying times both nationwide and worldwide, we must do so without one of our greatest reliefs. 

It was a slower weekend on the club rugby front, as most conferences are still in winter hibernation. However, the Red River conference was in full swing, with D1 & D2 play getting started, and D3 picking up where it left off after the fall. 

The USA Club Rugby season resumes this Saturday, as the Red River conference gets back in action. The rest of the conferences are still idle, but there will be 14 games across four divisions in the Red River over the weekend. 

Following a frustrating 2019 campaign that saw the Austin Herd (formerly the Austin Elite) go winless in 16 games, fans, players, and coaches alike are eager for a fresh start in 2020. 

At the heartbeat of any strong rugby nation is the grassroots level, where people play and dedicate their time simply for the love of the game. 

This past weekend, eight women's teams competed in the TRU All Star Challenge. Over 140 women participated in the tournament, as well as a player-development clinic put on by USA Eagles head coach Rob Cain. 

The Lions Academy fought off two huge comeback efforts in the semifinals and finals of the New York 7s to take home the Men's Premier Cup championship.