Sun Devils Ranked in Top 15 for Past 5 Years
NEWS RELEASE–Rose+Moser+Allyn Public and Online Relations
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) Their list of vanquished opponents reads like a Who’s Who of College Sports Powerhouses: Oklahoma, Texas, USC, Washington, Oregon State, Colorado and Air Force. But next month the Arizona State University rugby program will face one of its toughest challenges to date: the vaunted Brigham Young University team.
ASU Rugby debuted in 1975 and has grown into one of the top programs in the country. In the last five years especially, the team has made the leap into elite territory, knocking off some major, established programs and reaching a #6 ranking at one point. ASU has consistently ranked in the top 15 over the past five years (currently ranked #11) due in large part to the strength of its schedule every year.
Even as recruitment is getting difficult due to the ballooning popularity of the sport of rugby, ASU is putting some of the best players in the country on the field. This year’s team, for instance, boasts two players who have played on the U.S. Under 20 Team (Adam Sandstrom, Eric Rygiel), one player who is currently on the U.S. Under 20 Team (David Todd), one player who plays for the Canadian Under 19 national team (Conner McRae) and one who plays for the full Romanian men’s team (John Varvera).
“I am very proud of this team, they work exceptionally hard, they are the true college athletes, how they juggle school, work and the sport they love. They sacrifice, so much to represent the school,” said Gary Lane, ASU Rugby head coach. “This team always wants to promote Arizona State University, proof of that is 85% of our players are from out of state. They come to school because they want to play quality rugby within a great school set up.”
ASU’s star-studded roster will face BYU’s rugby team, which is the school’s winningest sports program with just 20 losses in 21 years. The Cougars won the program’s first National Championship in 2009 and 2012 and have perennially challenged for the title every year since 2006.
Rugby, the fastest growing collegiate sport for both men and women and a true team sport, with all players contributing and able to get an opportunity to carry the ball and score, was played at the London games in 1908, at Antwerp in 1920 and at the Paris games in 1924.
It’s the fastest growing sport in the U.S. and in all of North America. Between 2006 and 2011, the number of high-school rugby players in the U.S. increased by 84%, with 28,000 players in 650 high school programs. Youth rugby has increased 25% over the last three years. This has meant more television exposure, as when NBC began broadcasting rugby tournaments on network television and has shown the Collegiate Rugby Championships each year since 2010.
The Fiat of Scottsdale Rugby Bowl makes its Valley debut April 12th at 1:10 p.m. at WestWorld of Scottsdale as one of the world’s most popular sports meets the rolling thunder of motorcycles. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. Fans can choose from a general admission ticket, the World of Beer Garden, tailgating option or relax in one of several other tents including a shaded mid-field VIP tent, a reserved Arizona State University tent or non-alcoholic reserved Brigham Young University tent. A VIP Sky Box option is also available for large parties and groups. Those interested in corporate sponsorships should contact info@TheRugbyBowl.com.
Rugby fans will also enjoy cuisine from a variety of the Valley’s favorite food trucks. Nothing sets the stage for some serious rugby action and a day of fun, food and drink than a classic rock cover band named Whiskey’s Quicker. And no band can bring a raucous close to a rollicking day of rough-and-tumble rugby than Keltic Cowboys, Arizona’s premiere Irish rock band.
First up on the stage will be Whiskey’s Quicker, an Arizona-based cover band formed by AZ Sports 620 AM and the Arizona Republic’s own Dan Bickley. They have been rocking local events and festivals since 2011 with a range of songs from artists such as Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Journey, Led Zeppelin, Scorpions, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses and Godsmack.
Wrapping up the event will be the Keltic Cowboys, Arizona’s premier Irish Rock Band, has been entertaining the beer drinking, live music-loving masses for over a decade. They will pommel the rugby post-game crowd with their signature rocking mix of guitars, highland pipes, banjo, mandolin and accordian.
Tickets start at just $12 and are on sale now at www.therugbybowl.com.
The Fiat of Scottsdale Rugby Bowl, like the Scottsdale Ferrari-Maserati Polo Championships: Horses & Horsepower, comes to the Valley as a new and relatively unknown sport that has the potential to be a perfect fit for a sports-and-action hungry fan base. Heineken Light is serving as the event’s Presenting Sponsor.
This past June 22nd, the same ownership and production team also launched “The Hottest Race on Earth.” Organized by the co-founder of Pat’s Run, Scottsdale’s Beat The Heat was called the best racing field in Arizona in two decades and was won by a two-time Ethiopian Olympian. The group’s Scottsdale Ferrari-Maserati Polo Championships: Horses & Horsepower is now the most attended polo event in the United States or Europe after more than 12,000 gathered at WestWorld just two months ago.
