Opening Kick is a segment devoted to bringing you all Eagles and U.S.A. Rugby news in one location. It is brought to you everyday by Rugby Marketplace, your independent rugby store!
National Teams:
The Eagles are going to Olympics! It was always going to come down to their match against Canada and when it counted the Eagles executed. The win marks the a complete turnaround from a year ago.
The Women Eagles are also going to Rio after putting in a dominant performance in which they were only scored on once.
After the final we caught up with Mike Friday, Zack Test, Carlin Isles, Chris Wyles, and more.
To get to the final the men had to beat Barbados, Mexico, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. The women also breezed through non-final play.
Patrick Johnston has a recap of the big match from the Canadian angle while Pat Clifton has a great take on the accomplishment.
Take the jump to read more.
If you haven't already, make sure to check out this great piece on Jillion Potter.
Club/College:
Hopefully not lost in the excitement of the weekend was NYAC's win over Austin for the DI title.
In one of the most thrilling matches of the year the Seattle Saracens women beat Beantown for the national championship.
We'll have recaps of the rest of the club championships later today.
The Hemisphere Cup between Saracens and the Crusaders in New Orleans has been cancelled. Here is reaction from the Crusaders and Saracens.
The American rugby world is mourning the passing of Ted Hughes.
Ted Hardy has his latest edition of Talking Rugby.
World:
Stay tuned for World Rugby Weekend Review.
Australia have named their preliminary World Cup squad with a few new names.
A broken arm to Augustine Pulu could impact the All Blacks.
There is a lot of money awaiting the players if Wales win the World Cup.
Trouble out of Italy as it looks like players are striking for higher pay.