Army Rugby Football Club
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The Army Rugby Football Club was founded in 1961 and for over 50 years the Army Black Knights have been a leader in USA Collegiate Rugby. The Army Ruggers are
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
’s most winning team. In 1980 the USA Rugby Collegiate Championship playoff system was established. Since then, the Army Rugby team has qualified for every national playoff tournament, has reached more than ten semifinals, and has finished second in the nation 3 times. In 2022, Army won the CRAA D1A National Championship. All Cadet classes play and the team currently has over 60 members drawn from the United States Corps of Cadets fielding four rugby sides. The Division-1 A and B sides battle for dominance in the Division 1-A Eastern division, while the C and D sides typically challenge local clubs every year.


History

Army rugby plays
college rugby College rugby is played by men and women throughout colleges and universities in the United States of America. Seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side variants of rugby union are most commonly played. Most collegiate rugby programs do not fall under the ...
in the Division 1–A Eastern Conference. The Black Knights play their home games at the Anderson Rugby Complex on the campus of West Point. Rugby is a relatively popular sport at West Point; for example, the 2012 game against
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
was attended by 2,000 fans. Army is currently led by Head Coach Matt Sherman, the Cadets first full-time head coach. Sherman was an All American player at Cal, leading the Bears to 4 National Championships and was previously head coach at San Diego St and Stanford. Army has one of the most successful
college rugby College rugby is played by men and women throughout colleges and universities in the United States of America. Seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side variants of rugby union are most commonly played. Most collegiate rugby programs do not fall under the ...
teams in the country. Army played in three consecutive national championship games from 1990–1992. Army reached the national semi-finals four consecutive years from 2000–2003, and twice in a row in 2009 and 2010. Under Head Coach Rich Pohlidal, Army joined the newly formed College Premier Division (late renamed Division 1-A) in 2010. Army reached the CPD quarterfinals in 2011 before losing to Utah, and again reached the quarterfinals in 2013. Army's rugby team was briefly suspended in 2013 after several team members violated the Army's code of conduct by forwarding inappropriate emails. In 2014, Army reached the ACRC Bowl final, before falling to Life University. Army also plays in rugby sevens tournaments, including the
Collegiate Rugby Championship The Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) is an annual college rugby sevens tournament. The CRC is the highest profile college rugby sevens competition in the United States, with the tournament broadcast live on NBC from 2010–2017, on ESPN News an ...
, the highest profile college rugby tournament in the U.S., reaching the finals in 2011. The Collegiate Rugby Championship is played every year in early June at
PPL Park Subaru Park (formerly known as PPL Park and Talen Energy Stadium) is a soccer-specific stadium located in Chester, Pennsylvania, located next to the Commodore Barry Bridge on the waterfront along the Delaware River. The venue is home to the Ph ...
in Philadelphia, and is broadcast live on NBC. Army has established a rivalry against Navy at the CRC 7s tournament. They won the inaugural Military Memorial Cup tournament at the Collegiate Rugby Championship tournament in 2012 and won the Bowl Final in 2016 with a 10-0 victory over Maryland. Their rivalry with Navy brought them to victory in 2016 where they evened out the tournament wins against Navy 2-2.


Club Honors

* Division 1-A ** Champions: 2022 (National), 2011 (East Conference) ** ''Runners-up'': 1990. 1991, 1992 * RugbyEast Fall ** Champions: 2018


Previous Seasons


Head Coach/Director of Rugby

* Matt Sherman — 2015 - Current * Mike Mahan — 1987–2004, 2013–2014 * Rich Pohlidal — 2005-2011


Current squad


See also

*
College rugby College rugby is played by men and women throughout colleges and universities in the United States of America. Seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side variants of rugby union are most commonly played. Most collegiate rugby programs do not fall under the ...


References


External links

*
Warrior Field
at Google Maps {{National Intercollegiate Rugby Association Army Black Knights rugby Rugby clubs established in 1961 Rugby union teams in New York (state) Sports teams in the New York metropolitan area