Belmont Shore Rugby Club is an American

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

team named after the Belmont Shore neighborhood of

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, which has a tradition of amateur rugby.

History

The Belmont Shore team was founded in 1974, and was one of the original US Rugby Super League teams in 1997. The team has been in the Super League Finals in seven of the past ten championships. They have been league champions four times, most recently in 2007. They were runners-up to the

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York (state), New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manha ...

team in 2005, and to the

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-based

Old Mission Beach Athletic Club Old Mission Beach Athletic Club Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in San Diego, California. OMBAC RFC is directly affiliated with the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club. The rugby team plays at The Little Q Rugby Field, adjacent to Qua ...

team in 2006. Belmont Shore dropped out of the Rugby Super League in October, 2009. In 2014 it joined the Pacific Rugby Premiership.

Club honours

* Rugby Super League Champions: 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007 * Rugby Super League Runner-up: 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 * US Men's Division I National Championship Runner-up: (15's) 2010 * US Men's 7s National Champions: 2009 * US Men's 7s National Runner-Up: 2008, 2010 * US Men's 7s National Champions: 2011 * US Men's 7s National Champions: 2012 * US Men's Division I National Champions (15's): 2012

Teams

Belmont Shore features adult and youth divisions. The adult division competes in the Pacific Rugby Premiership & Division I; the youth division features many teams - U-8 through U19.

Sponsorship

The SuperLeague's primary sponsor is Michelob Amber Bock, with each individual team receiving a portion of those revenues. In addition to Amber Bock, Belmont Shore has individual sponsorships. Notable primary sponsors include

CP Ships CP Ships was a large Canadian shipping company established in the 19th century. From the late 1880s until after World War II, the company was Canada's largest operator of Atlantic and Pacific steamships. Many immigrants travelled on CP ships f ...

and Dr Pepper/

7Up 7 Up (stylized as 7up outside North America) is an American brand of lemon-lime-flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo. 7 Up comp ...

. Also DCL Direct (Direct Container Line) and Kudu Rugby.

Notable players

''Note: caps and participation are accurate as of 10 August 2006''

United States national team

* Mike Hercus, fly-half, thirty-six international caps, 387 international points. * Chris Ostentowski, prop, eight international caps * Francois Viljoen, fullback, thirteen international caps (63 points in international tests)

Other notable players

* Craig Wells, centre, Australia U21 - 1990,91, NSW Waratahs - 1991,92 (10 x caps), Australian Wallaby World Cup Training Squad & Australia "B" - 1991, ACT Brumbies Super 12s - 1998,99 (2 x caps), Australian

Classic Wallabies A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a '' ...

- 1999, USA Super League National Champion - 2004,07 (Belmont Shore), USA Classic Eagles - 2008 * Lee Peina, halfback, Northland * Joe Taufete'e * Mike Te'o

Notable coaches

* Ray Egan — Head coach of Belmont Shore until his February 2016 appointment with the San Diego

PRO Rugby Pro is an abbreviation meaning "professional". Pro, PRO or variants thereof may also refer to: People * Miguel Pro (1891–1927), Mexican priest * Pro Hart (1928–2006), Australian painter * Mlungisi Mdluli (born 1980), South African retired ...

team.

Other rugby teams in Long Beach

Besides Belmont Shore RFC, there is the Belmont Shore Women's Rugby Football Club (nicknamed the "Landsharks", they have two national championships), Coast Women's RFC, and a men's club team at

Long Beach State California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities ...

(which has made the National Final Four on four occasions),

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belmont Shore Rfc Sports in Long Beach, California Tourist attractions in Long Beach, California Rugby union teams in California Rugby clubs established in 1974 1974 establishments in California